title: Molecular cloning and functional analysis of the fatty acid-binding protein (Sp-FABP) gene in the mud crab (Scylla paramamosain).
abstract: Intracellular fatty acid-binding proteins (FABPs) are multifunctional cytosolic lipid-binding proteins found in vertebrates and invertebrates. In this work, we used RACE to obtain a full-length cDNA of Sp-FABP from the mud crab Scylla paramamosain. The open reading frame of the full length cDNA (886 bp) encoded a 136 amino acid polypeptide that showed high homology with related genes from other species. Real-time quantitative PCR identified variable levels of Sp-FABP transcripts in epidermis, eyestalk, gill, heart, hemocytes, hepatopancreas, muscle, ovary, stomach and thoracic ganglia. In ovaries, Sp-FABP expression increased gradually from stage I to stage IV of development and decreased in stage V. Sp-FABP transcripts in the hepatopancreas and hemocytes were up-regulated after a bacterial challenge with Vibrio alginnolyficus. These results suggest that Sp-FABP may be involved in the growth, reproduction and immunity of the mud crab.
authors.affiliation: College of Ocean and Earth Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China.
authors.forename: Xianglan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zeng
authors.forename: Haihui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ye
authors.forename: Ya'nan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Guizhong
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Huiyang
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Huang
keywords: Scylla paramamosain; fatty acid-binding protein; immunity; ovary development; real-time quantitative PCR