Cloning and sequence analysis of a vasa homolog in the European sea bass ( Dicentrarchus labrax ): Tissue distribution and mRNA expression levels during early development and sex differentiation

Research highlights ► The evolutionary relationship of Vasa amino acid sequences available to date is established. ► Q-PCR quantification of vasa shows sex-related differences in expression (females > males) before sex differentiation, suggesting a role for vasa during of fish sex differentiation and gametogenesis. ► First study on environmental influences on vasa shows that higher temperature increases vasa expression in females. ► Through its helicase activity, vasa might be implicated in the translational regulation of mRNAs involved in the specification and differentiation of gonadal-specific cell types.