Cloning and expression of a cDNA coding for catalase from zebrafish (Danio rerio)

Molecular cloning, mRNA expression and functional characterization of a catalase from Chinese black sleeper (Bostrychus sinensis)

In this study, the catalase gene of Chinese black sleeper Bostrychus sinensis (termed as BsCat) was sequenced and characterized. The BsCat, which encodes 525 amino acids, contains a catalase proximal active site signature domain (⁶⁴FDRERIPERVVHAKGAG⁸⁰) and a catalase proximal heme-ligand signature domain (³⁵⁴RLFAYPDTH³⁶²). The BsCat exhibits high sequence similarity with Cat of other species. Phylogenetic tree reconstruction revealed a close evolutionary relationship of BsCat to catalase genes of other fishes. The results of Real-time PCR showed that the BsCat gene was constitutively expressed in most organs of B. sinensis, with predominant expression detected in liver, followed by peripheral blood and spleen. Moreover, the BsCat gene was significantly changed after either poly (I:C) stimulation or Vibrio parahemolyticus infection in peripheral blood, head kidney, liver and spleen. The enzymatic activity of purified recombinant BsCat (rBsCat) was 2261 ± 96 U/mg. The rBsCat exhibits optimum enzymatic activity at 15 °C and pH 7.0. Our results suggested that the BsCat is involved in the antioxidant defense and host immune response of Chinese black sleeper during pathogen invasion.

A novel biomarker for marine environmental pollution of CAT from Mytilus coruscus

Bivalves use anti-oxidative enzyme systems to defend themselves against excessive reactive oxygen species, which are often catalyzed by environmental pollution. As a key member of anti-oxidative enzyme family, catalase plays a crucial role in scavenging the high level of reactive oxygen species to protect organisms against various oxidative stresses. In this study, a catalase homologue was identified from Mytilus coruscus (named McCAT, KX957929). The open reading frame of McCAT was 1844bp with a 5' untranslated region of 341bp and a 3' untranslated region of 927bp. The deduced amino acid sequence was 512 residues in length with theoretical pI/MW 8.02/57.91kDa. BLASTn and phylogenetic analyses strongly suggested that it was a member of catalase, also known as CAT family for its conserved catalytic site motif and proximal heme-ligand signature motif. Real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR showed that constitutive expression of McCAT was occurred, with increasing order in mantle, adductor, gill, hemocyte, gonad and hepatopancreas. It was observed that bacterial infection and heavy metals stimulation up-regulated McCAT mRNA expression in hepatopancreas with time-dependent manners. The maximum expression appeared at 8h after pathogenic bacteria injecting, with 15-fold in Vibrio parahemolyticus and 60-fold in Aeromonas hydrophila than that of 0h. The highest point of McCAT mRNA appeared at different times for exposure to heavy metals with copper at day 5 (0.1mg/L 30-fold, 0.5mg/L 15-fold, 1.5mg/L 6-fold) and plumbum at day 3 (3.0mg/L 20-fold). The enzymatic activity analysis found that McCAT activity in the gill of M. coruscus was affected by heavy metals concentration. The results suggested that McCAT plays a significant role in antioxidation and the expression of McCAT can be used as a biomarker for detection of marine environmental pollution.

Expression and Enzyme Activity of Catalase in Chilo suppressalis (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) Is Responsive to Environmental Stresses

Catalase (CAT) is an important antioxidant enzyme that protects organisms against oxidative stresses by eliminating hydrogen peroxide. In this study, we cloned and characterized a full-length cDNA of CAT from Chilo suppressalis (CsCAT) and examined the influence of environmental stresses on CsCAT expression and enzyme activity. The cDNA contains a 1659-bp open reading frame encoding a polypeptide of 553 amino acids most closely related (90.14%) to Papilio polytes catalases. The CsCAT was expressed in all developmental stages with the highest expression in the fat body, and the CsCAT enzyme activity closely mirrored its observed mRNA expression patterns. The CsCAT mRNA was up-regulated when the larvae were exposed to high temperature (≥30 °C), insecticides (abamectin and chlorantraniliprole), chemicals (H2O2, CHP, CdCl2, and CuSO4), and a dead-end trap plant (vetiver grass), and the CsCAT enzyme activity again mirrored the observed CsCAT expression patterns. These results suggest that up-regulation of CsCAT may enhance the defense response of C. suppressalis by weakening the effects of environmental stresses, and provide insight into the role of CsCAT during development of C. suppressalis.

