[Objective] The aim of this study was to study effects of metal ions on the protease activities in digestive tissues and gland of red-white ornamental carp(Cyprinus carpio L).[Method] Effects of four kinds of metal ...[Objective] The aim of this study was to study effects of metal ions on the protease activities in digestive tissues and gland of red-white ornamental carp(Cyprinus carpio L).[Method] Effects of four kinds of metal ions (K+,Na+,Mg2+ and Ca2+) on protease activities in hepatopancreas,foregut,midgut,hindgut of red-white ornamental carp were studied by enzyme analysis method.[Result] Effects of four kinds of metal ions on protease activities of red-white ornamental carp were different in the range of experimental concentration from 25 mmol/L to 150 mmol/L.K+ could promote protease activities in hepatopancreas and hindgut at different levels.Especially,K+ had the promoting effect at low-concentration level,but the inhibitory effect at high-concentration level in midgut and the inhibitory effect in foregut.Na+ had the promoting effect on protease activities in hepatopancreas,foregut and hindgut at different levels,but the inhibitory effect in midgut.Mg2+ and Ca2+ had the inhibitory effect on protease activities in intestinal and hepatopancreas at different levels.[Conclusion] This study provides basic data and theoretical foundation for researches on the digestive physiology of red-white ornamental carp or the development and optimization of compound feed.展开更多
In this paper, ontogeny of immune-related organs during theearly development of carp was studied by histochemical technique-lcineBlue staining under acid conditions and PAS reaction(AB-PAS staining). Thekidney appeare...In this paper, ontogeny of immune-related organs during theearly development of carp was studied by histochemical technique-lcineBlue staining under acid conditions and PAS reaction(AB-PAS staining). Thekidney appeared one day before hatching, spleen, liver and pancreas emergedon the same day of hatching, and thymus was not found until the third day afterhatching. Ontogeny of these immune related organs of the carp in thisresearch is earlier than that reported by Botham.展开更多
[Objective] The paper was to investigate the protective effects of different concentrations of Bacillus subtilis peptidoglycan(PG) on β-conglycinin-induced inflammatory injury in intestinal epithelial cells of juveni...[Objective] The paper was to investigate the protective effects of different concentrations of Bacillus subtilis peptidoglycan(PG) on β-conglycinin-induced inflammatory injury in intestinal epithelial cells of juvenile carp(Cyprinus carpio).[Method] In 24-cell microplates, the intestinal epithelial cells(IECs) of juvenile carp were primarily cultured for 72 h at 26°C and 6% CO2, and then the IECs were randomly divided into6 groups with 4 replicates per group. One of the six groups was set as negative control group, and the other groups were all supplemented with 1.0 mg/mL β-conglycinin in culture medium to establish inflammatory injury. At 24 h post induction, the culture media were changed into B. subtilis PG culture media with the concentrations of 0(positive control group), 0.15, 0.30, 0.45 and 0.60 mg/mL, respectively. The samples were collected to measure the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory indices at 12, 24 and 36 h post culture.[Result]β-conglycinin exposure significantly decreased the activity of ASA, AHR, SOD, CAT, GPx, and increased the PC content and the mRNA expression of inflammatory cytokines(IL-1β, IL-8, TNF-α1,IL-10 and TGF-β). At 12, 24 and 36 h post PG treatment, the activities of ASA, AHR, SOD, CAT, GPx and the content of PC in cells decreased in a dose-dependent manner;the mRNA levels of IL-1β, IL-8 and TNF-α1 were down-regulated and those of IL-10 and TGF-β were up-regulated.[Conclusion] Different concentrations of B. subtilis PG could protect IECs oxidative damage induced by β-conglycinin and improve the antioxidant capacity of IECs. High concentration of PG could improve the anti-inflammatory ability of IECs by inhibiting inflammatory factors and promoting the gene expression of anti-inflammatory cytokines.展开更多
