Comparison of gene expression responses to hypoxia in viviparous (Xiphophorus) and oviparous (Oryzias) fishes using a medaka microarray.

Gene expression profiling using DNA microarray technology is a useful tool for assessing gene transcript level responses after an organism is exposed to environmental stress. Herein, we detail results from studies using an 8 k medaka (Oryzias latipes) microarray to assess modulated gene expression patterns upon hypoxia exposure of the live-bearing aquaria fish, Xiphophorus maculatus. To assess the reproducibility and reliability of using the medaka array in cross-genus hybridization, a two-factor ANOVA analysis of gene expression was employed. The data show the tissue source of the RNA used for array hybridization contributed more to the observed response of modulated gene targets than did the species source of the RNA. In addition, hierarchical clustering via heat map analyses of groupings of tissues and species (Xiphophorus and medaka) suggests that hypoxia induced similar responses in the same tissues from these two diverse aquatic model organisms. Our Xiphophorus results indicate 206 brain, 37 liver, and 925 gill gene targets exhibit hypoxia induced expression changes. Analysis of the Xiphophorus data to determine those features exhibiting a significant (p<0.05)+/-3 fold change produced only two gene targets within brain tissue and 80 features within gill tissue. Of these 82 characterized features, 39 were identified via homology searching (cut-off E-value of 1 x 10(-5)) and placed into one or more biological process gene ontology groups. Among these 39 genes, metabolic energy changes and manipulation was the most affected biological pathway (13 genes).