title: Cloning and mineralization-related functions of the calponin gene in Chlamys farreri.
abstract: Calponin is a widely distributed protein which is associated with the bio-mineralization process in vertebrates. Recently, a new type of calponin has been found in shellfish; the present study aimed to determine if this gene in shellfish functions in bio-mineralization, one of the most important processes in a mollusk's growth. We chose Chlamys farreri, a seashell species with great economic value, as the object of the study and obtained its full-length cDNA to study the function of calponin by gene expression analysis, shell notching experiment and RNA interference assays. Calponin in C. farreri is a basic protein that is highly conserved among mollusk species. Except for high expression in the adductor muscle and foot, which correlated with its function of regulating muscle contraction, the calponin gene was expressed more in the mantle than in other tissues. The expression of the gene was induced by shell notching and an RNA interference assay showed that inhibition of calponin expression caused the growth of irregular mineral crystals on the shell. Further analysis indicated that calponin might function by regulating the expression of other mineralization-related genes. Calponin is a mineralization-related protein in C. farreri that might influence mineral crystal growth by affecting the expressions of other proteins, such as matrix proteins and mineralization-regulating proteins.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Marine Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China; Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Yangtze Delta Region Institute of Tsinghua University, Jiaxing 314006, China.
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Institute of Marine Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China; Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Yangtze Delta Region Institute of Tsinghua University, Jiaxing 314006, China.
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.affiliation: Institute of Marine Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China; Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Yangtze Delta Region Institute of Tsinghua University, Jiaxing 314006, China.
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.affiliation: Institute of Marine Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China; Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Yangtze Delta Region Institute of Tsinghua University, Jiaxing 314006, China.
authors.forename: Xiangnan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.affiliation: Institute of Marine Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China; Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Yangtze Delta Region Institute of Tsinghua University, Jiaxing 314006, China.
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.affiliation: Institute of Marine Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China; Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Yangtze Delta Region Institute of Tsinghua University, Jiaxing 314006, China.
authors.forename: Shiguo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Institute of Marine Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China; Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Yangtze Delta Region Institute of Tsinghua University, Jiaxing 314006, China. Electronic address: lpxie@tsinghua.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Liping
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.affiliation: Institute of Marine Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China; Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Yangtze Delta Region Institute of Tsinghua University, Jiaxing 314006, China. Electronic address: rqzhang@tsinghua.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Rongqing
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D060105:Animal Shells / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000172:deficiency / Q000235:genetics*; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D008840:Microfilament Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000172:deficiency / Q000235:genetics*; D008903:Minerals / Q000378:metabolism*; D009928:Organ Specificity; D049897:Pectinidae / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D034622:RNA Interference; D000096985:Calponins
chemical_list: D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins; D008840:Microfilament Proteins; D008903:Minerals; D000096985:Calponins
keywords: Bio-mineralization; Calponin; Chlamys farreri; Regulation