The present study preliminarily examined the differences in maximum handling size, prey size and species selectivity of growth hormone transgenic and non-transgenic common carp Cyprinus carpio when foraging on four ga...The present study preliminarily examined the differences in maximum handling size, prey size and species selectivity of growth hormone transgenic and non-transgenic common carp Cyprinus carpio when foraging on four gastropods species( Bellamya aeruginosa, Radix auricularia, Parafossarulus sinensis and Alocinma longicornis) under laboratory conditions. In the maximum handling size trial, five fish from each age group(1-year-old and 2-year-old) and each genotype(transgenic and non-transgenic) of common carp were individually allowed to feed on B. aeruginosa with wide shell height range. The results showed that maximum handling size increased linearly with fish length, and there was no significant difference in maximum handling size between the two genotypes. In the size selection trial, three pairs of 2-year-old transgenic and non-transgenic carp were individually allowed to feed on three size groups of B. aeruginosa. The results show that the two genotypes of C. carpio favored the small-sized group over the large-sized group. In the species selection trial, three pairs of 2-year-old transgenic and non-transgenic carp were individually allowed to feed on thin-shelled B. aeruginosa and thick-shelled R. auricularia, and five pairs of 2-year-old transgenic and non-transgenic carp were individually allowed to feed on two gastropods species( P. sinensis and A. longicornis) with similar size and shell strength. The results showed that both genotypes preferred thin-shelled Radix auricularia rather than thick-shelled B. aeruginosa, but there were no significant difference in selectivity between the two genotypes when fed on P. sinensis and A. longicornis. The present study indicates that transgenic and non-transgenic C. carpio show similar selectivity of predation on the size-and species-limited gastropods. While this information may be useful for assessing the environmental risk of transgenic carp, it does not necessarily demonstrate that transgenic common carp might have lesser environmental impacts than non-transgenic carp.展开更多
Isolated ovarian tissues from the common carp, Cyprinus carpio were incubated in vitro to obtain a discrete effect of four common toxicants of industrial origin, namely phenol, sulfide, mercuric chloride and cadmium c...Isolated ovarian tissues from the common carp, Cyprinus carpio were incubated in vitro to obtain a discrete effect of four common toxicants of industrial origin, namely phenol, sulfide, mercuric chloride and cadmium chloride, on gonadotropin-induced alteration of nonesterified and esterified cholesterol and steroidogenic enzymes, △5-3β-HSD and 17β-HSD activity. Stage II ovarian tissue containing 30-40% mature oocytes were shown to be most responsive to gonadotropins in depleting only nonesterified cholesterol moiety and stimulating the activity of both. Safe doses of above mentioned toxicants when added separately to stage II ovarian tissue with oLH (1 μg/incubation) gonadotropin-induced depletion of nonesterified cholesterol and gonadotropin-induced stimulation of the activity of both enzymes was significantly inhibited. Esterified cholesterol remained almost unaltered. Findings clearly indicate the impairment of gonadotropin induced fish ovarian steroidogenesis by the four toxicants separately.展开更多
Gonadal function in fish, CJprinus carpio was significantly affected by sublethal doses of mercuric chloride (HgCl2 ) and cadmium chloride (CdCl2 ) in chronic (45 days ) exposure.Parameters investigated were nonesteri...Gonadal function in fish, CJprinus carpio was significantly affected by sublethal doses of mercuric chloride (HgCl2 ) and cadmium chloride (CdCl2 ) in chronic (45 days ) exposure.Parameters investigated were nonesterified (NE) and esterified (E) cholestcrol of ovary,liver and serum and ovarian 3β-Hydroxysteroid and 17β-Hydroxysteroid dehyrogenaseenzyme activity and serum and pituitary gonadotropin (GtH) levels. Both the pollutantswere able to reduce the hypothalamic extract (HE) or gonadotropin releasing hormone(GnRH) induced pituitary GtH release in vitro. Short term (96h) exposure of the fish tothe pollutants had no significant effect on the gonadal function. ln addition to thedeleterious effect of pollutants on the gonadal steroidogenesis and pituitary gonadotropin release, using [4-14C] cholesterol as a tracer it was found that for 45 days expeure, HgCl2'had an adverse effect on the transport of cholesterol from circulation to ovary.展开更多
