Nr5a homologues in the ricefield eel Monopterus albus: Alternative splicing, tissue-specific expression, and differential roles on the activation of cyp19a1a promoter in vitro

•nr5a1b is present in most teleosts but lost in some including tilapia and medaka.•nr5a2 and nr5a5 are paralogs likely originated through WGD in ancestral vertebrates.•Nr5a2 was expressed more broadly in tissues than nr5a1a, nr5a1b, or nr5a5.•Nr5a1a but not Nr5a2 or Nr5a1b or Nr5a5 activated cyp19a1a promoter activities.•nr5a1a is expressed correlatively with cyp19a1a during vitellogenesis and sex change. Nr5a (Fushi tarazu factor 1, Ftz-F1) homologues belong to the nuclear receptor superfamily, and are involved in the regulation of reproduction in vertebrates. Four genes encoding Nr5a homologues were present in the genome of ricefield eel, which are designated as nr5a1a, nr5a1b, nr5a2, and nr5a5 in the present study. Alternatively spliced transcripts were identified for nr5a1a and nr5a1b genes. Sequence analysis indicated that nr5a5 is possibly a paralog of nr5a2, and nr5a1b is lost during evolution in some teleosts including tilapia and medaka. Ricefield eel nr5a genes exhibit tissue-specific expression patterns, with nr5a1a and nr5a1b resembling that of the SF-1/Ad4BP (NR5A1) subfamily, and nr5a2 and nr5a5 resembling that of the NR5A2/LRH/FTF subfamily. Transcriptomic analysis revealed parallel expression profiles of nr5a1a, foxl2, and cyp19a1a in ovarian follicles during vitellogenesis, with peak values at the late vitellogenic stage. Real-time PCR indicated that the expression levels of nr5a1a and foxl2 in gonads were decreased significantly during the sexual transition from female to the late intersexual stage. In vitro transient transfection assay showed that Nr5a1a up-regulated ricefield eel cyp19a1a promoter activities synergistically with Foxl2. However, Nr5a1b, Nr5a2, and Nr5a5 could neither activate ricefield eel cyp19a1a promoter alone nor enhance the stimulatory effects of Foxl2 on cyp19a1a promoter activities. Collectively, the above data suggest that Nr5a homologues may have diverse and differential roles in the tissues of ricefield eels. The up-regulation of gonadal nr5a1a and foxl2 during vitellogenesis may be important for the ovarian development whereas their down-regulation during the sexual transition period may be important for the sex change process of ricefield eels, possibly through the regulation of cyp19a1a gene expression.