Microcystin-induced variations in transcription of GSTs in an omnivorous freshwater fish, goldfish

The glutathione S-transferases are important enzymes in the microcystin-induced detoxication processes. In this experiment, we cloned the full-length cDNA of alpha, pi and theta-class-like glutathione S-transferase genes from goldfish (Carassius auratus L). Their derived amino acid sequences were clustered with other vertebrate alpha, pi and theta-class GSTs in a phylogenetic tree and the goldfish GST sequences have the highest similarity with those from common carp and zebrafish. Goldfish were i.p. injected with microcystins extract at two doses (50 and 200 μg kg−1 BW MC-LReq) and the relative changes of the mRNA abundance in liver, kidney and intestine were analyzed by real-time PCR. The transcription of GST alpha was suppressed in both liver and intestine, but induced in the kidney. Decreased transcription of GST theta was detected in liver, kidney and intestine in the low-dose group. The transcription of GST pi was suppressed in liver and intestine post-injection in both dose groups. These results suggested that the transcription of GST isoforms varied in different ways within an organ and among organs of goldfish exposed to MCs.