Molecular characterization and expression profiles in response to bacterial infection of Chinese soft-shelled turtle interleukin-8 (IL-8), the first reptilian chemokine gene.
In this study, an IL-8 homologue has been cloned and identified from a reptile, Chinese soft-shelled turtle for the first time. The full-length cDNA of turtle IL-8 was 1188bp and contained a 312bp open reading frame (ORF) coding for a protein of 104 amino acids. The chemokine CXC domain, which contained Glu-Leu-Arg (ELR) motif and four cysteine residues, was well conserved in turtle IL-8. The 4924bp genomic DNA of turtle IL-8 contained four exons and three introns. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the amino acid sequence of turtle IL-8 clustered together with birds. RT-PCR analysis showed that turtle IL-8 mRNA was constitutively expressed liver, spleen, kidney, heart, blood and intestine tissues of control turtles. Real-time quantitative PCR analysis further indicated that the turtle IL-8 mRNA expression was apparent in various tissues at 8h and up-regulated significantly during 8h-7d after Aeromonas hydrophila infection. The present studies will help us to understand the evolution of IL-8 molecule and the inflammatory response mechanism in reptiles.
Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China.
Xiuxia
X
Zhou
Qionglin
Q
Guo
Heping
H
Dai
D000333:Aeromonas / Q000276:immunology*; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D005091:Exons / Q000235:genetics; D016905:Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000662:veterinary*; D016209:Interleukin-8 / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D007438:Introns / Q000235:genetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016366:Open Reading Frames / Q000235:genetics; D010802:Phylogeny; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D014426:Turtles / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology*
D016209:Interleukin-8