Molecular characterization and expression pattern of insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) in common carp, Cyprinus carpio

A full-length cDNA encoding the insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) was cloned from the liver of common carp (Cyprinus carpio) by RT-PCR. The IGFBP-3 cDNA sequence is 1,680 bp long and has an open reading frame of 882 bp encoding a predicted polypeptide of 293 amino acid residues. The deduced amino acid sequence contains a putative signal peptide of 25 amino acid residues resulting in a mature protein of 268 amino acids. A single band of approximate 1.9 kb was found in liver by Northern blot analysis. IGFBP-3 mRNA was observed in all regions of brain with high levels. In peripheral tissues, high levels of IGFBP-3 mRNA were found in retina, red muscle, liver, heart, posterior intestine, spleen, and testis. Relatively lower levels were found in white muscle, kidney, thymus gland, and ovary, while in head kidney, blood, skin, gill, middle intestine, and anterior intestine, the IGFBP-3 mRNA levels were much lower. IGFBP-3 mRNA was first detected in the blastula stage with significantly high level. The level sharply decreased in gastrula stage, and it became to increase in the following stages. During the reproductive cycle, the abundance of IGFBP-3 mRNA significantly decreased between the recrudescing stage and the matured stage in ovary, although in testis, IGFBP-3 mRNA expression level did not exhibit a significant change. The mRNA expression profiles in the present study imply that the IGFBP-3 may play important physiological functions in common carp development and reproduction.     

中华绒螯蟹细胞色素CYP2基因的克隆与表达分析

为研究细胞色素CYP2基因在中华绒螯蟹蜕皮及生长发育中的作用,本试验通过逆转录聚合酶链式RT-PCR反应以及cDNA末端快速扩增RACE技术获得了中华绒螯蟹CYP2基因cDNA全长。用实时荧光定量PCR技术,分析该基因在中华绒螯蟹蜕皮过程中各组织的相对表达量。试验结果显示,中华绒螯蟹CYP2的cDNA全长1772bp,编码491个氨基酸序列,包括一个84bp的5′端非编码区,一个212bp的3′端非编码区、一个1475bp的开放阅读框,经BLAST比对,该核苷酸序列与岸蟹、三疣梭子蟹的相似性分别为66%、64%。实时荧光定量PCR结果显示,中华绒螯蟹蜕皮前,CYP2基因在鳃中的表达量相对最高;在肝胰脏、肌肉中表达量略低于鳃;在Y器官、眼柄、胸神经节、脑神经节、肠中少量表达;在心和胃中表达量最低。中华绒螯蟹在不同的蜕皮时期中,通过荧光定量试验得出,肝胰脏中CYP2基因表达量在蜕皮前期和蜕皮期最高;眼柄中CYP2基因表达量从蜕皮期到蜕皮后期有上升趋势;鳃中CYP2基因表达量在蜕皮前期最高;Y器官、脑神经节和肠中CYP2基因表达量在蜕皮期最高;肌肉中CYP2基因表达量在蜕皮前期最高;胸神经节和胃中CYP2基因表达量在蜕皮后期最高;Y器官中CYP2基因在蜕皮前期表达量高于蜕皮后期和蜕皮期。以上试验结果表明,CYP2对中华绒螯蟹蜕皮生长中的调控可能起到重要作用。     

Leptin and its receptor in turbot <Emphasis Type="Italic">Scophthalmus maximus</Emphasis>: cloning,characterization and expression response to ratios of dietary carbohydrate–lipid

In the present study, the full-length cDNA sequences of leptin (LEP) and its receptor (LEPR) from turbot Scophthalmus maximus were cloned. The cDNA of tLEP was 1126 bp in length encoding 157 amino acids. The amino acid sequence shared low identity with human LEP (18.8 %), but the three-dimensional structures of these two LEPs were strongly conserved. The deduced 1173-amino acid sequence of tLEPR was 28 % identical to human LEPR, and 82 % too range-spotted grouper LEPR, containing all functionally important domains conserved in vertebrate LEPR. Tissue distribution analysis showed that tLEP was abundantly expressed in brain, eyes and liver. The highest level of tLEPR mRNA was found in liver and kidney. After a 9-week feeding trial using diets with different ratios of carbohydrate–lipid (1:6, 1:2, 2:1 and 14:1), it was found that the increase in dietary carbohydrate-to-lipid ratios from 1:6 to 2:1 did not significantly influence tLEP and tLEPR expression in turbot liver (P > 0.05). The hepatic tLEP expression was significantly elevated in treatment with 14:1 dietary carbohydrate-to-lipid ratio (P < 0.05). The hepatic tLEPR mRNA level in group with 14:1 dietary carbohydrate-to-lipid ratio was significantly lower than that in 1:6 group (P < 0.05), but had no significant difference with the other two groups (P > 0.05). These results revealed the important relationship between dietary carbohydrate-to-lipid ratio and LEP expression in turbot.     

