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Characterization and Putative Role of a Type I Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone in the Cephalochordate Amphioxus

Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita (A.C., A.P.), Seconda Università di Napoli, 81100 Caserta, Italy; Laboratory of Animal Physiology and Evolution (E.T.), Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, 80121 Napoli, Italy; and Departament de Genètica (J.G.-F., S.D.), Institut de Biomedicina (IBUB), Universitat de Barcelona, 08028 Barcelona, Spain

Address all correspondence and requests for reprints to: Salvatore D'Aniello, Departament de Genètica, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Avinguda Diagonal 645, 08028 Barcelona, Spain. E-mail: salvatoredaniello{at}gmail.com; or Angela Chambery, Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita, Seconda Università di Napoli, Via Vivaldi 43, 81100 Caserta, Italy. E-mail: angela.chambery{at}unina2.it.

GnRH, originally isolated from mammalian hypothalamus, is a key player in the control of vertebrate reproduction. Employing reverse-phase chromatography, we purified a peptide of relative molecular mass of 1182.60 Da from the cephalochordate amphioxus Branchiostoma lanceolatum. We found that its amino acid sequence (pGlu-His-Trp-Ser-Tyr-Gly-Leu-Arg-Pro-Gly-NH₂) was identical to that of mammalian GnRH. The highest concentrations (4.04 ± 0.3 µg/g tissue), localized in the anterior part of the body, occurred in November, a time when amphioxus gonads prepare for the seasonal spawning. Furthermore, the biological activity of amphioxus GnRH was investigated by examining its capability to elicit LH release from the rodent pituitary gland. The origins of GnRH can be traced back to the origins of chordates. The seasonal variations of amphioxus GnRH also suggest an ancient role of this peptide in the control of reproduction in chordates, even before the evolution of a proper pituitary gland.

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