Expression and functional characterization of interferon regulatory factors (irf2, irf7 and irf9) in the blunt snout bream (Megalobrama amblycephala).
Interferon regulatory factors (irfs) are a family of genes that encode transcription factors with important roles in regulating the expression of Type I interferons (IFNs) and other genes associated with related pathways. irfs have multitudinous functions in growth, development and regulation of oncogenesis. In this study, three irf family members (irf2, irf7, irf9) were identified and characterized in Megalobrama amblycephala at the mRNA and amino acid levels. M. amblycephala irfs share a high sequence homology with other vertebrate irfs. Constitutive expression levels of the three genes were detected (using qPCR) in all studied tissues: low to medium in kidney, gills, heart and muscle, and high in liver, spleen, intestine and blood. qPCR was also used to analyze the dynamic expression patterns of irfs in different embryonic development stages: irf2 is not activated during the embryonic development, whereas irf9 appears to play important roles around hatching and during the larval development. Transcripts of all three studied irfs were upregulated after stimulation by Aeromonas hydrophila bacterium in liver, spleen, head kidney and trunk kidney, whereas downregulation was observed in intestine and gills. The results show that these three irfs are likely to be important factors in the blunt snout bream immune system. They also provide a foundation for studying the origin and evolution of the innate immune system in the blunt snout bream.
College of Fisheries, Key Lab of Agricultural Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Ministry of Education / Key Lab of Freshwater Animal Breeding, Ministry of Agriculture, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China.
Fan-Bin
FB
Zhan
College of Fisheries, Key Lab of Agricultural Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Ministry of Education / Key Lab of Freshwater Animal Breeding, Ministry of Agriculture, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China.
Han
H
Liu
College of Fisheries, Key Lab of Agricultural Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Ministry of Education / Key Lab of Freshwater Animal Breeding, Ministry of Agriculture, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China.
Rui-Fang
RF
Lai
Bio-Transduction Lab, Wuhan Institute of Biotechnology, Wuhan, Hubei Province 430072, China.
Ivan
I
Jakovlić
College of Fisheries, Key Lab of Agricultural Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Ministry of Education / Key Lab of Freshwater Animal Breeding, Ministry of Agriculture, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China. Electronic address: wangwm@mail.hzau.edu.cn.
Wei-Min
WM
Wang
D016980:Aeromonas hydrophila / Q000276:immunology*; D000818:Animals; D005075:Biological Evolution; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D003530:Cyprinidae / Q000276:immunology*; D005393:Fish Diseases / Q000276:immunology*; D029941:Fish Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D016905:Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections / Q000276:immunology*; D007113:Immunity, Innate; D050836:Interferon Regulatory Factor-2 / Q000235:genetics; D050839:Interferon Regulatory Factor-7 / Q000235:genetics; D050835:Interferon Regulatory Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D050834:Interferon-Stimulated Gene Factor 3, gamma Subunit / Q000235:genetics; D010802:Phylogeny; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics; D016415:Sequence Alignment
D029941:Fish Proteins; D050836:Interferon Regulatory Factor-2; D050839:Interferon Regulatory Factor-7; D050835:Interferon Regulatory Factors; D050834:Interferon-Stimulated Gene Factor 3, gamma Subunit; D012333:RNA, Messenger; C494230:Irf2 protein, mouse; C494235:Irf7 protein, mouse; C494228:Isgf3g protein, mouse
Aeromonas hydrophila; Fish; Gene expression; Immune response; Inducible expression; Molecular structure