Characterization and expression of the recombination activating genes (rag1 and rag2) of zebrafish

The closely linked recombination activating genes, rag1 and rag2, encode components of the recombinase involved in V(D)J recombination of the immunoglobulin and T-cell receptor genes. These genes are expressed together exclusively in immature lymphocytes and are useful markers for following the development of lymphoid tissues. We cloned the rag locus of the zebrafish Danio rerio and sequenced the open reading frames of the rag1 and rag2 genes. Although the gene organization is similar to that in other species, the rag1 gene is unusual in possessing two introns within the coding region. In another teleost, the rainbow trout. the rag1 gene is interrupted by a single intron. Introns are not present in the rag1 gene of any other species examined to date. Expression of both rag1 and rag2 begins late in embryonic development, on day 4, by northern RNA blot analysis. Expression of rag1 was detected in the adult zebrafish thymus, pronephros, mesonephros, and ovary. This pattern of expression is consistent with previous histological studies of adult teleosts, which implicate the kidney as the major site of hematopoiesis and the thymus as the major lymphocyte-containing organ.