HIF-1α and -2α genes in a hypoxia-sensitive teleost species Megalobrama amblycephala: cDNA cloning, expression and different responses to hypoxia

Transcriptional responses to hypoxia are primarily mediated by hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) α subunits, i.e. HIF-1α, -2α and -3α. In fish, the molecular constructions, expression characteristics and hypoxic regulation of HIF-α subunits are still not well known. In this study, we identified the HIF-1α and HIF-2α full-length cDNAs in a hypoxia-sensitive fish species Wuchang bream, Megalobrama amblycephala. The whole length of HIF-1α cDNA was 3,815 bp, consisting of an open reading frame (ORF) encoding 774 amino acid (aa) residues. The HIF-2α cDNA totaled 3,121-bp including an 835-aa ORF. The Wuchang bream HIF-1α and HIF-2α subunits were structurally similar in the DNA-binding and dimerization domains, but differed in the transactivation domain. In adult fish, both HIF-1α and HIF-2α mRNAs were detected in different tissues under normoxic conditions. HIF-1α mRNA was highly expressed in the liver, gill and testis, whereas HIF-2α mRNA was abundantly expressed in most of the Wuchang bream tissues. Both HIF-1α and HIF-2α mRNAs were detected in all stages of embryogenesis and expressed in a ubiquitous pattern. In contrast to HIF-1α, the mRNA levels of HIF-2α fluctuated in different stages, with higher expression in the zygote, 8-, 28-, 48- and 52-hr post fertilization (hpf) embryos. During hypoxic treatment, the mRNA levels of HIF-2α were significantly (p < 0.01) up-regulated to 910% in the liver and 320% in the kidney, whereas no significant changes of HIF-1α mRNA were observed in the corresponding tissues. These results suggest that the Wuchang bream HIF-1α and -2α would be involved in different physiological functions under normoxia and hypoxia situations.