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The Journal of Experimental Biology 205, 2053-2065 (2002)
© 2002 The Company of Biologists Limited

Glutamine synthetase expression in liver, muscle, stomach and intestine of Bostrichthys sinensis in response to exposure to a high exogenous ammonia concentration

P. M. Anderson¹, M. A. Broderius¹, K. C. Fong², K. N. T. Tsui², S. F. Chew³ and Y. K. Ip²

¹ Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Minnesota, Duluth, Duluth, MN 55812, USA
² Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117543
³ Natural Sciences Academic Group, Nanyang Technological University, National, Institute of Education, 1 Nanyang Walk, Singapore 637616

Accepted 23 April 2002

A previous study provided evidence that the adaptive strategy used by the teleost fish Bostrichthys sinensis (sleeper) for detoxifying ammonia during extended periods of air exposure was to synthesize and store glutamine, primarily in the muscle, accompanied by an increase in glutamine synthetase (GSase) activity in liver. The aim of the present study was to assess the effect on GSase expression in various tissues of exposure of B. sinensis to exogenous ammonia. Exogenous ammonia increases internal ammonia concentrations in fish, mimicking environmental situations such as air exposure that preclude loss of ammonia across the gills, and thus triggering alternative mechanisms for ammonia detoxification. The results reveal relatively high levels of GSase activity, not only in liver but also, unexpectedly, in muscle, and even higher levels in intestine and, in particular, stomach. Exposure to ammonia results in significant increases in GSase activity, GSase protein and GSase mRNA levels in all of these tissues except stomach. The amino acid sequences of GSases from liver and stomach deduced from the cDNA sequences are essentially identical and are >97 % identical to the amino acid sequences of GSases from Gulf toadfish (Opsanus beta) and marble goby (Oxyeleotris marmoratus).

Key words: Bostrichthys sinensis, teleost, sleeper, nitrogen excretion, enzyme induction, glutamine synthetase, exogenous ammonia exposure

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