Tetrameric Immune Macroglobulins in Three Orders of Bony Fishes

Abstract

The immune IgM-like macroglobulins were isolated from three species of bony fishes (Ictalurus punctatus, Lepisosteus osseus, and Polyodon spathula) representing the three orders of the subclass Actinopterygii. These macroglobulins were found to have sedimentation coefficients of 14 S and molecular weights of 600,000-630,000. The carbohydrate compositions were determined and found to be different from that of human macroglobulins. After reduction and alkylation, the heavy and light chains could be separated by gel filtration and were found to have molecular weights of approximately 70,000 and 23,000 respectively. The amino acid compositions of these chains were similar to those of mammalian IgM heavy and light chains. The macroglobulins were found by electron microscopy to have a tetrameric structure, in contrast to the pentameric structure found in mammalian, chicken, and shark IgM, i.e. in species later on the evolutionary scale.

Isolation and characterization of the immunoglobin of pike (Esox lucius L.)

“…Purification of pike antibodies resulted in the isolation of a single class of molecules. Following long term immunization against pike fry rhabdovirus, antibody activity could be demonstrated only in a high molecular weight component of the serum, as described for a number of other fishes (Acton et al, 1971a(Acton et al, , 1971bBradshaw et oh, 1971;Dorson, 1972;Marchalonis, 1971;Pollara et al, 1968;Shelton and Smith, 1970). Limited data on pike serum obtained by gel filtration and analytical ultracentrifugation have been published some years ago (Gibb et al, 1974).…”

“…However, the calculated value for pike IgM is in good agreement with the molecular weights obtained for bony fish immunoglobulins. From the literature it is apparent that bony fishes usually have only one class of immunoglobulins which is tetrameric rather than pentameric (Acton et al, 1971a(Acton et al, , 1971bBradshaw et al, 1971;Clem, 1971;Hall et al, 1973;Litman et al, 1971a;Litman, 1976;Marchalonis, 1971;Pollara et al, 1968;Shelton and Smith, 1970).…”

“…The pike immunaglobulin chains have a high content of threonine, serine and glutamic acid. Heavy chains shaw a high content af lysine, and light chains contain somewhat mare glycine than found in other vertebrate immunoglabulin light chains (Acton et al, 1971a, 1971b, 1971c~ 1972% 1972b~ Marchalonis and Edelman~ 1966~ Wilde and Koshland~ 1973. …”

“…Previously it has been suggested that the molecular weight of the heavy chain of immunoglobulins from bony fishes is approximately 70.000 daltons (Acton et al, 1971a, 1971b~ Bradshaw et al~ 1971Clem, 1971~ Litman et alt 1971a~ 1971b~ 1971cLitman, 1976;Marchalonis, 1971~ Pollara et al, 1968. These data were obtained from standardized gel filtration columns in guanidine hydrochloride or by polyacrylamide electrophoresis.…”

RNA-seq profiles from grass carp tissues after reovirus (GCRV) infection based on singular and modular enrichment analyses

“…The immune system of teleosts is very similar to higher vertebrates, not at the level of organs but at the molecular level (Tort et al, 2003;Holland and Lambris, 2002). Some molecules related to adaptive immunity, such as IgM (Acton et al, 1971), IgD (Wilson et al, 1997) and CD8 (Fischer et al, 2006), were identified in fish decades ago.…”