Profenofos induced biochemical alterations and in silico modelling of hatching enzyme, ZHE1 in zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryos

The current study was aimed to investigate the oxidative stress response in zebrafish embryos exposed to sub-lethal (LC10) and lethal (LC50) concentrations of profenofos for 96-h and in silico modelling of zebrafish hatching enzyme, ZHE1 to explain the delayed hatching. Embryos exposed to profenofos under semi-static conditions significantly diminished glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione reductase (GR) levels, but increased the activities of catalase (CAT) and glutathione S-transferase (GST) concomitantly with marked elevation in malondialdehyde (MDA) content in whole-body homogenate of the treated groups compared with control. In addition, stress protein Hsp70 expression and DNA damage were significantly increased in a concentration- dependent manner compared with controls. From the computational docking studies of ZHE1 with profenofos revealed that profenofos is binding to three amino acids, histidine 99, histidine 109 and arginine 182 at the active site of the enzyme through hydrogen bonding which may lead to inhibition of hatching.

Transcriptional and morphological effects of tamoxifen on the early development of zebrafish (Danio rerio)

Tamoxifen is a widely used anticancer drug with both an estrogen agonist and antagonist effect. This study focused on its endocrine disrupting effect, and overall environmental significance. Zebrafish embryos were exposed to different concentrations (0.5, 5, 50 and 500 µg l(-1) ) of tamoxifen for 96 h. The results showed a complex effect of tamoxifen on zebrafish embryo development. For the 500 µg l(-1) exposure group, the heart rate was decreased by 20% and mild defects in caudal fin and skin were observed. Expressions of a series of genes related to endocrine and morphological changes were subsequently tested through quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Bisphenol A as a known estrogen was also tested as an endocrine-related comparison. Among the expression of endocrine-related genes, esr1, ar, cyp19a1b, hsd3b1 and ugt1a1 were all increased by tamoxifen exposure, similar to bisphenol A. The cyp19a1b is a key gene that controls estrogen synthesis. Exposure to 0.5, 5, 50 and 500 µg l(-1) of tamoxifen caused upregulation of cyp19a1b expression to 152%, 568%, 953% and 2024% compared to controls, higher than the effects from the same concentrations of bisphenol A treatment, yet vtg1 was suppressed by 24% from exposure to 500 µg l(-1) tamoxifen. The expression of metabolic-related genes such as cyp1a, cyp1c2, cyp3a65, gpx1a, gstp1, gsr and genes related to observed morphological changes such as krt17 were also found to be upregulated by high concentrations of tamoxifen. These findings indicated the potential environmental effect of tamoxifen on teleost early development. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A teleostan homolog of catalase from black rockfish (Sebastes schlegelii): insights into functional roles in host antioxidant defense and expressional responses to septic conditions

Antioxidative defense renders a significant protection against environmental stress in organisms and maintains the correct redox balance in cells, thereby supporting proper immune function. Catalase is an indispensable antioxidant in organisms that detoxifies hydrogen peroxides produced in cellular environments. In this study, we sought to molecularly characterize a homolog of catalase (RfCat), identified from black rockfish (Sebastes schlegelii). RfCat consists of a 1581 bp coding region for a protein of 527 amino acids, with a predicted molecular weight of 60 kD. The protein sequence of RfCat harbored similar domain architecture to known catalases, containing a proximal active site signature and proximal heme ligand signature, and further sharing prominent homology with its teleostan counterparts. As affirmed by multiple sequence alignments, most of the functionally important residues were well conserved in RfCat. Furthermore, our phylogenetic analysis indicates its common vertebrate ancestral origin and a close evolutionary relationship with teleostan catalases. Recombinantly expressed RfCat demonstrated prominent peroxidase activity that varied with different substrate and protein concentrations, and protected against DNA damage. RfCat mRNA was ubiquitously expressed among different tissues examined, as detected by qPCR. In addition, RfCat mRNA expression was modulated in response to pathogenic stress elicited by Streptococcus iniae and poly I:C in blood and spleen tissues. Collectively, our findings indicate that RfCat may play an indispensable role in host response to oxidative stress and maintain a correct redox balance after a pathogen invasion.