Cloning, characterization and expression of the LECT2 gene in grass carp

An expressed sequence tag of grass carp leukocyte cell–derived chemotaxin 2 (LECT2) gene was screened from an established intestinal cDNA library. Rapid amplification of cDNA ends gave rise to a full-length LECT2 cDNA (gcLECT2) with a complete open-reading frame of 474 bp, encoding 158 amino acids about 17.9 kDa. Homology search and sequence alignment showed that this deduced protein sequence shared a high identity with LECT2 from other vertebrates. Western blotting indicated immunological cross-reactivity occurs between grass carp and human LECT2 protein. This gcLECT2 genomic sequence is 1,868 bp in size, which consists of five exons and four introns. Real-time quantitative PCR analysis revealed that gcLECT2 gene is ubiquitously expressed in different tissues of healthy grass carp including brain, gut, liver, spleen, kidney, muscle and heart, while the expression levels were significantly increased in liver and spleen followed by Aeromonas salmonicida infection. 992 bp 5′-flanking region sequence was cloned and analyzed, where one CAAT box and one GC island were found. Our results showed that the LECT2 is suggested to be most possibly involved in the grass carp’s immune response.     

中华鲟神经内分泌多肽7B2基因克隆及组织特异性表达

以中华鲟(Acipenser sinensis)脑垂体总RNA为模板,采用RT-PCR和RACE方法,获得中华鲟神经内分泌多肽(7B2)基因的3个重叠片段,测序后拼接得到986 bp全长基因序列,其中包括5'端非翻译区(5′-UTR)14 bp、3′端非翻译区(3-′UTR)261 bp和开放阅读框711 bp。翻译编码236个氨基酸。其中前43个氨基酸为7B2的信号肽。经BLAST比对发现中华鲟7B2蛋白的同源性与斑马鱼(Danio rerio)的相似性最高为82%。系统发育分析表明,中华鲟与斑马鱼亲缘关系最近。半定量RT-PCR分析表明:在脑中7B2 mRNA表达量最高,心脏、性腺、胰等组织中表达次之,肠、肾、皮肤等组织中少量表达,肝和鳃几乎不表达。     

Cloning and molecular characterization of cationic amino acid transporter y+LAT1 in grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idellus)

The solute carrier family 7A, member 7 gene encodes the light chain- y⁺L amino acid transporter-1 (y⁺LAT1) of the heterodimeric carrier responsible for cationic amino acid (CAA) transport across the basolateral membranes of epithelial cells in intestine and kidney. Rising attention has been given to y⁺LAT1 involved in CAA metabolic pathways and growth control. The molecular characterization and function analysis of y⁺LAT1 in grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idellus) is currently unknown. In the present study, full-length cDNA (2,688 bp), which encodes y⁺LAT1 and contains a 5′-untranslated region (319 bp), an open reading frame (1,506 bp) and a 3′-untranslated region (863 bp), has been cloned from grass carp. Amino acid sequence of grass carp y⁺LAT1 contains 11 transmembrane domains and shows 95 %, 80 % and 75 % sequence similarity to zebra fish, amphibian and mammalian y⁺LAT1, respectively. The tissue distribution and expression regulation by fasting of y⁺LAT1 mRNA were analyzed using real-time PCR. Our results showed that y⁺LAT1 mRNA was highly expressed in midgut, foregut and spleen while weakly expressed in hindgut, kidney, gill, brain, heart, liver and muscle. Nutritional status significantly influenced y⁺LAT1 mRNA expression in fish tissues, such as down-regulation of y⁺LAT1 mRNA expression after fasting (14 days).     

