title: A novel cyclophilin gene from the dinoflagellate Prorocentrum minimum and its possible role in the environmental stress response.
abstract: Cyclophilins (CYPs) are a family of proteins that bind to cyclosporine and are thought to be involved in the stress response. In dinoflagellate algae, CYPs may function as a survival strategy in cells exposed to environmental stressors. Here, we identified a novel cyclophilin gene (referred to as PmCYP, comprising a 516-bp open reading frame, encoding a 171-aa protein with a molecular mass of 17.5kDa) from the dinoflagellate Prorocentrum minimum, and evaluated the role of dinoflagellate CYP in cells exposed to environmental pollutants copper and polychlorinated biphenyl. In addition, we assessed the cytoprotective role of nitric oxide in relation to the expression of PmCYP. These stressors strongly affected the physiology of the cells, as judged by cell counting, reactive oxygen species (ROS) imaging, and photosynthetic parameters (Fv/Fm and PIABS). PmCYP expression was significantly (P<0.05) induced upon exposure of the cells to all the test pollutants used in this study. These clearly indicate that PmCYP plays a vital role in the oxidative stress response in dinoflagellate survival, although the gene was initially known only for its housekeeping function.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Natural Sciences, Sangmyung University, Seoul 110-743, South Korea.
authors.forename: Thangaraj
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ponmani
authors.affiliation: Department of Life Science, Sangmyung University, Seoul 110-743, South Korea.
authors.forename: Ruoyu
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.affiliation: Institute of Natural Sciences, Sangmyung University, Seoul 110-743, South Korea; Department of Life Science, Sangmyung University, Seoul 110-743, South Korea. Electronic address: kijs@smu.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Jang-Seu
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Ki
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001483:Base Sequence; D003300:Copper / Q000633:toxicity; D021983:Cyclophilins / Q000235:genetics*; D004141:Dinoflagellida / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D015870:Gene Expression / Q000187:drug effects; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016366:Open Reading Frames; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics*; D010788:Photosynthesis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D010802:Phylogeny; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls / Q000633:toxicity; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000633:toxicity
chemical_list: D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D003300:Copper; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls; D021983:Cyclophilins
keywords: Dinoflagellate; Gene expression; Oxidative stress; PmCYP; Prorocentrum minimum