This study was conducted to evaluate the use of cyanobacteria Arthrospira platensis and cladoceran Daphnia magna biomass as complementary protein and lipid sources in diet supplementation for common carp (Cyprinus car...This study was conducted to evaluate the use of cyanobacteria Arthrospira platensis and cladoceran Daphnia magna biomass as complementary protein and lipid sources in diet supplementation for common carp (Cyprinus carpio L.) nursery. Three experimental diets containing A. platensis and D. magna meal at different concentrations were compared to the commercial (control) diet. Each experimental diet (ED) was set to contain D. magna and A. platensis meal at a specific combination: 2% and 5%, 2% and 7%, and 4% and 5% for ED1, ED2 and ED3, respectively. The protein and lipid content of the experimental diets ranged from 43.20% to 44.60% dry weight (DW) and 10.64% to 13.42% DW, respectively;while the protein and lipid content of the control diet were 43.00% DW and 6.72% DW, respectively. After 20 days of feeding period, ED3 group obtained the highest final body weight (BW) (58.18 ± 35.24 mg), total biomass (1936 ± 1625 mg), food conversion rate (1.34 ± 0.04), and specific growth rate (12.86 ± 0.03% BW day<sup>–1</sup>) among all treatment groups (P > 0.05);while ED1 group obtained the highest survival (75.5% ± 7.47%) among all treatment groups (P > 0.05). The total bacterial count and total pathogenic Aeromonas sp. in the culture water of the treatment groups (ranged from 2.00 to 2.65 × 10<sup>5 </sup>CFU mL<sup>–1</sup> and 3.50 to 4.12 × 10<sup>3</sup> CFU mL<sup>–1</sup>, respectively) were lower compared to the water of the control group fed (3.73 × 10<sup>5</sup> and 4.70 × 10<sup>3</sup> CFU mL<sup>–1</sup>, respectively). No significant differences in physicochemical water quality parameters were observed among treatments (P > 0.05). The current study suggests that the combination of A. platensis and D. magna biomass can be used as complementary protein and lipid sources in diet supplementation for common carp larvae and can result in a comparable fish growth, survival and feed utilization in common carp culture at the nursery phase.展开更多
To test the effectiveness of introducing live zooplankton against direct manuring in ornamental fish ponds upon their survival and production, larvae of koi carp, Cyprinus carpio L., were cultured for 11 weeks in eart...To test the effectiveness of introducing live zooplankton against direct manuring in ornamental fish ponds upon their survival and production, larvae of koi carp, Cyprinus carpio L., were cultured for 11 weeks in earthen ponds maintained according to four management regimes: (1) live zooplankton fed to carp larvae (LF); (2) direct fertilization with poultry manure (PM); (3) direct fertilization with cowdung (CD); and (4) a control treatment (C). There were three replicates for each treatment. The growth of heterotrophic bacteria and pathogenic microorganisms like Aeromonas sp. and Pseudomonas sp. were also examined in response to pond management. Values of dissolved oxygen were significantly higher (P〈0.05) in the water of LF ponds, compared to other treatments, while the PM and CD treatments recorded were significantly higher (P〈0.05) values of PO4 - P, NH4 - N, NO3 - N, NO2 - N, specific conductivity, alkalinity, and BOD, compared to the LF and C treatments. The percentages of organic carbon and total nitrogen in the bottom sediments were higher in the PM and CD treatments compared to LF (P〈0.05). Average counts of heterotrophic bacteria in the water of PM and CD ponds were significantly higher than other treatments (P〈0.05). The development of Aeromonas sp. and Pseudomonas sp. were significantly higher (P〈0.05) in the PM and CD treatments. Weight gain of koi carp stocked in LF was significantly higher (P〈0.05) than that of fish in the other treatments. There was a significant difference in the survival rate of koi carp among the treatments ranging from 67.21% in C to 90.11% in LF. The results suggest that raising koi carp larvae in ponds and feeding them exogenously with zooplankton would support high rates of survival and production through maintenance of better water quality and greater abundance of zooplankton in the system. Significantly lower abundance of Aeromonas sp. and Pseudomonas sp. in the LF treatment considerably lowered any possibility of occurrence of bacterial disease.展开更多
Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) is a conservative neurodecapeptide fam-ily, which plays a crucial role in regulating the gonad development and in controlling the final sexual maturation in vertebrate. Two differ...Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) is a conservative neurodecapeptide fam-ily, which plays a crucial role in regulating the gonad development and in controlling the final sexual maturation in vertebrate. Two differing cGnRH-II cDNAs of common carp, namely cGnRH-II cDNA1 and cDNA2, were firstly cloned from the brain by rapid amplification of cDNA end (RACE) and reverse transcription- polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The length of cGnRH-II cDNA1 and cDNA2 was 622 and 578 base pairs (bp), respectively. The cGnRH-II pre-cursors encoded by two cDNAs consisted of 86 amino acids, including a signal peptide, cGnRH-II decapeptide and a GnRH-associated peptide (GAP) linked by a Gly-Lys-Arg proteolytic site. The results of intron trapping and Southern blot showed that two differing cGnRH-II genes in common carp genome were further identified, and that two genes might exist as a single copy. The multi-gene coding of common carp cGnRH-II gene offered novel evidence for gene duplica-tion hypothesis. Using semi-quantitative RT-PCR, expression and relative expression levels of cGnRH-II genes were detected in five dissected brain regions, pituitary and gonad of common carp. With the exception of no mRNA2 in ovary, two cGnRH-II genes could be expressed in all the detected tissues. However, expression levels showed an apparent difference in different brain regions, pituitary and gonad. According to the expression characterization of cGnRH-II genes in brain areas, it was presumed that cGnRH-II might mainly work as the neurotransmitter and neuromodulator and also operate in the regulation for the GnRH releasing. Then, the ex-pression of cGnRH-II genes in pituitary and gonad suggested that cGnRH-II might act as the autocrine or paracrine regulator.展开更多
文摘[Objective] The aim of this study was to study effects of metal ions on the protease activities in digestive tissues and gland of red-white ornamental carp(Cyprinus carpio L).[Method] Effects of four kinds of metal ions (K+,Na+,Mg2+ and Ca2+) on protease activities in hepatopancreas,foregut,midgut,hindgut of red-white ornamental carp were studied by enzyme analysis method.[Result] Effects of four kinds of metal ions on protease activities of red-white ornamental carp were different in the range of experimental concentration from 25 mmol/L to 150 mmol/L.K+ could promote protease activities in hepatopancreas and hindgut at different levels.Especially,K+ had the promoting effect at low-concentration level,but the inhibitory effect at high-concentration level in midgut and the inhibitory effect in foregut.Na+ had the promoting effect on protease activities in hepatopancreas,foregut and hindgut at different levels,but the inhibitory effect in midgut.Mg2+ and Ca2+ had the inhibitory effect on protease activities in intestinal and hepatopancreas at different levels.[Conclusion] This study provides basic data and theoretical foundation for researches on the digestive physiology of red-white ornamental carp or the development and optimization of compound feed.
文摘In this paper, ontogeny of immune-related organs during theearly development of carp was studied by histochemical technique-lcineBlue staining under acid conditions and PAS reaction(AB-PAS staining). Thekidney appeared one day before hatching, spleen, liver and pancreas emergedon the same day of hatching, and thymus was not found until the third day afterhatching. Ontogeny of these immune related organs of the carp in thisresearch is earlier than that reported by Botham.
基金Supported by Science and Technology Research Project of Henan Province(172102110205)
文摘[Objective] The paper was to investigate the protective effects of different concentrations of Bacillus subtilis peptidoglycan(PG) on β-conglycinin-induced inflammatory injury in intestinal epithelial cells of juvenile carp(Cyprinus carpio).[Method] In 24-cell microplates, the intestinal epithelial cells(IECs) of juvenile carp were primarily cultured for 72 h at 26°C and 6% CO2, and then the IECs were randomly divided into6 groups with 4 replicates per group. One of the six groups was set as negative control group, and the other groups were all supplemented with 1.0 mg/mL β-conglycinin in culture medium to establish inflammatory injury. At 24 h post induction, the culture media were changed into B. subtilis PG culture media with the concentrations of 0(positive control group), 0.15, 0.30, 0.45 and 0.60 mg/mL, respectively. The samples were collected to measure the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory indices at 12, 24 and 36 h post culture.[Result]β-conglycinin exposure significantly decreased the activity of ASA, AHR, SOD, CAT, GPx, and increased the PC content and the mRNA expression of inflammatory cytokines(IL-1β, IL-8, TNF-α1,IL-10 and TGF-β). At 12, 24 and 36 h post PG treatment, the activities of ASA, AHR, SOD, CAT, GPx and the content of PC in cells decreased in a dose-dependent manner;the mRNA levels of IL-1β, IL-8 and TNF-α1 were down-regulated and those of IL-10 and TGF-β were up-regulated.[Conclusion] Different concentrations of B. subtilis PG could protect IECs oxidative damage induced by β-conglycinin and improve the antioxidant capacity of IECs. High concentration of PG could improve the anti-inflammatory ability of IECs by inhibiting inflammatory factors and promoting the gene expression of anti-inflammatory cytokines.
