Hemocytes of Ciona intestinalis express multiple genes involved in innate immune host defense.
Ascidians, which are classified as urochordata, appear to employ a primitive system of host defense that is considered to be a prototype of vertebrate innate immunity. We performed a cDNA/EST study to identify the genes expressed in the hemocytes of Ciona intestinalis. We obtained 3357 one-path reads that were then grouped into 1889 independent clusters. Although two thirds of the clusters could not be assigned to any particular gene, the remaining 530 clusters had significant homology to genes with known function. Of these, 62 clusters appeared to be related to host defense mechanisms. These include transcripts whose products are probably involved in cytotoxicity, detoxification, inflammation, and apoptosis. As expected, elements of acquired immunity were not detected. Thus, Ciona hemocytes appear to express a number of host defense-related genes involved in innate immune mechanisms.
Shida
Kazuhito
K
Center for Interdisciplinary Research, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.
Terajima
Daichi
D
Uchino
Ryuji
R
Ikawa
Shuntaro
S
Ikeda
Makoto
M
Asano
Katsutoshi
K
Watanabe
Toshio
T
Azumi
Kaoru
K
Nonaka
Masaru
M
Satou
Yutaka
Y
Satoh
Nori
N
Satake
Masanobu
M
Kawazoe
Yoshiyuki
Y
Kasuya
Atsuo
A
D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000235:genetics; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules / Q000737:chemistry; D002938:Ciona intestinalis / Q000166:cytology / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D020224:Expressed Sequence Tags; D016326:Extracellular Matrix Proteins / Q000737:chemistry; D015870:Gene Expression; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D006434:Hemocytes / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D007113:Immunity, Innate; D019696:Peptidylprolyl Isomerase / Q000235:genetics; D012313:RNA / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000235:genetics
D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules; D016326:Extracellular Matrix Proteins; D012313:RNA; D019696:Peptidylprolyl Isomerase