Molecular cloning of fresh water and deep-sea rod opsin genes from Japanese eel Anguilla japonica and expressional analyses during sexual maturation.

We have determined the complete cDNA sequences of fresh water rod opsin gene (fwo) and deep-sea rod opsin gene (dso) from Japanese eel Anguilla japonica. The cDNA clones of fwo and dso consisted of 1437 and 1497 nucleotides, respectively. The predicted opsins of both genes consisted of 352 amino acid residues. Southern blot and PCR analyses of genomic DNA indicated that the Japanese eel genome contains only one fwo and one dso and they are intronless. Quantitative RT-PCR analyses revealed that the expression of fwo decreases with sexual maturation while that of dso increases.