Marine teleost ortholog of catalase from rock bream (Oplegnathus fasciatus): molecular perspectives from genomic organization to enzymatic behavior with respect to its potent antioxidant properties

Catalases are well known antioxidant enzymes that can mainly dismutate hydrogen peroxide into water and oxygen in order to prevent oxidative stress. The complete genomic DNA (gDNA) sequence of the catalase gene from rock bream (Oplegnathus fasciatus) was identified from our custom-constructed BAC genomic DNA library and designated as RbCat. RbCat consists of 13 exons, separated by 12 introns, within a 13,722-bp gDNA sequence. The complete cDNA sequence (3303 bp) of RbCat is comprised of a 1581-bp coding region, encoding a peptide of 527 amino acids (aa) in length, with a predicted molecular mass of 60 kDa and a theoretical isoelectric point of 8.34. The anticipated promoter region of RbCat contains several transcription factor-binding sites, including sites that bind with immune- and antioxidant-responsive signaling molecules, suggesting its substantial transcriptional regulation. RbCat resembles the typical catalase family signature, i.e., it is composed of the catalase proximal active site motif along with a catalase proximal heme-ligand signature motif and shares great homology with its fish counterparts. According to multiple sequence alignment, functionally important amino acids present in RbCat were thoroughly conserved among its vertebrate counterparts. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that RbCat evolved from a vertebrate origin, and further positioned it in the fish clade. Recombinant RbCat had noticeable peroxidase activity against its substrate, hydrogen peroxide, in a dose-dependent manner. However, it demonstrated substantial peroxidase activity within a broad range of temperatures and pH values. Constitutive RbCat mRNA expression of different magnitudes was detected in a tissue-specific manner, suggesting its diverse role in physiology with respect to the tissue type. Moreover, immune challenge experiments using Edwardsiella tarda and rock bream iridovirus (RBIV) as live pathogens and polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid and lipopolysaccharide as mitogens revealed that the transcription of RbCat can be modulated by immune stimulation. Collectively, the results obtained in this study suggest that RbCat can function as a potent antioxidant enzyme in rock bream and may play a role in post-immune responses with respect to its peroxidase activity.

Molecular cloning and characterization of cat, gpx1 and Cu/Zn-sod genes in pengze crucian carp (Carassius auratus var. Pengze) and antioxidant enzyme modulation induced by hexavalent chromium in juveniles

Hexavalent chromium (Cr(6+)) is a common pollutant transient metal with high toxicity in the environment. The toxicological effects partly result from oxidative damage due to the production of excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the reductive process of Cr(6+). To explore the influence of ROS induced directly by Cr(6+) on the oxidative stress generation and antioxidant system, the full length cDNAs of antioxidant-related genes cat, gpx1 and Cu/Zn-sod were successfully acquired from pengze crucian carp first and analyzed. Furthermore, the mRNA expression of the antioxidant genes encompassing catalase (cat), copper/zinc superoxide dismutase (Cu/Zn-sod) and glutathione peroxidase (gpx1), antioxidant enzyme activities of CAT, SOD, and GPx and total protein content were further studied in the gill, intestine and liver of pengze crucian carp (Carassius auratus var. Pengze) juveniles upon acute exposure to Cr(6+) at concentrations of 0.1, 1.0, 10 and 100 mg/L for 4 days. Differential significant changes of the antioxidant enzymes and gene expression were observed in different tissues. The findings contribute to better understanding the antioxidant mechanisms induced by Cr(6+) and selecting the organic-specific sensitive biomarkers to monitor the safety of the aquatic ecosystem.

Molecular cloning, characterization and gene expression of an antioxidant enzyme catalase (MrCat) from Macrobrachium rosenbergii

In this study, we reported a full length of catalase gene (designated as MrCat), identified from the transcriptome database of freshwater prawn Macrobrachium rosenbergii. The complete gene sequence of the MrCat is 2504 base pairs in length, and encodes 516 amino acids. The MrCat protein contains three domains such as catalase 1 (catalase proximal heme-ligand signature) at 350-358, catalase 2 (catalase proximal active site signature) at 60-76 and catalase 3 (catalase family profile) at 20-499. The mRNA expressions of MrCat in healthy and the infectious hypodermal and hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHHNV) challenged M. rosenbergii were examined using quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The MrCat is highly expressed in digestive tract and all the other tissues (walking leg, gills, muscle, hemocyte, hepatopancreas, pleopods, brain and eye stalk) of M. rosenbergii taken for analysis. The expression is strongly up-regulated in digestive tract after IHHNV challenge. To understand its biological activity, the recombinant MrCat gene was constructed and expressed in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3). The recombinant MrCat existed in high thermal stability and broad spectrum of pH, which showed over 95% enzyme activity between pH 5 and 10.5, and was stable from 40 °C to 70 °C, and exhibited 85-100% enzyme activity from 30 °C to 40 °C.

