title: Molecular characterization and expression analysis of VSIG4 from the Asian yellow pond turtle, Mauremys mutica.
abstract: V-set and immunoglobulin domain-containing protein 4 (VSIG4), a member of the immunoglobulin superfamily, plays an important role in the immune system. This study isolated and characterized a cDNA encoding VSIG4 (MaVSIG4) from the Asian yellow pond turtle (Mauremys mutica). The MaVSIG4 cDNA is 1840 bp long and contains an open reading frame of 1,182 bp that encodes a polypeptide of 372 amino acids. The genomic sequence of MaVSIG4 spans 7,682 bp, with six exons and five introns. The phylogenetic tree shows that MaVSIG4 is most closely related to Gallus gallus VSIG4. The expression analysis by real-time PCR reveals that MaVSIG4 is ubiquitously expressed in various healthy tissues, with a higher expression level in the liver. After immune stimulation, the expression level of MaVSIG4 sharply decreased in the liver, heart, and kidney at 12 h (P < 0.01). These results provide a basis for further study of the function of MaVSIG4 in the turtle's immune system.
authors.affiliation: Pearl River Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Guangzhou 510380, China.
authors.forename: Mi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.forename: Xinping
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Kunci
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Debo
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Pan
authors.forename: Chengqing
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wei
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D017124:Conserved Sequence; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000235:genetics; D005091:Exons; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D015723:Gene Library; D007438:Introns; D007668:Kidney / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D008099:Liver / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016366:Open Reading Frames; D010802:Phylogeny; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011951:Receptors, Complement / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D014426:Turtles / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D018076:DNA, Complementary; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D011951:Receptors, Complement