Sequence and spatial expression of zebrafish (Danio rerio) alphaA-crystallin.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the nucleotide sequence, amino acid sequence and tissue specificity of zebrafish alphaA-crystallin.


METHODS
RACE, both 3' and 5', was used to clone the zebrafish alphaA-crystallin gene. The peptide sequence of the encoded protein was deduced and compared to cavefish, shark, amphibian, bird and human orthologues using the CLUSTAL W algorithm. alphaA-crystallin transcript was evaluated in brain, heart, lens, liver, skeletal muscle/skin, and spleen by semi-quantitative RT-PCR.


RESULTS
The 173 amino acid sequence of zebrafish alphaA-crystallin was determined to be 73% and 86% similar to its human and cavefish orthologues, respectively. We detected high expression of zebrafish alphaA-crystallin in the lens and very low expression in liver and spleen.


CONCLUSIONS
Few amino acids identified as being functionally important to chaperone function differ between zebrafish and mammalian alphaA-crystallin. The expression of alphaA-crystallin is mainly confined to the lens in both taxa. These data suggest that zebrafish alphaA-crystallin plays a physiologically limited role outside of the zebrafish lens, similar to its mammalian orthologues.
Runkle
Stephanie
S
Department of Biology, Ashland University, Ashland, OH, USA.
Hill
Julie
J
Kantorow
Marc
M
Horwitz
Joseph
J
Posner
Mason
M
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D003459:Crystallins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006801:Humans; D007908:Lens, Crystalline / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D015027:Zebrafish / Q000235:genetics*
D003459:Crystallins; D012333:RNA, Messenger