HIF1A Regulates Rhbg Expression to Enhance Ammonia Excretion in Amur Ide (Leuciscus waleckii) Under Extreme Alkaline Conditions.

Abstract

High-alkalinity water bodies can disrupt normal ammonia metabolism in fish, leading to ammonia poisoning. In China, there exists a highly tolerant group of Amur ide (Leuciscus waleckii) that can survive in extreme alkaline lakes with alkalinity up to 53.57 mM (pH 9.6), making it an excellent model for elucidating the high-alkalinity tolerance mechanism in fish. We have discovered that this species has evolved a special ammonia excretion mechanism to maintain ammonia efflux in high-alkalinity environments. Compared to the freshwater forms of Amur ide, the ammonia excretion protein RHBG plays a prominent role in the ammonia excretion process of the alkali forms of Amur ide; however, the regulatory mechanism of RHBG expression in fish remains unclear. Through DNA pull-down, RNA-Seq, qPCR, Western blotting, immunofluorescence, and dual-luciferase reporter assays, this study demonstrates that the transcription factor HIF1A can inversely regulate the expression of Rhbg by binding to its promoter region, thereby participating in the high-alkalinity adaptation process of fish. The findings of this study provide a theoretical basis for elucidating the ammonia excretion mechanism and revealing the alkalinity tolerance mechanism in fish.