A novel protein upstream stimulatory factor 2 identified in lamprey, Lethenteron reissneri

Upstream stimulatory factors are kinds of multi-functional transcription factors, which are expressed in eukaryotes widely, including Upstream stimulatory factor 1 (USFl) and upstream stimulatory factor 2 (USF2). USF protein has a typical basic helix-loop-helix leucine zipper (b-HLH-LZ) structure, which is involved in cell cycle, cell proliferations, glucose and lipid metabolism, and other biochemical processes. Although the USF family is an important regulator of cellular processes, little is known about the USF genes of lampreys, especially their evolutionary relationships, expression profiles, and biological functions. Here, an upstream stimulatory factor 2 (USF2) homolog from lamprey (Lethenteron reissneri) was identified and characterized (designated as L-USF2) because it is closer to USF2 subfamily than to USF1 subfamily. The cDNA fragment of L-USF2 has an open reading frame (ORF) of 765-bp length, encodes 254 amino acids, and contains an HLH domain at the c-terminal of amino acids. Meanwhile, motifs and genetic structure analysis reveal that USF2 gene exons are conserved. Moreover, the 3D structure analysis indicates that L-USF2 adopts the general USF2 folding and has a high structural similarity with H-USF2. The synteny results showed that the L-USF2 adjacent gene changed greatly compared with the jaw vertebrates. By real-time quantitative experiment and Western blot analysis, we found that L-USF2 gene played a significant role in the immune responses. This study not only provides us with a further understanding of the evolution and function of the USF gene family but also provides a basis for exploring its immune responses and immune defenses in lampreys.