title: Molecular structure, expression analysis and functional characterization of APRIL (TNFSF13) gene in bat (Vespertilio superans Thomas).
abstract: A proliferation-inducing ligand (APRIL) is a novel member of the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) superfamily, which is involved in immune regulation. In the present study, the full-length cDNA of APRIL (designated bAPRIL) from bat was cloned using RT-PCR and its biological activities have been characterized. The open reading frame (ORF) of this cDNA consists of 753 bases, encoding a protein of 250 amino acids. This protein was found to contain a predicted transmembrane domain, a putative furin protease cleavage site, and a typical TNF homology domain corresponding to other, known APRIL homologs. Real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) analysis indicated that bAPRIL mRNA was predominantly expressed in bat lymphoid tissue spleen. The SUMO-bsAPRIL was efficiently expressed in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3) and confirmed by SDS-PAGE and Western blot analysis. Laser scanning confocal microscopy analysis showed that bsAPRIL could bind to its receptors on B cells. In vitro, MTT assays indicated that bsAPRIL could promote the survival/proliferation of mouse splenic B cells grown with anti-mouse IgM. These findings indicate that bsAPRIL plays an important role in the survival and proliferation of B cells and has functional cross-reactivity among mammalians. The present findings may provide valuable information for research into the immune system of the bat.
authors.affiliation: Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory for Molecular and Medical Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210046, China.
authors.forename: Fengtao
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: You
authors.forename: Lidan
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Xuanxuan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.forename: Zhen
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Ke
authors.forename: Wenhua
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Ren
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D001483:Base Sequence; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D002470:Cell Survival; D002685:Chiroptera / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D003429:Cross Reactions; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D051379:Mice; D008813:Mice, Inbred ICR; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016366:Open Reading Frames; D010802:Phylogeny; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D013154:Spleen / Q000378:metabolism; D053300:Tumor Necrosis Factor Ligand Superfamily Member 13 / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D053300:Tumor Necrosis Factor Ligand Superfamily Member 13