Identification of a testis-enriched heat shock protein and fourteen members of Hsp70 family in the swamp eel

PLoS One. 2013 Jun 4;8(6):e65269. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0065269. Print 2013.

Abstract

Background: Gonad differentiation is one of the most important developmental events in vertebrates. Some heat shock proteins are associated with gonad development. Heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) in the teleost fish and its roles in sex differentiation are poorly understood.

Methods and findings: We have identified a testis-enriched heat shock protein Hspa8b2 in the swamp eel using Western blot analysis and Mass Spectrometry (MS). Fourteen Hsp70 family genes were further identified in this species based on transcriptome information. The phylogenetic tree of Hsp70 family was constructed using the Maximum Likelihood method and their expression patterns in the swamp eel gonads were analyzed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).

Conclusion: There are fourteen gene members in the Hsp70 family in the swamp eel genome. Hsp70 family, particularly Hspa8, has expanded in the species. One of the family members Hspa8b2 is predominantly expressed in testis of the swamp eel.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Animals
  • Conserved Sequence
  • Evolution, Molecular
  • Gene Dosage
  • Gene Expression Profiling
  • HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins / chemistry
  • HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins / classification
  • HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins / genetics*
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Mice
  • Multigene Family / genetics*
  • Phylogeny
  • Protein Structure, Tertiary
  • Rats
  • Smegmamorpha / genetics*
  • Smegmamorpha / growth & development
  • Testis / growth & development
  • Testis / metabolism*

Substances

  • HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the National Key Basic Research project, National Key Technologies R&D Program and the Chinese 111 project. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.