基金Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.31200423,30970553)the National Special Research Fund for Non-Profit Sector(Agriculture)(No.201203081)the National Key Technology R&D Program of China(No.2015BAD13B02)
文摘The present study preliminarily examined the differences in maximum handling size, prey size and species selectivity of growth hormone transgenic and non-transgenic common carp Cyprinus carpio when foraging on four gastropods species( Bellamya aeruginosa, Radix auricularia, Parafossarulus sinensis and Alocinma longicornis) under laboratory conditions. In the maximum handling size trial, five fish from each age group(1-year-old and 2-year-old) and each genotype(transgenic and non-transgenic) of common carp were individually allowed to feed on B. aeruginosa with wide shell height range. The results showed that maximum handling size increased linearly with fish length, and there was no significant difference in maximum handling size between the two genotypes. In the size selection trial, three pairs of 2-year-old transgenic and non-transgenic carp were individually allowed to feed on three size groups of B. aeruginosa. The results show that the two genotypes of C. carpio favored the small-sized group over the large-sized group. In the species selection trial, three pairs of 2-year-old transgenic and non-transgenic carp were individually allowed to feed on thin-shelled B. aeruginosa and thick-shelled R. auricularia, and five pairs of 2-year-old transgenic and non-transgenic carp were individually allowed to feed on two gastropods species( P. sinensis and A. longicornis) with similar size and shell strength. The results showed that both genotypes preferred thin-shelled Radix auricularia rather than thick-shelled B. aeruginosa, but there were no significant difference in selectivity between the two genotypes when fed on P. sinensis and A. longicornis. The present study indicates that transgenic and non-transgenic C. carpio show similar selectivity of predation on the size-and species-limited gastropods. While this information may be useful for assessing the environmental risk of transgenic carp, it does not necessarily demonstrate that transgenic common carp might have lesser environmental impacts than non-transgenic carp.
文摘Isolated ovarian tissues from the common carp, Cyprinus carpio were incubated in vitro to obtain a discrete effect of four common toxicants of industrial origin, namely phenol, sulfide, mercuric chloride and cadmium chloride, on gonadotropin-induced alteration of nonesterified and esterified cholesterol and steroidogenic enzymes, △5-3β-HSD and 17β-HSD activity. Stage II ovarian tissue containing 30-40% mature oocytes were shown to be most responsive to gonadotropins in depleting only nonesterified cholesterol moiety and stimulating the activity of both. Safe doses of above mentioned toxicants when added separately to stage II ovarian tissue with oLH (1 μg/incubation) gonadotropin-induced depletion of nonesterified cholesterol and gonadotropin-induced stimulation of the activity of both enzymes was significantly inhibited. Esterified cholesterol remained almost unaltered. Findings clearly indicate the impairment of gonadotropin induced fish ovarian steroidogenesis by the four toxicants separately.
文摘Gonadal function in fish, CJprinus carpio was significantly affected by sublethal doses of mercuric chloride (HgCl2 ) and cadmium chloride (CdCl2 ) in chronic (45 days ) exposure.Parameters investigated were nonesterified (NE) and esterified (E) cholestcrol of ovary,liver and serum and ovarian 3β-Hydroxysteroid and 17β-Hydroxysteroid dehyrogenaseenzyme activity and serum and pituitary gonadotropin (GtH) levels. Both the pollutantswere able to reduce the hypothalamic extract (HE) or gonadotropin releasing hormone(GnRH) induced pituitary GtH release in vitro. Short term (96h) exposure of the fish tothe pollutants had no significant effect on the gonadal function. ln addition to thedeleterious effect of pollutants on the gonadal steroidogenesis and pituitary gonadotropin release, using [4-14C] cholesterol as a tracer it was found that for 45 days expeure, HgCl2'had an adverse effect on the transport of cholesterol from circulation to ovary.
文摘This study was conducted to evaluate the use of cyanobacteria Arthrospira platensis and cladoceran Daphnia magna biomass as complementary protein and lipid sources in diet supplementation for common carp (Cyprinus carpio L.) nursery. Three experimental diets containing A. platensis and D. magna meal at different concentrations were compared to the commercial (control) diet. Each experimental diet (ED) was set to contain D. magna and A. platensis meal at a specific combination: 2% and 5%, 2% and 7%, and 4% and 5% for ED1, ED2 and ED3, respectively. The protein and lipid content of the experimental diets ranged from 43.20% to 44.60% dry weight (DW) and 10.64% to 13.42% DW, respectively;while the protein and lipid content of the control diet were 43.00% DW and 6.72% DW, respectively. After 20 days of feeding period, ED3 group obtained the highest final body weight (BW) (58.18 ± 35.24 mg), total biomass (1936 ± 1625 mg), food conversion rate (1.34 ± 0.04), and specific growth rate (12.86 ± 0.03% BW day<sup>–1</sup>) among all treatment groups (P > 0.05);while ED1 group obtained the highest survival (75.5% ± 7.47%) among all treatment groups (P > 0.05). The total bacterial count and total pathogenic Aeromonas sp. in the culture water of the treatment groups (ranged from 2.00 to 2.65 × 10<sup>5 </sup>CFU mL<sup>–1</sup> and 3.50 to 4.12 × 10<sup>3</sup> CFU mL<sup>–1</sup>, respectively) were lower compared to the water of the control group fed (3.73 × 10<sup>5</sup> and 4.70 × 10<sup>3</sup> CFU mL<sup>–1</sup>, respectively). No significant differences in physicochemical water quality parameters were observed among treatments (P > 0.05). The current study suggests that the combination of A. platensis and D. magna biomass can be used as complementary protein and lipid sources in diet supplementation for common carp larvae and can result in a comparable fish growth, survival and feed utilization in common carp culture at the nursery phase.
