Characterization and tissue-specific expression of phosphatidylcholine transfer protein gene from amphioxus Branchiostoma belcheri |
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Authors: | Jianxiao Tian Shicui Zhang Zhenhui Liu Yunyun Zhuang Yongjun Wang Shengjuan Jiang |
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Institution: | (1) Department of Marine Biology, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003, China;(2) Key Laboratory of Neuroregeneration, Nantong University, Nantong, 226007, China |
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Abstract: | An amphioxus cDNA, encoding phosphatidylcholine transfer protein (AmphiPCTP), was identified for the first time from the gut
cDNA library of Branchiostoma belcheri. It contains a 660-bp open reading frame corresponding to a deduced protein of 219 amino acids. Phylogenetic tree analysis
showed that AmphiPCTP clustered with PCTP subgroup of PCTP subfamily containing steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR)-related
lipid transfer (START) domains. AmphiPCTP had an exon-intron organization similar to that of human and rat PCTP genes in terms of both exon number and sequence homology
of each exon, suggesting that PCTP has probably maintained a similar function in both amphioxus and mammalian species. Both
in situ hybridization histochemistry and whole-mount in situ hybridization revealed a tissue-specific expression pattern of
AmphiPCTP with the high levels in the hepatic caecum and primitive gut, including the region where the hepatic caecum will form later
during development. This apparently agrees with the hypothesis that amphioxus hepatic caecum is equivalent to vertebrate liver.
These results suggest a conserved role of PCTPs in amphioxus as well as mammalian species.
This work was supported by National Science Foundation of China (NSFC; 30470203) and Ministry of Education of China (200404023014). |
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Keywords: | Phosphatidylcholine transfer protein In situ hybridization Hepatic caecum Amphioxus Branchiostoma belcheri (Acrania) |
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