title: Identification, cDNA cloning, and mRNA localization of a zebrafish ortholog of leukemia inhibitory factor.
abstract: Leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) maintains embryonic stem cells in an undifferentiated state. To establish stable cultures of zebrafish embryonic stem cells, recombinant zebrafish LIF (zLIF) is needed because the LIF sequence varies greatly between species. In the current study, we identified the zebrafish (Danio rerio) and pufferfish (Tetraodon nigroviridis) orthologs of lif from genomic databases, and we isolated a cDNA encoding zLIF. Synteny analysis and comparison of sequences identified zebrafish and Tetraodon orthologs of human LIF. The cDNA for zLIF encoded a predicted 215-amino acid protein with a putative 32-amino acid signal peptide, two disulfide bonds, and two N-linked glycosylation sites. We found that transcription of zlif starts at the hatching period during embryogenesis and is present in the brain, visceral organs, bone, and skin.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Bioindustrial Informatics, Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Abe
authors.forename: Tsuyoshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mikekado
authors.forename: Satoru
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Haga
authors.forename: Yuya
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kisara
authors.forename: Kohei
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.forename: Tadahide
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kurokawa
authors.forename: Tohru
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Suzuki
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002875:Chromosomes / Q000235:genetics; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000235:genetics*; D030541:Databases, Genetic; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D016678:Genome; D006801:Humans; D053605:Leukemia Inhibitory Factor / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D034443:RNA Transport; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D026801:Synteny / Q000235:genetics; D023741:Takifugu / Q000235:genetics; D015027:Zebrafish / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D029961:Zebrafish Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D018076:DNA, Complementary; D053605:Leukemia Inhibitory Factor; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D029961:Zebrafish Proteins; C520573:m17 protein, zebrafish