title: Molecular cloning and characterization of Foxp3 in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar).
abstract: Foxp3 is a T cell-specific transcription factor and plays a key role in the development of Treg cells and in the immune regulatory process during inflammation. Here we report cloning and characterization of the full-length cDNA of Atlantic salmon Foxp3, which possesses a Forkhead domain, a zinc finger domain and a leucine-zipper domain as its counterpart in mammals. Foxp3 is highly expressed in thymus. Furthermore, regulated expression was observed in head kidney cells in response to β-glucan and mitogens (LPS and ConA), and in the head kidney, spleen and liver after intraperitoneal injection of live Aeromonas salmonicida. In addition, transfection of CHSE-214 cells with salmon Foxp3 fused with a C-termial RFP tag, resulted in the expression of the transgene in and close to the nuclei upon stimulation. Taken together, these results suggest the presence of a Foxp3 gene in Atlantic salmon that may be an important transcription factor in immune regulation, and further research may reveal the existence of Treg-like T cells in this species.
authors.affiliation: Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, 100875 Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Zuobing
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Heng
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chi
authors.forename: Cuijuan
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Niu
authors.forename: Jarl
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bøgwald
authors.forename: Roy A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Dalmo
mesh_terms: D048409:Aeromonas salmonicida / Q000276:immunology; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002460:Cell Line; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D005393:Fish Diseases / Q000276:immunology; D051858:Forkhead Transcription Factors / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology*; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D016905:Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections / Q000276:immunology / Q000662:veterinary; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D020317:Salmo salar / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology*; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
chemical_list: D051858:Forkhead Transcription Factors