• BMB Reports
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• v.39 no.6
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• pp.686-695
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• 2006

Interleukin-2 enhancer binding factor 2 (ILF2) was reported to regulate transcription of interleukin-2 (IL-2), a central cytokine in the regulation of T-cell responses. This property of ILF2 was well characterized in human and mammals, but little is known in bony fish. In this paper, an ILF2 homologue was cloned and well characterized from Tetraodon nigrovirid is for the further investigation of the function of ILF2 in bony fish. The full-length Tetraodon ILF2 cDNA was 1380 bp in size and contained an open reading frame (ORF) of 1164 bp that translates into a 387 amino-acid peptide with a molecular weight of 42.9 kDa, a 5' untranslated region (UTR) of 57 bp, and a 3' UTR of 159 bp containing a poly A tail. The deduced peptide of Tetraodon ILF2 shared an overall identity of 58%~93% with other known ILF2 sequences, and contained two N-glycosylation sites, two N-myristoylation sites, one RGD cell attachment sequence, six protein kinase C phosphorylation sites, one amino-terminal RGG-rich single-stranded RNA-binding domain, and a DZF zinc-finger nucleic acid binding domain, most of which were highly conserved through species compared. Constitutive expression of Tetraodon ILF2 was observed in all tissues examined, including gill, gut, head kidney, spleen, liver, brain and heart. The highest expression was detected in heart, followed by liver, head kidney and brain. Stimulation with LPS did not significantly alter the expression of Tetraodon ILF2. Gene organization analysis showed that the Tetraodon ILF2 gene have fifteen exons, one more than other known ILF2 genes in human and mouse. Genes up- and down-stream from the Tetraodon ILF2 were Rpa12, Peroxin-11b, Smad4, Snapap and Txnip homologue, which were different from that in human and mouse.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.263-271
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• 2010

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCR) constitute the largest superfamily of cell membrane receptors, mediating diverse signal-transduction pathways. The melanocortin 4 receptor (MC4R) has been of interest for its physiological role and size, one of the smallest among the GPCRs, which makes it a good model system for the structural study of GPCRs. To study the molecular structure and tissue-specific expression of MC4R in olive flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus), the full-length MC4R gene was obtained using PCR amplification of genomic DNA as well as cDNA synthesis. Sequence analysis of the gene indicates that 978 bp of the MC4R gene encodes 325 amino acids without introns. Sequence alignment with the MC4Rs from other fish shows the highest degree of identity (96%) between Paralichthys olivaceous and Verasper moseri, followed by Takifugu rubripes and Tetraodon nigroviridis (89%). RNA was isolated from various tissues to examine the tissue distribution of MC4R by using RT-PCR. The results showed major expression of MC4R in the liver, brain, and eye, which is consistent with the expression pattern in other fish belonging to the order Pleuronectiformes.