Betanodavirus induces oxidative stress-mediated cell death that prevented by anti-oxidants and zfcatalase in fish cells

The role of oxidative stress in the pathogenesis of RNA nervous necrosis virus infection is still unknown. Red-spotted grouper nervous necrosis virus (RGNNV) induced free radical species (ROS) production at 12-24 h post-infection (pi; early replication stage) in fish GF-1 cells, and then at middle replication stage (24-48 h pi), this ROS signal may upregulate some expressions of the anti-oxidant enzymes Cu/Zn SOD and catalase, and eventually expression of the transcription factor Nrf2. Furthermore, both antioxidants diphenyliodonium and N-acetylcysteine or overexpression of zebrafish catalase in GF-1 cells also reduced ROS production and protected cells for enhancing host survival rate due to RGNNV infection. Furthermore, localization of ROS production using esterase activity and Mitotracker staining assays found that the ROS generated can affect mitochondrial morphology changes and causes ΔΨ loss, both of which can be reversed by antioxidant treatment. Taken together, our data suggest that RGNNV induced oxidative stress response for playing dual role that can initiate the host oxidative stress defense system to upregulate expression of antioxidant enzymes and induces cell death via disrupting the mitochondrial morphology and inducing ΔΨ loss, which can be reversed by anti-oxidants and zfcatalase, which provide new insight into betanodavirus-induced ROS-mediated pathogenesis.

A catalase from the freshwater mussel Cristaria plicata with cloning, identification and protein characterization

Catalase is an important antioxidant protein which can protect organisms against various oxidative stresses by eliminating hydrogen peroxide. The catalase cDNA of Cristaria plicata (cpCAT) was cloned from the haemocytes using degenerate primers by the method of 3' and 5' rapid amplification of cDNA ends PCR. The gene is 4863 bp long and has a total of two introns and three exons. The precise size and location of the introns and exons have been determined. In addition the full-length cDNA of cpCAT contained 2618 bp, The cDNA contained a 5' untranslated region (UTR) of 136 nucleotides, the 3' UTR of 979 bp with a canonical polyadenylation signal sequence AATAAA and a polyA tail, and an open reading frame (ORF) of 1503 bp, encoding 501 amino acid residues with 56.86 kDa predicted molecular weight. The theoretical isoelectric point was 6.77. BLAST analysis showed that the deduced amino acid sequence of cpCAT had significant homology to catalases from animals, plants and bacteria. The deduced amino acid sequence of cpCAT had characteristic features of catalase family such as catalytic site motif (61FNRERIPERVVHAKGAG77), heme-ligand signature motif (351RLYSYSDTH359), two glycosylation sites (N145, N436), NADPH binding site and the three catalytic amino acid residues (His72, Asn145 and Tyr355). It had no signal peptide. The phylogenetic tree indicated that cpCAT gene was very close to the gene of scallops, Chlamys farreri. The enzymatic activity of purified recombinant cpCAT was 11194.4 ± 40.4 U/mg, it might resist against H(2)O(2). The recombinant enzyme held higher thermal stability, the optimum temperature was 25 °C, it retained more than 82% activity between 25 and 60 °C. The stability of the recombinant enzyme were higher between pH 5 and 10, and the optimal pH value was 7.0. When cpCAT was treated with 2-4 moL/L urea and 1%-3% SDS, the activity was also stable, it kept more than 80% activity.

Effect of cadmium exposure on expression of antioxidant gene transcripts in the river pufferfish, Takifugu obscurus (Tetraodontiformes)

Cadmium (Cd) is a non-essential toxic heavy metal with the potential to induce oxidative stress. Cd toxicity and its capacity for accumulation in aquatic habitats have earned its recognition as a pollutant of immediate and widespread concern. To obtain a better understanding of oxidative stress-associated gene expression in different tissues, six antioxidant genes such as catalase (CAT), glutathione reductase (GR), glutathione peroxidase 1a (GPx1a), glutathione peroxidase 1b (GPx1b), Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase (Cu/Zn-SOD), and Mn superoxide dismutase (Mn-SOD) were cloned and fully sequenced in the river pufferfish, Takifugu obscurus. On tissue specific mRNA expression, the liver showed the highest expression when compared to other tissues, even though each antioxidant gene showed different modes of expression patterns in the examined tissues. Of the various antioxidant genes, GR was the most highly expressed in the liver, followed by CAT, GPx1, and Cu/Zn-SOD. For the time-course experiment, all the antioxidant genes were significantly induced over time except for Cu/Zn-SOD in the liver, and there was a 5-fold induction in hepatic GR, CAT, and Mn-SOD mRNA compared to the control. These findings indicate that the liver of T. obscurus has a robust antioxidant system. In addition, these results suggest that Cd exposure modulates the expression of antioxidant genes, and would indicate that the antioxidant genes would be a relevant biomarker of trace metal pollution such as Cd exposure in T. obscurus.