Molecular characterization and expression analysis of AMPK α subunit isoform genes from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Scophthalmus maximus</Emphasis> responding to salinity stress

AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a highly conserved and multi-functional protein kinase that plays important roles in both intracellular energy balance and cellular stress response. In the present study, molecular characterization, tissue distribution and gene expression levels of the AMPK α1 and α2 genes from turbot (Scophthalmus maximus) under salinity stress are described. The complete coding regions of the AMPK α1 and α2 genes were isolated from turbot through degenerate primers in combination with RACE using muscle cDNA. The complete coding regions of AMPK α1 (1722 bp) and α2 (1674 bp) encoded 573 and 557 amino acids peptides, respectively. Multiple alignments, structural analysis and phylogenetic tree construction indicated that S. maximus AMPK α1 and α2 shared a high amino acid identity with other species, especially fish. AMPK α1 and α2 genes could be detected in all tested tissues, indicating that they are constitutively expressed. Salinity challenges significantly altered the gene expression levels of AMPK α1 and α2 mRNA in a salinity- and time-dependent manners in S. maximus gill tissues, suggesting that AMPK α1 and α2 played important roles in mediating the salinity stress in S. maximus. The expression levels of AMPK α1 and α2 mRNA were a positive correlation with gill Na⁺, K⁺-ATPase activities. These findings will aid our understanding of the molecular mechanism of juvenile turbot in response to environmental salinity changes.     

兴国红鲤AR基因的鉴定及MT暴露对幼鱼肝中AR和vtg表达的影响

实验克隆了兴国红鲤(Cyprinus carpio var singuonensis)雄激素受体(androgen receptor,AR)基因的全长c DNA序列和卵黄蛋白原(vitellogenin,vtg)基因的部分c DNA序列,并对雌性个体组织及甲基睾丸酮(Methyltestosterone,MT)暴露下幼鱼肝胰腺(以下简称:肝)中AR和vtg的表达进行检测。兴国红鲤AR基因c DNA全长3 229 bp,包括104 bp的5'非编码区(untranslation region,UTR)、编码846个氨基酸的2 541 bp开放阅读框(open reading frame,ORF)和485 bp 3'UTR。氨基酸序列同源性分析表明,兴国红鲤AR与其他鲤科鱼类AR的同源性较高。组织表达特征研究表明,AR在雌性个体的肝、卵巢、中肾、肌肉和端脑中有表达,其中肝中的表达量最高;vtg主要在肝、端脑和鳃中表达。兴国红鲤幼鱼在50μg/L的MT中暴露4周后,采用qRT-PCR检测了肝中AR和vtg的表达情况。在处理第1、2周,AR的表达受到一定的抑制,而在第3、4周其表达量升高,但其表达无显著性变化;而vtg的表达量在第3、4周均有极显著的升高。     

Molecular characterization and identification of facilitative glucose transporter 2 (GLUT2) and its expression and of the related glycometabolism enzymes in response to different starch levels in blunt snout bream (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Megalobrama amblycephala</Emphasis>)

Facilitative glucose transporters (GLUT) are transmembrane transporters involved in glucose transport across the plasma membrane. In this study, blunt snout bream GLUT2 gene was cloned, and its expression in various tissues and in liver in response to diets with different carbohydrate levels (17.1; 21.8; 26.4; 32.0; 36.3; and 41.9% of dry matter). Blunt snout bream GLUT2 was also characterized. A full-length cDNA fragment of 2577 bp was cloned, which contains a 5′-untranslated region (UTR) of 73 bp, a 3′-UTR of 992 bp, and an open reading frame of 1512 bp that encodes a polypeptide of 503 amino acids with predicted molecular mass of 55.046 kDa and theoretical isoelectric point was 7.52. The predicted GLUT2 protein has 12 transmembrane domains between amino acid residues at 7–29; 71–93; 106–123; 133–155; 168–190; 195–217; 282–301; 316–338; 345–367; 377–399; 412–434; and 438–460. Besides, the conservative structure domains located at 12–477 amino acids belong to the sugar porter family which is the major facilitator superfamily (MFS) of transporters. Blunt snout bream GLUT2 had the high degree of sequence identity to four GLUT2s from zebrafish, chicken, human, and mouse, with 91, 63, 57, and 54% identity, respectively. Quantitative real-time (qRT) PCR assays revealed that GLUT2 expression was high in the liver, intestine, and kidney; highest in the liver and was regulated by carbohydrate intake. Compared with the control group (17.1%), fed by 3 h with higher starch levels (32.0; 36.3; and 41.9%), increased plasma glucose levels and glycemic level went back to basal by 24 h after treatment. Furthermore, higher dietary starch levels significantly increase GLUT2, glucokinase (GK), and pyruvate kinase (PK) expression and concurrently decrease phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) and glucose-6-phosphatase (G6P) mRNA levels (P?<?0.05), and these changes were also back to basal levels after 24 h of any dietary treatment. These results indicate that the blunt snout bream is able to regulate their ability to metabolize glucose by improving GLUT2, GK, and PK expression levels and decreasing PEPCK and G6P expression levels.     

