Zebrafish immunoglobulin IgD: unusual exon usage and quantitative expression profiles with IgM and IgZ/T heavy chain isotypes.

The zebrafish is an emerging model for comparative immunology and biomedical research. In contrast to the five heavy chain isotype system of mice and human (IgD, IgM, IgA, IgG, IgE), zebrafish harbor gene segments for IgD, IgM, and novel heavy chain isotype called IgZ/T which appears restricted to bony fishes. The purpose of this study was to design and validate a suite of quantitative real time RT-PCR protocols to measure IgH expression in a vertebrate model which has considerable promise for modeling both pathogenic infection and chronic conditions leading to immune dysfunction. Specific primers were designed and following verification of their specificty, relative expression levels of IgD, IgM, and IgZ/T were measured in triplicate for zebrafish raised under standard laboratory conditions. During embryonic stages, low levels of each heavy chain isotype (IgH) were detected with each increasing steadily between 2 and 17 weeks post fertilization. Overall IgM>IgZ>IgD throughout zebrafish development with the copy number of IgM being several fold higher than that of IgD or IgZ/T. IgD exon usage was also characterized, as its extremely long size and presence of a stop codon in the second IgD exon in zebrafish, raised questions as to how this antibody might be expressed. Zebrafish IgD was found to be a chimeric immunoglobulin, with the third IgD exon spliced to the first IgM constant exon thereby circumventing the first and second IgD exons. Collectively, the qRT-PCR results represent the first comparative profile of IgD, IgM, IgZ/T expression over the lifespan of any fish species and the primers and assay parameters reported should prove useful in enabling researchers to rapidly quantify changes in IgH expression in zebrafish models of disease where altered IgH expression is manifested.

Immunoglobulin light chain (IgL) genes in zebrafish: Genomic configurations and inversional rearrangements between (V(L)-J(L)-C(L)) gene clusters.

In mammals, Immunoglobulin light chain (IgL) are localized to two chromosomal regions (designated kappa and lambda). Here we report a genome-wide survey of IgL genes in the zebrafish revealing (V(L)-J(L)-C(L)) clusters spanning 5 separate chromosomes. To elucidate IgL loci present in the zebrafish genome assembly (Zv6), conventional sequence similarity searches and a novel scanning approach based on recombination signal sequence (RSS) motifs were applied. RT-PCR with zebrafish cDNA was used to confirm annotations, evaluate VJ-rearrangement possibilities and show that each chromosomal locus is expressed. In contrast to other vertebrates in which IgL exon usage has been studied, inversional rearrangement between (V(L)-J(L)-C(L)) clusters were found. Inter-cluster rearrangements may convey a selective advantage for editing self-reactive receptors and poise zebrafish by virtue of their extensive numbers of V(L), J(L) and C(L) to have greater potential for immunoglobulin gene shuffling than traditionally studied mice and human models.

Characterization of terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase and polymerase mu in zebrafish.

Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT) contributes to the junctional diversity of immunoglobulin and T-cell receptors by incorporating nucleotides in a template-independent manner. A closely related enzyme, polymerase mu (polmu), a template-directed polymerase, plays a role in general end-joining double-strand break repair. We cloned zebrafish TdT and polmu and found them to be 43% identical in amino acid sequence. Comparisons with sequences of other species revealed conserved residues typical for TdT in the zebrafish sequence that support the template independence of this enzyme. Some but not all of these features were identified in zebrafish polmu. In adult fish, TdT expression was most prominent in thymus, pro- and mesonephros, the primary lymphoid organs in teleost fish and in spleen, intestine, and the tissue around the intestine. Polmu expression was detected not only in pro- and mesonephros, the major sites for B-lymphocyte development, but also in ovary and testis and in all tissue preparations to a low extent. TdT expression starts at 4 dpf and increases thereafter. Polmu is expressed at all times to a similar extent. In situ studies showed a strong expression of TdT and polmicro in the thymic cortex of 8-week-old fish. The characterization of zebrafish TdT and polmu provide new insights in fish lymphopoiesis and addresses the importance and evolution of TdT and polmu themselves.

The immunoglobulin heavy-chain locus in zebrafish: identification and expression of a previously unknown isotype, immunoglobulin Z.

