A Potential Role of the Translation Elongation Factor in Gonadal High-Temperature Perception in Chinese Tongue Sole ().

The eukaryotic translation elongation factor 1 alpha () gene has a well-defined role in protein synthesis. However, its role in external temperature perception and internal sex differentiation and development is still unclear. In this study, was identified and functionally analyzed in Chinese tongue sole (). The cDNA, 1809 bp in length, had a 1386 bp open reading frame (ORF) that encoded a 461 amino acid polypeptide containing one EF-1_alpha domain. expression levels were investigated across different tissues and during gonadal development. In the gonad, showed a sexually dimorphic expression pattern with a statistically higher expression level in the ovary than in the testis from 6 months postfertilization to 3 years postfertilization. Under high temperature (28 °C) treatment during sex differentiation (from 30 days postfertilization to 3 months postfertilization), was statistically down-regulated in males, while the difference was not detected in females. In addition, the dual-luciferase assay exhibited that can respond to high temperature rapidly. Based on these results, might have a dual role in the perception of external temperature changes and sex differentiation regulation.