title: TLR and IMD signaling pathways from Caligus rogercresseyi (Crustacea: Copepoda): in silico gene expression and SNPs discovery.
abstract: The Toll and IMD signaling pathways represent one of the first lines of innate immune defense in invertebrates like Drosophila. However, for crustaceans like Caligus rogercresseyi, there is very little genomic information and, consequently, understanding of immune mechanisms. Massive sequencing data obtained for three developmental stages of C. rogercresseyi were used to evaluate in silico the expression patterns and presence of SNPs variants in genes involved in the Toll and IMD pathways. Through RNA-seq analysis, which used 20 contigs corresponding to relevant genes of the Toll and IMD pathways, an overexpression of genes linked to the Toll pathway, such as toll3 and Dorsal, were observed in the copepod stage. For the chalimus and adult stages, overexpression of genes in both pathways, such as Akirin and Tollip and IAP and Toll9, respectively, were observed. On the other hand, PCA statistical analysis inferred that in the chalimus and adult stages, the immune response mechanism was more developed, as evidenced by a relation between these two stages and the genes of both pathways. Moreover, 136 SNPs were identified for 20 contigs in genes of the Toll and IMD pathways. This study provides transcriptomic information about the immune response mechanisms of Caligus, thus providing a foundation for the development of new control strategies through blocking the innate immune response.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Biotechnology and Aquatic Genomics, Interdisciplinary Center for Aquaculture Research (INCAR), University of Concepción, P.O. Box 160-C, Concepción, Chile.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Valenzuela-Muñoz
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Biotechnology and Aquatic Genomics, Interdisciplinary Center for Aquaculture Research (INCAR), University of Concepción, P.O. Box 160-C, Concepción, Chile. Electronic address: crisgallardo@oceanografia.udec.cl.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gallardo-Escárate
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D060829:Arthropod Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D002677:Chile; D003198:Computer Simulation; D033342:Copepoda / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000276:immunology*; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide / Q000235:genetics; D017423:Sequence Analysis, RNA; D015398:Signal Transduction; D051193:Toll-Like Receptors / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D059467:Transcriptome
chemical_list: D060829:Arthropod Proteins; D051193:Toll-Like Receptors
keywords: Caligus rogercresseyi; IMD pathway; RNA-Seq; SNPs; TLR pathway