Abstract
Promethins have been shown to be present in the vertebrates examined so far, yet little is known to date about them in invertebrates. Here we isolated a cDNA encoding a promethin-like homolog from the gut cDNA library of the amphioxus Branchiostoma belcheri, a cephalochordate occupying a nodal position transient from invertebrates to vertebrates. It contained a 504 bp open reading frame corresponding to a protein of 167 amino acids. Primary structural examination showed that the deduced promethin-like homolog was a transmembrane protein with three potential transmembrane helices, resembling the vertebrate promethins. Phylogenetic analysis showed that B. belcheri promethin-like homolog was located at the base of the vertebrate counterparts, suggesting that it represents the archetype of vertebrate promethins. Both Northern blotting and in situ hybridization histochemistry revealed a tissue-specific expression pattern of promethin-like gene, like that of mammalian promethins. This is the first report on invertebrate promethin-like homolog, paving the way for further insights into the evolution and function of promethins.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Lehrke M, Lazar MA (2005) The many faces of PPARgamma. Cell 123:993–999
Rosen ED, Spiegelman BM (2001) PPARγ: a nuclear regulator of metabolism, differentiation, and cell growth. J Biol Chem 276:37731–37734
Heikkinen S, Auwerx J, Argmann CA (2007) PPARγ in human and mouse physiology. Biochim Biophys Acta 1771:999–1013
Yu S, Matsusue K, Kashireddy P, Cao WQ, Yeldandi V, Yeldandi AV, Rao MS, Gonzalez FJ, Reddy JK (2003) Adipocyte-specific gene expression and adipogenic steatosis in the mouse liver due to peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ1 (PPARγ1) overexpression. J Biol Chem 278:498–505
Yu S, Viswakarma N, Batra SK, Rao MS, Reddy JK (2004) Identification of promethin and PGLP as two novel up-regulated genes in PPARγ1-induced adipogenic mouse liver. Biochimie 86:743–761
Stach T (2008) Chordate phylogeny and evolution: a not so simple three-taxon problem. J Zool 276:117–141
Fan C, Zhang SC, Liu ZH, Li L, Luan J, Saren G (2007) Identification and expression of a novel class of glutathione-S-transferase from amphioxus Branchiostoma belcheri with implications to the origin of vertebrate liver. Int J Biochem Cell Biol 39:450–461
Kozak M (1987) An analysis of 5′-noncoding sequences from 699 vertebrate messenger RNAs. Nucleic Acids Res 15:8125–8148
Acknowledgments
This work was supported by the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) of China (2008AA09Z409).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Zhang, Y., Zhang, S.C. & Liang, Y.J. Identification and tissue-specific expression of a promethin-like homolog in amphioxus Branchiostoma belcheri . Mol Biol Rep 37, 2279–2283 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11033-009-9720-2
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11033-009-9720-2