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First published online November 14, 2008
Journal of Experimental Biology 211, 3750-3758 (2008)
Published by The Company of Biologists 2008
doi: 10.1242/jeb.018440
Branchial FXYD protein expression in response to salinity change and its interaction with Na+/K+-ATPase of the euryhaline teleost Tetraodon nigroviridis


Department of Life Sciences, National Chung-Hsing University, Taichung 402, Taiwan
Author for correspondence (e-mail:
thlee{at}dragon.nchu.edu.tw)
Accepted 23 September 2008
Na+/K+-ATPase (NKA) is a ubiquitous membrane-bound
protein crucial for teleost osmoregulation. The enzyme is composed of two
essential subunits, a catalytic
subunit and a glycosylated β
subunit which is responsible for membrane targeting of the enzyme. In mammals,
seven FXYD members have been found. FXYD proteins have been identified as the
regulatory protein of NKA in mammals and elasmobranchs, it is thus interesting
to examine the expression and functions of FXYD protein in the euryhaline
teleosts with salinity-dependent changes of gill NKA activity. The present
study investigated the expression and distribution of the FXYD protein in
gills of seawater (SW)- or freshwater (FW)-acclimated euryhaline pufferfish
(Tetraodon nigroviridis). The full-length pufferfish FXYD gene
(pFXYD) was confirmed by RT-PCR. pFXYD was found to be
expressed in many organs including gills of both SW and FW pufferfish.
pFXYD mRNA abundance in gills, determined by real-time PCR, was
significantly higher in FW fish than in SW fish. An antiserum raised against a
partial amino acid sequence of pFXYD was used for the immunoblots of gill
homogenates and a major band at 13 kDa was detected. The relative amounts of
pFXYD protein and mRNA in gills of SW and FW pufferfish were identical, but
opposite to the expression levels of NKA. Immunofluorescent staining of frozen
sections demonstrated that pFXYD was colocalized to NKA-immunoreactive cells
in the gill filaments. In addition, interaction between pFXYD and NKA was
demonstrated by co-immunoprecipitation. Taken together, salinity-dependent
expression of pFXYD protein and NKA, as well as the evidence for their
colocalization and interaction in pufferfish gills suggested that pFXYD
regulates NKA activity in gills of euryhaline teleosts upon salinity
challenge.
Key words: gill, Na+/K+-ATPase, pufferfish, salinity, Tetraodon nigroviridis, pFXYD
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