Cloning and sequence analysis of cDNA for the proteasome activator PA28-beta subunit of flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus).

Proteasome is a large multisubunit complex involved in intracellular proteolysis in antigen processing for loading MHC class I molecules. Two activators PA28-alpha and PA28-beta, which are induced by interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), activate this latent enzyme complex. Genes encoding these activators, PSME1 and PSME2, respectively, have been characterized from various mammalian but only from zebrafish among piscine. We have cloned a PSME2 gene homologue from a leukocyte cDNA library of flounder, a marine fish. The flounder PSME2 gene (fPSME2) encompasses 1063 nucleotides and encodes a polypeptide of 242 amino acids (aa), with a deduced molecular weight of 27.2 kDa. The deduced protein has 82% sequence similarity to that of zebrafish and 73-74% sequence similarity to that of various mammalians and shows higher level sequence homology in the C-terminal region. There was a PA28-beta protein subunit-specific insert located at the corresponding to the KEKE motif of PA28-alpha protein. A phylogenetic tree derived using deduced amino acid sequences showed a diversion of piscine PSME2 from mammalian counterpart after diversion of PSME1 and PSME2 from a common ancestral gene. Northern blot analysis revealed a higher level expression of fPSME2 gene in kidney, spleen and muscle tissues of bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulated flounder than those from non-induced flounder.