Fatty acid binding protein 10 in the orange-spotted grouper (Epinephelus coioides): Characterization and regulation under pH and temperature stress

We have isolated and characterized a fatty acid binding protein from the liver of the orange-spotted grouper (Epinephelus coioides). Amino acid sequence similarity of the Ec-FABP (E. coioides-FABP) was highest to FABP10s isolated from the livers of catfish, chicken, salamander and iguana. The open-reading frame of the Ec-FABP codes for a protein of 14.0 kDa with a calculated isoelectric point of 8.5. We first expressed a FABP10 protein from orange-spotted grouper (E. coioides) in Pichia pastoris, and then characterized the antioxidative potential of our recombinant Ec-FABP by DCF fluorescence assay. RT-PCR assays showed that endogenous Ec-FABP mRNA is most strongly expressed in liver with the most abundance and intestine. Change in the groupers' blood cells respiratory burst activity was examined during and after exposure to the pH and temperature stress using flow cytometry. Further analysis of Ec-FABP gene expression in liver tissue by quantitative real-time PCR demonstrated that Ec-FABP transcript levels increased when the fish were exposed to both pH and temperature stress, but the time when its mRNA expression level peaked differed under these stresses. Western blot analyses confirmed that the Ec-FABP protein was strongly expressed in the liver after exposure to the pH and temperature stress. These results suggest that Ec-FABP expression is stimulated by pH and temperature stress and that it may play important roles in general adaptive and antioxidant responses.