title: The marine medaka Oryzias melastigma--a potential marine fish model for innate immune study.
abstract: The objective of this study is to develop the marine medaka Oryzias melastigma as a potential marine fish model for innate immune and immunotoxicological studies. Hepcidin plays an important role in innate immune system. Two hepcidin genes (OM-hep1 and OM-hep2) were identified and characterized in the O. melastigma, which were highly conserved with other reported hepcidins. During embryogenesis, significant elevation of OM-hep1 and OM-hep2 transcripts were coincided with liver development in the embryos. In adult medaka, differential tissue expressions of both hepcidin transcripts were evident: high in liver, moderate in spleen and low in non-immune tissues. After bacterial challenge, the two hepcidin mRNAs were rapidly and remarkably induced in liver and spleen, suggesting the two OM-hepcidins in O. melastigma play a complementary role in innate defense. Gender difference in time of induction and extent of the two hepcidin mRNAs elevation in infected O. melastigma should be considered in immunotoxicological studies.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory in Marine Pollution and Department of Biology and Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, PR China.
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bo
authors.forename: Ling
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cai
authors.forename: Jia-He
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Ke-Jian
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Doris W T
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Au
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D004625:Embryo, Nonmammalian / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D064451:Hepcidins; D007113:Immunity, Innate / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics; D008099:Liver / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008954:Models, Biological; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009990:Oryzias / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D013154:Spleen / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D014873:Water Pollutants / Q000633:toxicity
chemical_list: D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides; D015415:Biomarkers; D064451:Hepcidins; D014873:Water Pollutants