title: Molecular cloning, characterization and expression analysis of a C-type lectin (AJCTL) from the sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus.
abstract: For the sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus, a C-type lectin (AJCTL) was identified using rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) PCR techniques. The full-length cDNA of AJCTL is composed of 710bp with a 618bp open reading frame (ORF) that encodes a polypeptide of 205 amino acids with a N-terminal signal peptide and a C-terminal C-type lectin domain (CTLD). The calculated molecular mass of the whole protein is 22.5kDa and its predicted isoelectric point is 5.59. AJCTL belongs to the group VII of regulatory proteins and it might function as a Ca(2+)-dependent monosaccharide binding lectin specifically and recognizing mannose-type ligands. In situ hybridization demonstrated that the expression of AJCTL was located in the body wall, longitudinal muscles, intestinum and respiratory tree. This became apparent especially in the cytoplasm of epidermal cells and granular haemocytes. Real-time PCR data suggested that AJCTL was mostly synthesized in the longitudinal muscles and intestinum and less pronounced in the respiratory tree and body wall of adults. After 12h stimulation by Vibrio harveyi, at increasing bacterial concentration gradient, the expression of AJCTL in sea cucumber increased as well. This indicated that CTL is related to an innate immune response.
authors.affiliation: College of Life Sciences, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian 116029, China.
authors.forename: Lu-Lu
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Zhe
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Yuan
authors.forename: Hans-Uwe
authors.initials: HU
authors.lastname: Dahms
authors.forename: Qiu-Ying
authors.initials: QY
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Qiao-Zhi
authors.initials: QZ
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Rong-Jie
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.forename: Xiang-Yang
authors.initials: XY
authors.lastname: Zou
authors.forename: Lin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hou
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D018407:Bacterial Physiological Phenomena; D001483:Base Sequence; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D015870:Gene Expression; D037181:Lectins, C-Type / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009928:Organ Specificity / Q000235:genetics; D010802:Phylogeny; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D047528:Stichopus / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000382:microbiology
chemical_list: D037181:Lectins, C-Type