文摘To test the effectiveness of introducing live zooplankton against direct manuring in ornamental fish ponds upon their survival and production, larvae of koi carp, Cyprinus carpio L., were cultured for 11 weeks in earthen ponds maintained according to four management regimes: (1) live zooplankton fed to carp larvae (LF); (2) direct fertilization with poultry manure (PM); (3) direct fertilization with cowdung (CD); and (4) a control treatment (C). There were three replicates for each treatment. The growth of heterotrophic bacteria and pathogenic microorganisms like Aeromonas sp. and Pseudomonas sp. were also examined in response to pond management. Values of dissolved oxygen were significantly higher (P〈0.05) in the water of LF ponds, compared to other treatments, while the PM and CD treatments recorded were significantly higher (P〈0.05) values of PO4 - P, NH4 - N, NO3 - N, NO2 - N, specific conductivity, alkalinity, and BOD, compared to the LF and C treatments. The percentages of organic carbon and total nitrogen in the bottom sediments were higher in the PM and CD treatments compared to LF (P〈0.05). Average counts of heterotrophic bacteria in the water of PM and CD ponds were significantly higher than other treatments (P〈0.05). The development of Aeromonas sp. and Pseudomonas sp. were significantly higher (P〈0.05) in the PM and CD treatments. Weight gain of koi carp stocked in LF was significantly higher (P〈0.05) than that of fish in the other treatments. There was a significant difference in the survival rate of koi carp among the treatments ranging from 67.21% in C to 90.11% in LF. The results suggest that raising koi carp larvae in ponds and feeding them exogenously with zooplankton would support high rates of survival and production through maintenance of better water quality and greater abundance of zooplankton in the system. Significantly lower abundance of Aeromonas sp. and Pseudomonas sp. in the LF treatment considerably lowered any possibility of occurrence of bacterial disease.
基金This work was supported by the'863'High Technology Project of China(Grant No.2001AA213101,2001AA212281)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.200102006)+1 种基金the'973'Project of the Ministry of ScienceTechnology(Grant No.2001 CB 109006).
文摘Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) is a conservative neurodecapeptide fam-ily, which plays a crucial role in regulating the gonad development and in controlling the final sexual maturation in vertebrate. Two differing cGnRH-II cDNAs of common carp, namely cGnRH-II cDNA1 and cDNA2, were firstly cloned from the brain by rapid amplification of cDNA end (RACE) and reverse transcription- polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The length of cGnRH-II cDNA1 and cDNA2 was 622 and 578 base pairs (bp), respectively. The cGnRH-II pre-cursors encoded by two cDNAs consisted of 86 amino acids, including a signal peptide, cGnRH-II decapeptide and a GnRH-associated peptide (GAP) linked by a Gly-Lys-Arg proteolytic site. The results of intron trapping and Southern blot showed that two differing cGnRH-II genes in common carp genome were further identified, and that two genes might exist as a single copy. The multi-gene coding of common carp cGnRH-II gene offered novel evidence for gene duplica-tion hypothesis. Using semi-quantitative RT-PCR, expression and relative expression levels of cGnRH-II genes were detected in five dissected brain regions, pituitary and gonad of common carp. With the exception of no mRNA2 in ovary, two cGnRH-II genes could be expressed in all the detected tissues. However, expression levels showed an apparent difference in different brain regions, pituitary and gonad. According to the expression characterization of cGnRH-II genes in brain areas, it was presumed that cGnRH-II might mainly work as the neurotransmitter and neuromodulator and also operate in the regulation for the GnRH releasing. Then, the ex-pression of cGnRH-II genes in pituitary and gonad suggested that cGnRH-II might act as the autocrine or paracrine regulator.