Isolation and expression of two zebrafish homologues of parvalbumin genes related to chicken CPV3 and mammalian oncomodulin

Full-length cDNA clones coded for two beta-type homologues of parvalbumin genes, pvalb3a and pvalb3b, were isolated from zebrafish. The homology and phylogenetic analyses, based on the deduced amino acid sequences, revealed that PVALB3A and PVALB3B are co-orthologues to chicken CPV3 and mammalian oncomodulin (OCM) but are divergent from alpha-type PVALB of tetrapods and muscle-type PVALB of bony fish. Whole-mount in situ hybridization revealed that the spatio-temporal expression of pvalb3a and pvalb3b were distinct and highly development-regulated during early embryogenesis. Unlike their counterparts of CPV3 in chicken and OCM in mammals, zebrafish pvalb3a transcripts were widely expressed in mucous cells, the olfactory epithelium, anterior pituitary, pharyngeal teeth germ, macrophages, inner ear and lateral line neuromasts, whereas, pvalb3b transcripts were more restrictedly expressed in the yolk syncytial layer, inner ear and pronephric ducts.