The only immunoglobulin heavy-chain classes known so far in teleosts have been mu and delta. We identify here a previously unknown class, immunoglobulin zeta, expressed in zebrafish and other teleosts. In the zebrafish heavy-chain locus, variable (V) gene segments lie upstream of two tandem diversity, joining and constant (DJC) clusters, resembling the mouse T cell receptor alpha (Tcra) and delta (Tcrd) locus. V genes rearrange to (DJC)(zeta) or to (DJC)(mu) without evidence of switch rearrangement. The zebrafish immunoglobulin zeta gene (ighz) and mouse Tcrd, which are proximal to the V gene array, are expressed earlier in development. In adults, ighz was expressed only in kidney and thymus, which are primary lymphoid organs in teleosts. This additional class adds complexity to the immunoglobulin repertoire and raises questions concerning the evolution of immunoglobulins and the regulation of the differential expression of ighz and ighm.

Expression of the winged helix/forkhead gene, foxn4, during zebrafish development.

The winged-helix/forkhead transcription factor gene, foxn4, is expressed in the nervous system of developing and adult zebrafish. Prominent expression sites include the olfactory placode, the basal layer of the olfactory epithelium, the neuroepithelium of the developing retina, the germinal zone of the differentiated eye, regions of motoneuron development in the neural tube and periventricular regions of the brain. The adult thymus is the only major site of foxn4 expression outside of the nervous system.

T cells and the thymus in developing zebrafish.

The expression of genes encoding T cell receptor (TCR) alpha was used to follow the development of the thymus and to analyze the distribution of T cells in zebrafish. In the thymus, expression was first detected, by in situ hybridization, at four days post fertilization. In RNA extracted from whole fish, TCRalpha transcripts were also detected at four days and reached adult levels at three weeks. At six weeks, TCRalpha was expressed throughout the thymus, whereas rag1 expression was localized to the peripheral regions. Expression of TCRalpha outside the thymus was detected at nine days. In adult peripheral organs, the greatest expression was in the pronephros, mesonephros and intestine; expression in the spleen became greater as fish age. Three new, relatively highly expressed, TCR Valpha families were identified.

Genome structure and thymic expression of an endogenous retrovirus in zebrafish.

In a search for previously unknown genes that are required for lymphocyte development in zebrafish, a retroviral sequence was identified in a subtracted thymus cDNA library and in genomic DNA libraries. The provirus is 11.2 kb and contains intact open reading frames for the gag, pol, and env genes, as well as nearly identical flanking long terminal repeat sequences. As determined by in situ hybridization, the thymus appears to be a major tissue for retroviral expression in both larval and adult fish. Several viral transcripts were found by Northern blotting in the adult thymus. The provirus was found at the same genomic locus in sperm from four fish, suggesting that it is an endogenous retrovirus. Phylogenetic analysis indicates that it is closest to, yet distinct from, the cluster of murine leukemia virus-related retroviruses, suggesting that this virus represents a new group of retroviruses.

J chain in the nurse shark: implications for function in a lower vertebrate.

J chain is a small polypeptide covalently attached to polymeric IgA and IgM. In humans and mice, it plays a role in binding Ig to the polymeric Ig receptor for transport into secretions. The putative orthologue of mammalian J chain has been identified in the nurse shark by sequence analysis of cDNA and the polypeptide isolated from IgM. Conservation with J chains from other species is relatively poor, especially in the carboxyl-terminal portion, and, unlike other J chains, the shark protein is not acidic. The only highly conserved segment in all known J chains is a block of residues surrounding an N-linked glycosylation site. Of the eight half-cystine residues that are conserved in mammalian J chains, three are lacking in the nurse shark, including two in the carboxyl-terminal segment that have been reported to be required for binding of human J chain-containing IgA to secretory component. Taken together with these data, the relative abundance of J chain transcripts in the spleen and their absence in the spiral valve (intestine) suggest that J chain in nurse sharks may not have a role in Ig secretion. Analysis of J chain sequences in diverse species is in agreement with accepted phylogenetic relationships, with the exception of the earthworm, suggesting that the reported presence of J chain in invertebrates should be reassessed.

B cells develop in the zebrafish pancreas.

The zebrafish, with its transparent free-living embryo, is a useful organism for investigating early stages in lymphopoiesis. Previously, we showed that T cells differentiate in the thymus by day 4, but no sites for B cell differentiation were seen until 3 weeks. We report here that on day 4, we detect rearrangements of genes encoding B cell receptors in DNA extracted from whole fish. Also by day 4, rag1 transcripts are seen in the pancreas, an organ not previously associated with lymphopoiesis; by day 10, Igmu transcripts are detected here. Thus, in zebrafish, the pancreas assumes the role of both the liver in fetal mice and the spleen in neonatal mice.