title: Gene structure and seasonal expression of carp fish prolactin short receptor isoforms.
abstract: The complex adaptive mechanisms that eurythermal fish have evolved in response to the seasonal changes of the environment include the transduction of the physical parameter variations into neuroendocrine signals. Studies in carp (Cyprinus carpio) have indicated that prolactin (PRL) and growth hormone (GH) expression is associated with acclimatization, suggesting that the pituitary gland is a relevant physiological node in this adaptive process. Also, the distinctive pattern of expression that carp prolactin receptor (PRLr) protein depicts upon seasonal acclimatization supports the hypothesis that PRL and its receptor clearly are involved in the new homeostatic stage that the eurythermal fish needs to survive during the cyclical changes of its habitat. Here, we characterize the first prolactin receptor gene in a teleost and show that its expression is not associated with alternative promoters, unlike in humans and rodents. Using the regulatory region to direct the transcription of green fluorescent protein (GFP) in zebrafish embryos, we mapped the appearance of this hormone receptor during fish development. This is the first report identifying a fish prolactin receptor gene expressing transcript isoforms encoding for short forms of the protein (45 kDa). These have been found in osmoregulatory tissues of the carp and are regulated in connection with the seasonal acclimatization of the fish.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Millennium Institute for Fundamental and Applied Biology, Universidad Andrés Bello, Santiago, Chile.
authors.forename: Rody
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: San Martín
authors.forename: Williams
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Hurtado
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Quezada
authors.forename: Ariel E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Reyes
authors.forename: M Ines
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Vera
authors.forename: Manuel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Krauskopf
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D015153:Blotting, Western; D002347:Carps / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D029941:Fish Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D015870:Gene Expression; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D008957:Models, Genetic; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic / Q000235:genetics; D020033:Protein Isoforms / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D011981:Receptors, Prolactin / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D012621:Seasons; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D015027:Zebrafish / Q000196:embryology / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D018076:DNA, Complementary; D029941:Fish Proteins; D020033:Protein Isoforms; D011981:Receptors, Prolactin; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins