TISSUE EXPRESSION ANALYSIS OF THE RENIN-ANGIOTENSIN SYSTEM GENES IN THE FLATFISH Solea senegalensis Kaup: DIFFERENTIAL TRANSCRIPTIONAL REGULATION BY SALINITY

摘要

The renin-angiotensin system (RAS) plays a key role in controlling blood volume and pressure, drinking rate, and electrolyte homeostasis in vertebrates. The precursor protein is angiotensinogen (AGT), which is first cleaved in Angiotensinogen I by renin (REN) and then in the active vasoconstrictor Angiotensin II (Agt II) by the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE). In contrast, ACE2 converts Agt II to Agt 1 -7, which is a vasodilator that decreases blood pressure. Two types of receptors, AGTR1 and AGTR2, mediate the biological action of Agt II. The function of the RAS system acquires special relevance in teleost fish that live in various osmotic media and thus often encounter osmotic stress. In this work, we have employed the Roche-454 technology tocharacterize sequences encoding the different components of RAS in the flatfish Senegalese sole (Solea senegalensis Kaup, 1858), an estuarine species of great commercial importance in the Southern European aquaculture.