Cloning the sterol carrier protein 2 genes of Japanese toad ( Bufo japonicus formosus ) and Chinese toad ( Bufo gargarizans ) and its tissue expression analysis
2015
Ji, Yu-Cheng | Zhuge, Hui | Zhang, Shan-Shan | Zhang, Shu-Fang | Yang, Xian-Yu
In this study, to clarify the bioactive polypeptides included in the skins and secretions of Bufo, we screened the Japanese toad ( Bufo japonicus formosus ) skin cDNA library by colony polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and obtained a transcript of 1 075 bp consisting of 1 37 bp 5' untranslated region (UTR), 515 bp 3' UTR and a 423 bp open reading frame (ORF) encoding a polypeptide of 140 amino acid residues (GenBank accession number: KF359945). Homolog analysis showed a 70%-96% homology with sterol carrier protein-2 (SCP-2) present in other animals, which is implicated in lipid metabolism of other organisms. The gene SCP-2 of Chinese toad ( B. gargarizans ) was cloned from a first strand cDNA of Bufo skin (GenBank accession number: KF381341) via PCR, whose encoding polypeptide has only one amino acid difference from that of Japanese toad. Tissue distribution analysis showed that SCP-2 expressed in all organs tested, though in the liver and spleen it manifested lower expression than in other organs. These findings might indicate SCP-2 being one of the active ingredients in toad skin. These findings may in turn have implications for further drug development from traditional Chinese medicine sources.
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