Cloning and characterization of ADP-ribosylation factor 1b from the olive flounder Paralichthys olivaceus

Abstract Small GTPases are well known as one of the signal transduction factors of immune systems. The ADP-ribosylation factors (ARFs) can be classified into three groups based on the peptide sequence, protein molecular weight, gene structure, and phylogenetic analysis. ARF1 recruits coat proteins to the Golgi membranes when it is bound to GTP. The class I duplicated ARF gene was cloned and characterized from the olive flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) for this study. PoARF1b contains the GTP-binding motif and the switch 1 and 2 regions. PoARF1b and PoARF1b mutants were transfected into a Hirame natural embryo cell to determine the distribution of its GDP/GTP-bound state; consequently, it was confirmed that PoARF1b associates with the Golgi body when it is in a GTP-binding form. The results of the qPCR-described PoARF1b were expressed for all of the P. olivaceus tissues. The authors plan to study the gene expression patterns of PoARF1b in terms of immunity challenges.