title: Characterization, expression, and response to stress of p8 gene in amphioxus.
abstract: The amphioxus Branchiostoma belcheri tsingtaunese homolog of p8, Bbp8, was identified from the gut cDNA library. The full-length Bbp8 cDNA consists of 1032 bp, which is clearly longer than those of p8 in human, mouse, rat, frog, zebrafish and fruit fly. The genomic DNA sequences of amphioxus p8 contain three exons and two introns, which is similar to the exon/intron organization of p8 homologues in vertebrates such as human, mouse and zebrafish, while it is sharply different to the organization of p8 gene in fruit fly, which has only one exon. Sequence alignment and phylogenetic analysis showed that the basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) region of p8 is well conserved during the long process of evolution, and Bbp8 is more close to its homologous proteins in the invertebrates than to those in the vertebrates. RT-PCR and In situ hybridization histochemistry demonstrated the expression of Bbp8 in all the tissues assayed, with relatively higher expression in the gut, gill and ovaries. Quantitative real-time PCR assay revealed quick up-regulation of Bbp8 transcripts on lipopolysaccharide (LPS) challenge and starvation, implying a stress-related function for Bbp8.
authors: Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Gene Resource Exploitation of Ministry of Education (MaGGR), Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, China. zhenhuiliu@ouc.edu.cn
authors: Zhenhui
authors: Z
authors: Liu
authors: Yanling
authors: Y
authors: Sun
authors: Naiguo
authors: N
authors: Liu
authors: Ningning
authors: N
authors: Fan
authors: Shicui
authors: S
authors: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic / Q000494:pharmacology; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002816:Chordata, Nonvertebrate / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000494:pharmacology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D012333:RNA, Messenger