title: Transforming growth factor-β1b: a second TGF-β1 paralogue in the rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) that has a lower constitutive expression but is more responsive to immune stimulation.
abstract: The rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) TGF-β1 sequence was one of the first fish cytokines described. Studies of its expression suggest it is constitutively expressed but displays refractory inducibility. Here we describe a second TGF-β1 (TGF-β1b) gene that is novel in several respects. TGF-β1b possesses typical TGF-β features, including a CXC motif and an integrin binding site, a tetrabasic cut site and a mature peptide of 112 amino acids (aa) containing nine conserved cysteine residues. The mature peptide is 83% identical to the first TGF-β1 sequence described in rainbow trout, that we designate TGF-β1a, and relative to TGF-β1a shows higher homology to Atlantic salmon TGF-β1b, zebrafish TGF-β1a, and sea bass and seabream TGF-β1. The gene organisation of salmonid TGF-β1b genes, as inferred from Atlantic salmon whole genome shotgun contigs, is a 6 exon/5 intron structure with exons 3 and 4 of salmonid TGF-β1a genes apparently fused together. The two trout TGF-β1 genes have a wide distribution in vivo, with highest expression found in immune tissues for both isoforms indicating that TGF-β1 has a predominant role in immunity of fish. Expression of both genes was also seen during the ontogeny of trout, with TGF-β1a relatively constant in expression level but TGF-β1b increasing over time. Immune responses in head kidney (HK) macrophages induced by pathogen associated molecular patterns (PAMPs), pro-inflammatory cytokines, mitogens and pathway activators highly elevated the expression level of TGF-β1b but not that of TGF-β1a. TGF-β1b expression was also increased by polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid (poly(I:C)) and/or lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation in three different trout cell lines studied. Finally we show that TGF-β1b is potentially involved in defense against infection with viral haemorrhagic septicemia virus (VHSV), which had no effect on TGF-β1a expression. Thus, it is likely the TGF-β1b gene represents a copy which fulfils the major immune orchestrating functions of TGF-β1 as seen in other vertebrates.
authors.affiliation: Scottish Fish Immunology Research Centre, Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK.
authors.forename: Tanja
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Maehr
authors.forename: Maria M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Costa
authors.forename: Jose L González
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Vecino
authors.forename: Simon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wadsworth
authors.forename: Samuel A M
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.forename: Tiehui
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Christopher J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Secombes
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D016207:Cytokines / Q000494:pharmacology; D005393:Fish Diseases / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology*; D040461:Gene Components; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling / Q000662:veterinary; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology*; D060226:Head Kidney / Q000378:metabolism; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000494:pharmacology; D008934:Mitogens / Q000494:pharmacology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D029141:Novirhabdovirus; D017686:Oncorhynchus mykiss / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D011070:Poly I-C / Q000494:pharmacology; D018353:Rhabdoviridae Infections / Q000276:immunology / Q000662:veterinary*; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA / Q000662:veterinary; D013045:Species Specificity; D053773:Transforming Growth Factor beta1 / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D008934:Mitogens; D053773:Transforming Growth Factor beta1; D011070:Poly I-C