Effects of osmotic stress on the expression profiling of aquaporin genes in the roughskin sculpin (Trachidermus fasciatus)

摘要

Aquaporins(AQPs)are a family of integral membrane proteins that have been shown to be important for osmoregulation in many vertebrates.To identify potential stress resistance-related aqp genes in salinity adaptation of the roughskin sculpin Trachidermus fasciatus,we investigated the time-course expression dynamics of seven aquaporin genes(aqp1,4,7,8,10,11 and 12)in three osmoregulatory tissues(kidney,gill and intestine)and one metabolic tissue(liver).The fish were subjected to two different acute osmotic treatments(seawater-tofreshwater transfer respectively achieved in 1 h and 24 h,namely,E-acute and acute group).The expression profiling of the seven aqp genes were performed using quantitative real-time PCR(qRT-PCR).At the time of all sampling time points(0 h,12 h,24 h and 48 h),no expression of aqp4 was found in the gill,liver and intestine;no expression of aqp7 was found in the gill and liver.Significant differences of aqp expression were determined in the four target tissues,and the mRNA levels were largely variable among gene members and tissues.Similar patterns of the time-course expression were detected in most of the aqp genes in T.fasciatus between the two acute groups,except that only one gene(aqp12)in the kidney and three genes(aqp7,aqp8 and aqp10)in the intestine revealed different expression patterns.These results suggest that the expression response of aqp genes was similar under osmotic changes with different rates.