Study of GH and Ghrelin genes expression during the larvae developmental period in Danio rerio

Zebra fish is an important species in genetics and considering the proximity of its genome to the human genome, investigating the expression of some of the growth and appetite genes during its larvae development is essential. Genes coding growth and appetite (GH and ghrelin) hormones are involved in the synthesis and release of growth hormone, which can be considered to be economic genes in pisciculture. Given the importance of these genes during the early larvae development stages, this study was performed to assess their activity. Samples were collected at 4, 7, 10, 15, 30 and 45 post-hatching days. Samples were immediately placed in liquid nitrogen (-196 degree centigrade) and then stored in a freezer at -80 degree centigrade until RNA extraction (using RNX-Plus kit). To analyze normal expression of target genes, reference gene β-actin was used by 2-∆∆Ct method. The expression of genes associated with the growth and appetite was significantly different at various stages of the development of zebra fish, as the gene expression of GH on day 4 and ghrelin gene on day 10 after hatching were significantly higher compared with other samples (P<0.05). Overall, the expression of GH and ghrelin genes at the early stages of growth is higher than other fish developmental stages due to their great importance in the survival of larvae at these stages of life.