title: alpha2-Macroglobulin in the marine fish Sparus aurata.
abstract: The alpha2-macroglobulin proteinase inhibitors (alpha2Ms) are a family of plasma proteins with the unique ability to inhibit a broad spectrum of proteinases, but are also known as binding proteins for many growth factors and cytokines, including growth hormone and members of the transforming growth factor-beta superfamily. A partial cDNA (475 amino acids) encoding the C-terminus of alpha2M was cloned from the liver of the marine teleostean fish Sparus aurata. The deduced amino acid sequence of the cloned fragment showed 58-60% similarity to carp alpha2Ms. Northern blot analysis of hepatic alpha2M revealed a transcript of about 5 kb. A transcript of a similar size was detected in 1-day larvae. Steady state levels of alpha2M in larvae increased gradually on subsequent days post-hatching. alpha2M expression in embryos was determined by RT-PCR and started in embryos aged 8 h post-fertilization, but not earlier. RT-PCR of muscle RNA detected alpha2M also in fish muscle, albeit with a lower expression than in the liver. Immunoreactive-alpha2M was found in yolk syncytial layer of 3-day larvae and in livers from larvae and adults. Immunoreactive-alpha2M was also identified in soluble total proteins from young larvae with a pattern resembling that of plasma. These data demonstrate that the alpha2M gene is expressed early in fish development. Moreover, in addition to its major expression in liver, alpha2M is expressed also in fish muscle.
authors.affiliation: Department of Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research, National Institute of Oceanography, P.O. Box 8030, Tel-Shikmona, Haifa 31080, Israel. bruria@ocean.org.il
authors.forename: Bruria
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Funkenstein
authors.forename: Yanai
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Rebhan
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dyman
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Radaelli
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D015153:Blotting, Western; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000378:metabolism; D005306:Fertilization; D005399:Fishes; D022781:Hepatocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007814:Larva / Q000378:metabolism; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009132:Muscles / Q000378:metabolism; D055435:Myostatin; D009841:Oligonucleotides / Q000737:chemistry; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D012313:RNA / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D013997:Time Factors; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta / Q000378:metabolism; D000511:alpha-Macroglobulins / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D018076:DNA, Complementary; D055435:Myostatin; D009841:Oligonucleotides; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta; D000511:alpha-Macroglobulins; D012313:RNA