Objective:To explore the molecular evolution of zebrafish rnf141 gene and its expression in the embryo and adult zebrafish.Methods: The molecular characteristics of zebrafish rnf141 gene were analyzed through a bioinformatics approach.Expression of rnf141 gene in the embryos of different developmental stages and tissues of adult fish were examined by whole-mount in situ hybridization and multiple-tissue RT-PCR technique.Results: We noticed that zebrafish RNF141 protein shared a 79.8% and 78.5% homologies to its homologues in human and mouse (ZNF230,Znf230),respectively,especially that the C3HC4-type domain and the same conserved cysteine and histidine residues shared a 84.8% and 100% homologies to its homologues in human or mouse.Moreover,the secondary structure of C3HC4-type domain in zebrafish RNF141 protein was the same as that in its human homologue.Whole-mount in situ hybridization showed that zebrafish rnf141 gene expressed ubiquitously during embryogenesis,with higher expression found in the telencephalon,cerebellum and hindbrain.RT-PCR revealed rnf141 gene expression in all the adult tissues detected,and abundance was observed in the testicular tissue.Conclusion: These data suggest that zebrafish rnf141 gene is conservative in the vertebrate and might play important roles in embryogenesis and spermatogenesis.