Premium
Sequence and expression analysis of hypoxia‐inducible factors in the killifish, Fundulus heteroclitus
Author(s) -
Rees Bernard Bowman,
Karchner Sibel I,
Skripnikova Elena,
Ferry Mark J,
Townley Ian K,
Hahn Mark E
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.23.1_supplement.779.1
Subject(s) - fundulus , aryl hydrocarbon receptor nuclear translocator , biology , killifish , aryl hydrocarbon receptor , gene , transcription factor , microbiology and biotechnology , hypoxia inducible factors , gene expression , hypoxia (environmental) , genetics , oxygen , fish <actinopterygii> , chemistry , fishery , organic chemistry
In fish and other vertebrates, the hypoxia inducible factor (HIF) family of transcription factors is implicated in the regulation of genes whose expression underlies cellular, tissue, and organismal responses to low oxygen. HIF functions as a dimer composed of an oxygen‐dependent alpha subunit and a constitutively expressed beta subunit (also known as the Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Nuclear Translocator, ARNT). Previous studies have demonstrated the presence of HIF‐2α and ARNT2 in the estuarine fish, Fundulus heteroclitus . In the present study, we cloned and sequenced HIF‐1α and HIF‐3α from F. heteroclitus and the closely‐related F. grandis . In both species, there is polymorphism in the nucleotide and deduced amino acid sequences of HIF‐1α and HIF‐3α, suggesting that positive selection may be occurring in those genes. The expression of HIF‐1, 2, and 3α transcripts in brain, gill, gonad, heart, liver, and muscle tissues was measured by quantitative PCR. HIF‐α copy number differed among tissues, but within a given tissue HIF expression was relatively unchanged during long term exposure of fish to altered oxygen levels. On‐going research addresses the tissue and oxygen dependence of HIF protein expression, as well as the role of the multiple forms of HIF in fish. Funded by NSF and NIH (Superfund).