Department of Biology
The role of osmotic stress transcription factor 1 in fishes
© 2014 Tse. Osmotic stress transcription factor 1 (Ostf1) was first discovered by subtractive hybridization in the gills of Mozambique tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus) transferred from fresh water (FW) to seawater (SW). It is a putative transcriptional regulator and the "early hyperosmotic regulated protein". In the 2 hours after FW to SW transfer, ostf1 mRNA levels increase six fold. It is believed that, as a fast-response gene, Ostf1 plays a critical role in fish osmoregulation. Since its discovery, numerous studies have been performed to understand the nature and osmoregulatory mechanism of Ostf1. A decade has passed since the discovery of Ostf1, and it is a good time to summarize our current understanding of this gene. Different fish models have been used to study Ostf1, which is not limited to the traditional euryhaline fishes, such as eels and tilapia. Ostf1 can be found in modern fish models such as medaka and zebrafish. This review covers and summarizes the findings from different fishes, and provides a perspective for future Ostf1 studies.
Gill, Osmoregulation, Osmosensing, Osmotic stress
Source Publication Title
Frontiers in Zoology
Link to Publisher's Edition
Tse, W. (2014). The role of osmotic stress transcription factor 1 in fishes. Frontiers in Zoology, 11, 86. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12983-014-0086-5