Cloning and tissue expression profiling of corticotropin-releasing hormone （CRH） in yellowtail clownfish， Amphiprion clarkii

In the report， in order to explore the molecular expression pattern of the CRH gene and its differential expression in individuals with different social status， the full-length cDNA sequence of 1137 bp was cloned， which encode 168 amino acids. The phylogenetic tree analysis results showed that the CRH gene of the yellowtail clownfish was most closely related to that of the European perch （Dicentrarchus labrax） and the yellow-spotted bluegill （Siganus canaliculatus）. Real-time qPCR was used to detect the tissue distribution of the CRH gene in yellowtail clownfish， and the results showed that the CRH gene was significantly more highly expressed in the hypothalamus； the different expression of the CRH gene in the hypothalamus was then examined in different social status of yellowtail clown-fish，the results showed the expression of the CRH gene was significantly higher in functional females than that in functional males and non-functional males， which suggested that the CRH gene may be involved in the regulation of gonadal development in different social status of yellowtail clownfish.