The third egg envelope subunit in fish: cDNA cloning and analysis, and gene expression

The inner layer of the egg envelope of a teleost fish, the medaka, Oryzias latipes, consists of two major subunit groups, Zl-1,2 and Zl-3. On SDS-PAGE, the Zl-1,2 group presents three glycoprotein bands that were considered to be composed of a common polypeptide moiety derived from their precursor, choriogenin H (Chg H). Zl-3 is a single glycoprotein derived from the precursor, choriogenin L (Chg L). In the present study, a fraction of a novel subunit protein was found in the V8 protease digest of Zl-1,2 that was partially purified from oocyte envelopes. This protein fraction was not present in the purified precursor, Chg H. By RT-PCR employing the primers based on the amino acid sequence of this fraction, a cDNA for the novel subunit was amplified, and a full-length clone of the cDNA was obtained by screening a cDNA library constructed from the spawning female liver. The clone consisted of 2025 b.p. and contained an open reading frame encoding the novel protein of 634 amino acids. This protein included Pro-X-Y repeat sequences in two-fifths of the whole length from its N-terminus. Northern blot analysis revealed that the gene expression for this protein occurred in the liver but not in the ovary of spawning female fish. This protein is considered as the third major subunit of the inner layer of the egg envelope of medaka.