Cloning and characterization of Pangasianodon hypophthalmus growth hormone gene and its heterologous expression.

Pangasianodon hypophthalmus is one of the fast-growing catfish of freshwater origin, and its growth is attributed by the action of growth hormone (GH). In this study, the growth hormone gene (PhGH) of 3.0 kb was characterized, and it is composed of five exons and four introns and having characteristics of an upstream region that contains TATA, CAAT boxes, and binding sites of important transcription factors like Pit-1a, CRE, CREB, CREBP, Ap-1, SP1, and TBP.