Cloning and expression of cDNA encoding lysyl hydroxylase 1, 2 and 3 in tiger puffer Takifugu rubripes

Lysyl hydroxylase (LH) catalyzes the hydroxylation of lysine residues in collagens, and contributes to the formation of more stable collagen cross-links. However, in teleost, there is little information about collagen modification enzymes including lysyl oxidase (LOX) family members. Here, we cloned cDNAs encoding LH1, 2 and 3 from tiger puffer Takifugu rubripes. To determine the mRNA expressions of LH family members in a tiger puffer, we performed a northern blot analysis. Results showed that both fgLH1 and fgLH3 mRNAs were almost constitutively expressed in tissues, but highly expressed in muscle and ovary, respectively. However, fgLH2 mRNA was detected only in RT-PCR, indicating that expression level of fgLH2 is very low in tissues. It may be that low expression level of fgLH2 contributes to the fewer contents of stable collagen cross-links in tiger puffer tissues. To further investigate expression profiles of fgLHs, we examined gene expressions in embryos during development. In embryos, expression profiles differ among three fgLHs, indicating that there are functional differences among the three fgLHs. This is the first report that examined gene expression patterns of three LHs in emrbyos and adult tissues in teleost.