Molecular cloning and characterization of the yellowtail GH gene and its promoter: a consensus sequence for teleost and avian Pit-1/GHF-1 binding sites.

The gene and 5' flanking promoter region for yellowtail (Seriola quinqueradiata) GH (yGH) have been cloned, sequenced and characterized. The yGH gene spans approximately 4.6 kb and consists of six exons and five introns, as has been observed with rainbow trout, Atlantic salmon and tilapia GH genes. This result suggests that the structure of six exons and five introns is a dominant form in fish GH genes. A typical TATA box exists 26 bp upstream from the transcription start site, and Pit-1/GHF-1 (Pit-1) binding site-homologous regions were found in the promoter region of the yGH gene. In a gel shift assay, however, a single shifted band was detected with the fragments containing a region from -128 to -90 of the yGH 5' flanking region when they were incubated with yellowtail pituitary nuclear extracts. The bound fragments contained an octamer base sequence similar, but not identical, to mammalian consensus Pit-1 binding element. A consensus octamer sequence is also proposed in this report for the binding of teleost and avian Pit-1 transcription factors.