Teratogenic effects of N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea (ENU) on larvae of the self-fertilizing fish Rivulus marmoratus (Cyprinodontiformes, Rivulidae)

Cloning and expression of alpha class glutathione S-transferase gene from the small hermaphroditic fish Rivulus marmoratus (Cyprinodontiformes, Rivulidae)

In order to assess its potential as a biomarker of aquatic pollution, an alpha class glutathione S-transferase gene (GSTalpha gene) was cloned from the small hermaphroditic fish Rivulus marmoratus. The R. marmoratus GSTalpha gene spanned 1.3 kb, consisting of 6 exons encoding 221 amino acid residues. It showed high similarity to zebrafish GST. We named this R. marmoratus GSTalpha gene as rm-GSTalpha. The cDNA of the rm-GSTalpha gene was also investigated for its phylogeny, tissue-specific and chemical-induced expression. Rm-GSTalpha was subcloned into a 6 x His-tagged pCRT7 TOPO TA expression vector to produce the recombinant 6 x His-tagged rm-GST protein. This will be used in future to raise an rm-GSTalpha antibody for use in the study of phase II metabolism involved in detoxification. We also exposed R. marmoratus to 300 microg/l of 4-nonylphenol in water, and found approximately 4-fold induction of R. marmoratus GSTalpha mRNA in the treated animals. In this paper, we discuss the characteristics of the R. marmoratus GSTalpha gene as well as its potential use in relation to environmental pollution.

cDNA cloning and expression of a cytochrome P450 1A (CYP1A) gene from the hermaphroditic fish Rivulus marmoratus

We previously described the genomic structure of the cytochrome P450 1A (CYP1A) gene from the hermaphroditic fish Rivulus marmoratus [Kim, I.-C., Kim, Y.J., Yoon, Y.-D, Kawamura, S., Lee, Y.-S., Lee, J.-S., 2004a. Cloning of cytochrome P450 1A (CYP1A) genes from the hermaphroditic fish Rivulus marmoratus and the Japanese medaka Oryzias latipes. Mar. Environ. Res. 58, 125-129]. To further characterize R. marmoratus CYP1A, we cloned the cDNA sequence of a CYP1A gene from this species and also expressed its recombinant protein in an E. coli system. We exposed R. marmoratus to 4-nonylphenol, and found a small induction of CYP1A mRNA in the treated animals. In this paper, we discuss the characteristics of R. marmoratus CYP1A gene as well as its potential use in a biomonitoring assay.

Cloning of cytochrome P450 1A (CYP1A) genes from the hermaphrodite fish Rivulus marmoratus and the Japanese medaka Oryzias latipes

To use two small fish Rivulus marmoratus (Cyprinodontiformes, Rivulidae) and the Japanese medaka Oryzias latipes (Belloniformes) as testing models in molecular ecotoxicology, we have cloned the cytochrome P450 1A (CYP1A) gene after screening of both genomic DNA libraries, and sequenced 11,863 and 7,243 bp including all the exons and introns with promoter regions, respectively. The Rivulus and the medaka CYP1A gene consisted of seven exons (including non-coding exons) with high homology to mammals. In the promoter region, Rivulus CYP1A gene has seven xenobiotic response elements (XREs) and two metal response elements (MREs), while the Japanese medaka CYP1A gene has six XREs and four MREs. Interestingly, medaka CYP1A gene has a number of MREs at the promoter, which may affect its response on metal exposure. We describe here the gene structure of both fish CYP1A genes.

Cloning and sequence analysis of the self-fertilizing fish Rivulus marmoratus immediate early gene c-fos

We have cloned the proto-oncogene c-fos from a self-fertilizing fish Rivulus marmoratus (Cyprinodontiformes, Rivulidae) after screening of R. marmoratus lambdaGEM-11 genomic DNA library, and sequenced over 12 kb including all exons, introns and the promoter region. The R. marmoratus c-fos gene consisted of one noncoding exon and four exons with high similarity to those of fugu and mammals. We sequenced approximately 7 kb of the R. marmoratus c-fos gene promoter region to gain a better understanding of the molecular anatomy of the immediate response of this gene upon cellular damage. In the promoter region, R. marmoratus c-fos gene has seven xenobiotic response elements (XREs) and eight metal response elements (MREs) as well as two estradiol (E2), 4 NFkappaB, 2 CarG, 2 prolactin (PRL) motifs and one pit1 site, while the 3'-UTR of this gene contains the estrogen response element (ERE). The seven XRE and eight MRE motifs raise the possibility of its regulation by exposure to environmental pollutants. In this paper, we discuss the gene structure of R. marmoratus c-fos gene and compare its promoter region with those of other organisms' c-fos genes. We propose its potential use in ecotoxicology.