cDNA cloning and expression of glutathione S-transferase (GST) gene from an Arctic copepod Calauns glacialis

Abstract

Copepod species of the genus Calanus are dominant components of the zooplankton biomass in the Arctic Ocean. One of these species, Calanus glacialis, is considered to be native to the arctic shelves and plays an important role in marine food webs, both as consumers of primary production and as prey species for the larvae of commercial fish. We collected a Copepod species from seawater around the Korea Arctic Research Station Dasan at Ny-Alesund, Svalbard, Norway (79ON, 12OE). The Arctic copepod was identified as Calanus gracialis using phylogenetic analysis based on the LSU rDNA gene

it showed 100% identity with the sequence of the Antarctic Calanus gracialis LSU rDNA gene. Using 5' and 3' rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) PCR techniques, we cloned the glutathione S-transferase gene from the Arctic copepod Calanus gracialis. The ORF of GST consisted of about 609 bp. We also constructed the recombinant GST plasmid with a 6xHis-Tag at the N-terminal of GST cDNA. Recombinant Calanus gracialis-GST was expressed in transformed Escherichia coli. This is the first report on GST of the Arctic copepod Calanus gracialis.