Molecular Cloning, Expression and Characterization of Peroxisome Proliferators-Activated Receptors Gamma in the Sea Urchin (Strongylocentrotus intermedius)

Peroxisome proliferators-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) plays important regulatory roles in adipocyte differentiation. In this study, we cloned the full-length sequence of the PPARγ gene and analyzed its expression profile in different developmental stages and tissues of Strongylocentrotus intermedius. The full-length cDNA of PPARγ contains 2286 base pairs (bp) with a putative open reading frame of 1755 bp, and the gene encodes encoding a polypeptide of 584 amino acid residues. The predicted molecular mass of the protein is 67.27 kDa, and its theoretical isoelectric point (pI) is 10.07. The protein contains conserved motifs, including an RRM (RNA recognition motif) domain. PPARγ expression with the highest level was observed in the gonad, and the lowest was observed in the tube feet of S. intermedius. Time-course expression measurements at different developmental stages showed that the highest expression level of PPARγ is in the eggs and its weakest expression level is in the 32-cells stage. Knock-down of PPARγ by specific siRNA revealed that UCP2 expression is significantly decreased in the gonads and intestines 48 h post-transfection, indicating that the UCP2 is a downstream target gene of PPARγ. This finding suggests that PPARγ and UCP2 have positive regulatory effects in regulating adipocyte differentiation. Changes in fatty acid levels in the gonads before and after PPARγ interference were assessed, and decreased C18:2(trans, n™6) and C20:3(n−6) levels were observed 48 h after siRNA transfection. The results showed the function of PPARγ in fatty acid anabolism, The data are helpful to improve the current understanding of the fatty acid synthesis pathways and regulatory mechanisms in S. intermedius. They also provide an experimental basis for improving fatty acid synthesis in sea urchins, which is important for cultivating sea urchins with high nutritional value.