The identification of zebrafish mutants showing alterations in senescence-associated biomarkers

There is an interesting overlap of function in a wide range of organisms between genes that modulate the stress responses and those that regulate aging phenotypes and, in some cases, lifespan. We have therefore screened mutagenized zebrafish embryos for the altered expression of a stress biomarker, senescence-associated β-galactosidase (SA-β-gal) in our current study. We validated the use of embryonic SA-β-gal production as a screening tool by analyzing a collection of retrovirus-insertional mutants. From a pool of 306 such mutants, we identified 11 candidates that showed higher embryonic SA-β-gal activity, two of which were selected for further study. One of these mutants is null for a homologue of Drosophila spinster, a gene known to regulate lifespan in flies, whereas the other harbors a mutation in a homologue of the human telomeric repeat binding factor 2 (terf2) gene, which plays roles in telomere protection and telomere-length regulation. Although the homozygous spinster and terf2 mutants are embryonic lethal, heterozygous adult fish are viable and show an accelerated appearance of aging symptoms including lipofuscin accumulation, which is another biomarker, and shorter lifespan. We next used the same SA-β-gal assay to screen chemically mutagenized zebrafish, each of which was heterozygous for lesions in multiple genes, under the sensitizing conditions of oxidative stress. We obtained eight additional mutants from this screen that, when bred to homozygosity, showed enhanced SA-β-gal activity even in the absence of stress, and further displayed embryonic neural and muscular degenerative phenotypes. Adult fish that are heterozygous for these mutations also showed the premature expression of aging biomarkers and the accelerated onset of aging phenotypes. Our current strategy of mutant screening for a senescence-associated biomarker in zebrafish embryos may thus prove to be a useful new tool for the genetic dissection of vertebrate stress response and senescence mechanisms.

By performing genetic mutant screens using senescence-associated biomarkers, we show that the zebrafish is a tractable model system for the study of aging. In vertebrate organisms, it has not previously been possible to carry out systematic screens for genes that are important for stress responses and aging in an unbiased way. However, such vertebrate models are of considerable importance, given the provocative evidence of common biochemical and functional pathways modulating stress responses and lifespan as well as aging in a wide range of organisms. Our present study has successfully employed a colorimetric high-throughput method using a senescence-associated β-galactosidase-based assay to screen for mutations that alter the stress responses in zebrafish embryos, in the hope that these might represent potential aging mutants. Subsequently, the mutations identified by embryonic senescence have indeed displayed adult aging-related phenotypes in zebrafish. Hence, our method for the identification of mutant zebrafish has the immediate potential to accelerate the discovery of novel genes and new functions relevant for our understanding of aging processes in vertebrates. Such knowledge will be essential for the ultimate development of pharmacological, nutritional, and behavioral interventions for the amelioration of oxidative stress- and age-associated diseases and disabilities in humans.

Molecular cloning and characterization of a catalase gene from Zhikong scallop Chlamys farreri

Catalase is one of the central enzymes involved in scavenging the high level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) by degradation of hydrogen peroxide to oxygen and water. The full-length catalase cDNA of Zhikong scallop Chlamys farreri (denoted as CfCAT) was identified from hemocytes by expressed sequence tag (EST) and rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) approaches. The nucleotide sequence of CfCAT cDNA consisted of 3146bp with a 5' UTR of 103bp, an unusually long 3' UTR of 1519bp with a canonical polyadenylation signal sequence AATAAA and a polyA tail, and an open reading frame (ORF) of 1521bp encoding a polypeptide of 507 amino acids with predicted molecular weight of 57.5kDa. The deduced amino acid sequence of CfCAT has significant homology to catalases from animals, plants and bacteria. Several highly conserved motifs including the proximal heme-ligand signature sequence RLFSYNDTH, the proximal active site signature FNRERIPERVVHAKGGGA, and the three catalytic amino acid residues of His(72), Asn(145) and Tyr(355) were identified in the deduced amino acid sequence of CfCAT. The CfCAT was demonstrated to be a peroxisomal glycoprotein with two potential glycosylation sites and a peroxisome targeting signal of ANL that was consistent with human, mouse and rat catalases. The time-course expression of CfCAT in hemocytes was measured by quantitative real-time PCR. The expression of CfCAT increased gradually and reached the highest point at 12h post-Vibrio infection, then recovered to the original level at 24h. All these results indicate that CfCAT, a constitutive and inducible protein, is a member of the catalase family and is involved in the process against ROS in scallop.