Expression of the myostatin gene in the adductor muscle of the Pacific lion‐paw scallop Nodipecten subnodosus in association with growth and environmental conditions

ABSTRACT The cDNA sequence of the myostatin gene in the Pacific lion‐paw Nodipecten subnodosus ( Ns‐mstn ) was characterized, and the temporal expression during grow‐out was analyzed for the first time in a scallop. Ns‐mstn encodes a 459‐amino‐acid protein in which two propeptide proteolytic sites were identified, the previously recognized (RSKR) and a second one at position 266–269 aa (RRKR). The alternative furin cleavage site could be related with post‐translational processing, or it could be a tissue‐specific mechanism for signaling activity. The Ns‐mstn transcript was located by in situ hybridization in sarcomeres and around the nucleus of muscle fibers. The temporal expression analysis by qPCR in the adductor muscle showed that Ns‐mstn expression was significantly different ( P < 0.05) between months during the grow‐out period, increasing largely during the summer months when both biomass and muscle weight did not increase or even decreased; muscle fiber size and number were found to decrease significantly. Exogenous and endogenous factors such as high temperature and low food availability, as well as gametogenesis and reproduction, can be associated with the growth pattern and Ns‐mstn expression changes. Our results indicate that MSTN is involved in adductor muscle growth regulation in N. subnodosus as it occurs in vertebrate skeletal muscle although Ns‐mstn expression in non‐muscle organs/tissues suggests additional functions. J. Exp. Zool. 323A: 239–255, 2015 . © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.