Gene expression analysis of cytochrome c oxidase in Schizothorax richardsonii (Family: Cyprinidae) using qRT-PCR

Snow trout (Schizothorax richardsonii) is an important trans-Himalayan coldwater fish species which inhabits different thermal regimes (5°C to 22° C). The cold acclimation is a dynamic process that requires energy input for induction of cold tolerance. This energy is provided by the increased respiratory capacity upon cold acclimation. To elucidate the mechanism involved in energy regulation during cold acclimation, we studied the differential gene expression of cytochrome c oxidase, a key enzyme of the respiratory pathway. To study the differential gene expression, few primer pairs were designed from cytochrome c oxidase gene derived from the EST database of snowtrout previously developed by our laboratory. For that the fishes were maintained in laboratory condition at two different temperatures (5° C, 15°C). The fishes were sacrificed and liver samples were collected at different time points, started from 0 h to 96h. Total RNA was isolated by using Trizol reagent and cDNA was synthesized by using oligo(dT) as a primer. The gene expression analysis was carried out using q-RT PCR. The cytochrome c oxidase was found to be cold responsive gene.