瘤背石磺肌肉生长抑制素基因的克隆及组织表达分析

为探究石磺由海洋向陆地进化过程中肌肉生长和发育的分子机制,实验以石磺科贝类转录组数据为基础,采用RACE方法从瘤背石磺肌肉中首次克隆到MSTN cDNA的全长并做了相应的组织表达分析。结果显示,瘤背石磺MSTN基因cDNA全长2667 bp,包括1650 bp的开放阅读框,374 bp的5′端非翻译区,643 bp的3'端非翻译区,共编码549个氨基酸。预测该基因编码的蛋白质原子总量为8776,分子式为C2774H4331N783O862S26,分子质量约为63.27 ku,理论等电点为6.02,信号肽预测结果显示,N端具有21个氨基酸长度的信号肽。瘤背石磺MSTN具有MSTN的共同特征,包括蛋白酶水解位点RSRR和C端多肽生物活性区以及9个保守的半胱氨酸残基。通过进化树分析,瘤背石磺MSTN与加州海兔MSTN的亲缘关系最近。RT-PCR结果显示,MSTN基因在各个组织中均有表达;含肌纤维组织中的表达量低于内脏器官的表达量,在肝胰腺中的表达量最高,腹足表达量最低。MSTN基因一级结构具有很高的保守性,说明该基因在进化上的限制性和功能的重要性;同时该基因在石磺非肌肉组织中表达,表明该基因不仅有抑制肌肉生长的作用,还参与其他生命活动的调节。     

黄鳝PLA2基因的克隆及表达分析

利用同源克隆技术和RACE技术克隆黄鳝(Monopterus albus)磷脂酶A2(PLA2)基因的cDNA全长;并采用荧光定量RT-PCR法检测PLA2基因在黄鳝各组织中的表达量情况。结果显示:黄鳝PLA2基因全长cDNA大小为2 606 bp(Gen Bank登录号:KX852397),其中开放阅读框2 205 bp,编码736个氨基酸,预测分子大小为83.623 kD,理论等电点5.84;5'和3'非编码区长度分别为208 bp和193 bp。该蛋白序列没有信号肽和跨膜结构。氨基酸序列比对和系统树分析显示,黄鳝PLA2基因的结构十分保守,黄鳝与大黄鱼和金头鲷的PLA2基因亲缘关系最近,与鼠类和蟾蜍的亲缘关系较远。RT-PCR分析表明,PLA2基因在组织中的表达具有组织特异性,在消化器官前肠组织中的表达最高,在性腺及肌肉组织中表达很少。     

Molecular and immune response characterizations of a novel Bax inhibitor-1 gene in pufferfish, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Takifugu obscurus</Emphasis>

Apoptosis plays a crucial role in many biological processes, including development, cellular homeostasis, and immune responses. Bax inhibitor-1 (BI-1) is an anti-apoptotic protein that protects cells from endoplasmic reticulum stress-induced apoptosis. In this study, a BI-1 gene from the pufferfish Takifugu obscurus (Pf-BI-1) was identified and characterized. The full length of Pf-BI-1 cDNA was 1387 bp, including a 5′-UTR of 82 bp, a 3′-UTR of 591 bp containing a poly-(A) tail, and an open reading frame (ORF) of 714 bp that encodes a polypeptide of 237 amino acids. Pf-BI-1 was ubiquitously expressed in various tissues, with the highest expression levels in the blood, brain, and gill. The expression of Pf-BI-1 was up-regulated in a time-dependent manner after heat shock stress, ammonia stress, and bacterial challenge. Intracellular localization revealed that Pf-BI-1 was primarily localized in the cell cytoplasm. Furthermore, over-expression of Pf-BI-1 could active NF-кB reporter genes in HeLa cells. These results indicated that Pf-BI-1 may be involved in the apoptosis and immunity process against ambient stressors in pufferfish.