Cloning, characterization and expression analysis of a caspase-8 like gene from the Hong Kong oyster, Crassostrea hongkongensis.
Apoptosis plays a key role in many biological processes, including homeostasis within the immune system. A family of cysteine proteases, the caspases, constitutes the core of the apoptotic machinery. We have characterized the first bivalve caspase-8 ortholog from the Hong Kong oyster Crassostrea hongkongensis (designated ChCaspase-8). The full-length cDNA is 1945 bp in length encoding a putative protein of 557 amino acids that contains two N-terminal DED domains, and a CASc domain at the C-terminus. ChCaspase-8 is ubiquitously expressed in oysters, with highest expression levels in the gonad and labial palps. Following microbial infection, the expression of ChCaspase-8 increased in hemocytes from 12 to 72 h post-challenge. When expressed in HeLa cells, ChCaspase-8 is located in the cytoplasm, while over-expression of ChCaspase-8 in HEK293T cells activates the transcriptional activities of NF-κB. These results indicate that ChCaspase-8 might play an important role in the immune and apoptotic responses of oysters.
Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 164 West Xingang Road, Guangzhou 510301, China.
Zhiming
Z
Xiang
Fufa
F
Qu
Lin
L
Qi
Yang
Y
Zhang
Ying
Y
Tong
Ziniu
Z
Yu
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D053181:Caspase 8 / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D002681:China; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D049896:Crassostrea / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006434:Hemocytes / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000382:microbiology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009928:Organ Specificity; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D015398:Signal Transduction
D018076:DNA, Complementary; D053181:Caspase 8
Apoptosis; ChCaspase-8; Crassostrea hongkongensis; NF-κB