cDNA cloning and expression of erythropoietin in the plateau zokor （Myospalax baileyi） from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

All organisms respond to variation in their environments and manage environmental stress through metabolic adjustments. The plateau zokor （Myospalax baileyi） is an endemic and keystone subterranean rodent species that inhabits the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau between 2800 and 4200 m above sea level. It is...

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Published in中国科学通报：英文版 Vol. 57; no. 9; pp. 997 - 1006
Main Author WANG ZhenLong CHEN Yan YANG Jie CHEN WeiJun ZHANG YanMing ZHAO XinQuan
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published 2012
Subjects
cDNA
mRNA水平
促红细胞生成素
克隆和表达
基因检测
环境压力
青藏高原
高原鼢鼠
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Summary:All organisms respond to variation in their environments and manage environmental stress through metabolic adjustments. The plateau zokor （Myospalax baileyi） is an endemic and keystone subterranean rodent species that inhabits the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau between 2800 and 4200 m above sea level. It is a hypoxic-tolerant mammal with a high ratio of oxygen utilization that enables it to cope with its harsh surroundings. To explore the molecular mechanism of altitude acclimatization of the plateau zokor, we cloned the zokor erythropoietin （Epo） gene and used real-time PCR to compare Epo mRNA levels in zokors inhabiting 16 differ- ent altitudes. The full-length zokor Epo open reading frame was 579 bp that encoded a precursor peptide of 192 amino acids with a signal peptide of 26 residues. The Epo gene of the plateau zokor was 81%-95% homologous to that of human, mouse, rat, root vole and the Golan Heights blind mole rat, with the highest homology （95%） to species of the genus Spalax. Epo mRNA was detected mainly in the zokor kidney and spleen among 8 selected tissues. The level of Epo mRNA increased in the liver and kid- ney with increases in altitude. The increase in the kidney was 5 times that in the liver. Remarkably, expression of Epo mRNA in the kidney of zokors living at the highest altitude （4268 m） was 12-fold higher than that of zokors living at the lowest （2492 m） altitude. These findings provide essential information for understanding the possible role of Epo in adaptation to hypoxia in the plateau zokor.
Bibliography:11-1785/N
erythropoietin, plateau zokor, cDNA cloning, mRNA expression, altitude
All organisms respond to variation in their environments and manage environmental stress through metabolic adjustments. The plateau zokor （Myospalax baileyi） is an endemic and keystone subterranean rodent species that inhabits the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau between 2800 and 4200 m above sea level. It is a hypoxic-tolerant mammal with a high ratio of oxygen utilization that enables it to cope with its harsh surroundings. To explore the molecular mechanism of altitude acclimatization of the plateau zokor, we cloned the zokor erythropoietin （Epo） gene and used real-time PCR to compare Epo mRNA levels in zokors inhabiting 16 differ- ent altitudes. The full-length zokor Epo open reading frame was 579 bp that encoded a precursor peptide of 192 amino acids with a signal peptide of 26 residues. The Epo gene of the plateau zokor was 81%-95% homologous to that of human, mouse, rat, root vole and the Golan Heights blind mole rat, with the highest homology （95%） to species of the genus Spalax. Epo mRNA was detected mainly in the zokor kidney and spleen among 8 selected tissues. The level of Epo mRNA increased in the liver and kid- ney with increases in altitude. The increase in the kidney was 5 times that in the liver. Remarkably, expression of Epo mRNA in the kidney of zokors living at the highest altitude （4268 m） was 12-fold higher than that of zokors living at the lowest （2492 m） altitude. These findings provide essential information for understanding the possible role of Epo in adaptation to hypoxia in the plateau zokor.
ISSN:1001-6538
1861-9541