Characterization of Copper/Zinc-Superoxide Dismutase (Cu/Zn-SOD) Gene from an Endangered Freshwater Fish Species Hemibarbus mylodon (Teleostei; Cypriniformes)

摘要

Gene structure of copper/zinc-superoxide dismutase (Cu/Zn-SOD; sodl) was characterized in Hemibarbus mylodon (Teleostei; Cypriniformes), an endangered freshwater fish species in Korean peninsula. Full-length cDNA of H. mylodon SOD1 consisted of a 796bp open reading frame sequence encoding 154 amino acids, and the deduced polypeptide sequence shared high sequence homology with other orthologs, particularly with regard to metal-coordinating ligands. Genomic structure of the H. mylodon sodl gene (hmsodl; 1,911 bp from the ATG start codon to the stop codon) was typical quinquepartite (i.e., five exons interrupted by four introns); the lengths of the exons were similar among species belonging to various taxonomic positions. The molecular phylogeny inferred from sodl genes in the teleost lineage was in accordance with the conventional taxonomic assumptions. 5'-flanking upstream region of hmsodl, obtained using the genome walking method, contained typical 7^47^4 and CAAT boxes. It also showed various transcription factor binding motifs that may be potentially involved in stress/immune response (e.g., sites for activating proteins or nuclear factor kappa B) or metabolism of xenobiotic compounds (e.g., xenobiotic response element; XRE). The hmsodl transcripts were ubiquitously detected among tissues, with the liver and spleen showing the highest and lowest expression, respectively. An experimental challenge with Edwardsiella tarda revealed significant up-regulation of the hmsodl in kidney (4.3-fold) andspleen (3.1-fold), based on a real-time RT-PCR assay. Information on the molecular characteristics of this key antioxidant enzyme gene could be a useful basis for a biomarker-based assay to understand cellular stresses in this endangered fish species.