title: Molecular cloning and characterization of beluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas) interleukin-1beta and tumor necrosis factor-alpha.
abstract: Interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) are cytokines produced primarily by monocytes and macrophages with regulatory effects in inflammation and multiple aspects of the immune response. As yet, no molecular data have been reported for IL-1beta and TNF-alpha of the beluga whale. In this study, we cloned and determined the entire cDNA sequence encoding beluga whale IL-1beta and TNF-alpha. The genetic relationship of the cytokine sequences was then analyzed with those from several mammalian species, including the human and the pig. The homology of beluga whale IL-1beta nucleic acid and deduced amino acid sequences with those from these mammalian species ranged from 74.6 to 86.0% and 62.7 to 77.1%, respectively, whereas that of TNF-alpha varied from 79.3 to 90.8% and 75.3 to 87.7%, respectively. Phylogenetic analyses based on deduced amino acid sequences showed that the beluga whale IL-1beta and TNF-alpha were most closely related to those of the ruminant species (cattle, sheep, and deer). The beluga whale IL-1beta- and TNF-alpha-encoding sequences were thereafter successfully expressed in Escherichia coli as fusion proteins by using procaryotic expression vectors. The fusion proteins were used to produce beluga whale IL-1beta- and TNF-alpha-specific rabbit antisera.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, University of Québec in Montréal.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Denis
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Archambault
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D015153:Blotting, Western / Q000662:veterinary; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000737:chemistry; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D007106:Immune Sera / Q000096:biosynthesis; D007375:Interleukin-1 / Q000737:chemistry / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D011817:Rabbits; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000662:veterinary; D016415:Sequence Alignment / Q000662:veterinary; D017385:Sequence Homology; D013552:Swine; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000737:chemistry / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*; D014907:Whales / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D018076:DNA, Complementary; D007106:Immune Sera; D007375:Interleukin-1; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha