title: Molecular characterization and expression analysis of B cell activating factor from rock bream (Oplegnathus fasciatus).
abstract: B cell activating factor (BAFF) is a member of the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) ligand family. BAFF has been shown to induce survival and proliferation of lymphocytes. We characterized the gene encoding BAFF (RbBAFF) in rock bream (Oplegnathus fasciatus), and attempted to determine its biological functions upon immune responses. In silico analysis of RbBAFF demonstrated the presence of common TNF ligand family features, including a TNF domain, a D-E loop, and three cysteine residues that are crucial for trimer formation. Amino acid sequence alignment confirmed that RbBAFF and its homologs were conserved at secondary and tertiary levels. Transcriptional analysis indicated that RbBAFF mRNAs were ubiquitously expressed in wide array of tissues. The higher levels of constitutive expression were observed in the kidney, head kidney and spleen, suggesting an important physiological relationship with lymphocytes. Under pathological conditions, RbBAFF mRNA levels were significantly elevated. The role of RbBAFF in lymphocyte survival and proliferation was confirmed by MTT assays and flow cytometry. Recombinant RbBAFF protein (10 μg/mL) was able to prolong the survival and/or enhance the proliferation of rock bream lymphocytes by approximately 30%. Transcription of IL-10 and NFκB-1 was significantly stimulated by RbBAFF. Our findings provide further information regarding fish BAFF gene and its role in adaptive immunity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Marine Life Sciences, School of Marine Biomedical Sciences, Jeju National University, Jeju Self-Governing Province, 690-756, Republic of Korea; Fish Vaccine Research Center, Jeju National University, Jeju Self-Governing Province, 690-756, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: G I
authors.initials: GI
authors.lastname: Godahewa
authors.affiliation: Department of Marine Life Sciences, School of Marine Biomedical Sciences, Jeju National University, Jeju Self-Governing Province, 690-756, Republic of Korea; Fish Vaccine Research Center, Jeju National University, Jeju Self-Governing Province, 690-756, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: N C N
authors.initials: NC
authors.lastname: Perera
authors.affiliation: Department of Marine Life Sciences, School of Marine Biomedical Sciences, Jeju National University, Jeju Self-Governing Province, 690-756, Republic of Korea; Fish Vaccine Research Center, Jeju National University, Jeju Self-Governing Province, 690-756, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Navaneethaiyer
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Umasuthan
authors.affiliation: Department of Marine Life Sciences, School of Marine Biomedical Sciences, Jeju National University, Jeju Self-Governing Province, 690-756, Republic of Korea; Fish Vaccine Research Center, Jeju National University, Jeju Self-Governing Province, 690-756, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: oneqiang@msn.com.
authors.forename: Qiang
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Wan
authors.affiliation: Fish Vaccine Research Center, Jeju National University, Jeju Self-Governing Province, 690-756, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Ilson
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Whang
authors.affiliation: Department of Marine Life Sciences, School of Marine Biomedical Sciences, Jeju National University, Jeju Self-Governing Province, 690-756, Republic of Korea; Fish Vaccine Research Center, Jeju National University, Jeju Self-Governing Province, 690-756, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: jehee@jejunu.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Jehee
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D053264:B-Cell Activating Factor / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000235:genetics; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000235:genetics; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D029941:Fish Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D005399:Fishes; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D007114:Immunization; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D008221:Lymphoid Tissue / Q000276:immunology*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011487:Protein Conformation; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
chemical_list: D053264:B-Cell Activating Factor; D029941:Fish Proteins
keywords: B cell activating factor (BAFF); Immune responses; Lymphocyte viability; Recombinant protein; TNF ligands