title: Identification and functional characterization of a novel Spätzle gene in Litopenaeus vannamei.
abstract: Shrimp innate immunity is the first line of resistance against pathogenic bacteria. The Toll-like receptor (TLR)-NF-κB pathway is vital in this immunity process. In this study, a novel Spätzle gene (LvSpz4) of Litopenaeus vannamei was cloned and functionally characterized. The open reading frame of LvSpz4 was 918 bp, which encoded a putative protein with 305 amino acids. LvSpz4 was most expressed in the gills of L. vannamei. This expression was induced by Vibrio alginolyticus or Staphylococcus aureus infection or lipopolysaccharide stimulation. The reporter gene assay showed that LvSpz4 could activate the promoters of Pen4, Drs, AttA, Mtk, and white spot syndrome virus immediate early gene1 in Drosophila Schneider 2 (S2) cells. Knockdown LvSpz4 increased the cumulative mortality of L. vannamei upon V. alginolyticus infection. The unfolded protein response (UPR) induced the expression of LvSpz4 in L. vannamei. Moreover, the promoter of LvSpz4 was activated by L. vannamei X-Box binding protein 1 and activating transcription factor 4 in S2 cells. These results suggested that LvSpz4 was involved in L. vannamei innate immunity and caused the crosstalk between the TLR-NF-κB pathway and UPR.
authors.affiliation: School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, 135 Xingang Road West, Guangzhou 510275, PR China; State Key Laboratory for Biocontrol, MOE Key Laboratory of Aquatic Product Safety, Institute of Aquatic Economic Animals and Guangdong Province Key Laboratory for Aquatic Economic Animals, Sun Yat-sen University, 135 Xingang Road West, Guangzhou 510275, PR China.
authors.forename: Kai
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yuan
authors.affiliation: School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, 135 Xingang Road West, Guangzhou 510275, PR China; State Key Laboratory for Biocontrol, MOE Key Laboratory of Aquatic Product Safety, Institute of Aquatic Economic Animals and Guangdong Province Key Laboratory for Aquatic Economic Animals, Sun Yat-sen University, 135 Xingang Road West, Guangzhou 510275, PR China.
authors.forename: Feng-Hua
authors.initials: FH
authors.lastname: Yuan
authors.affiliation: School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, 135 Xingang Road West, Guangzhou 510275, PR China; State Key Laboratory for Biocontrol, MOE Key Laboratory of Aquatic Product Safety, Institute of Aquatic Economic Animals and Guangdong Province Key Laboratory for Aquatic Economic Animals, Sun Yat-sen University, 135 Xingang Road West, Guangzhou 510275, PR China.
authors.forename: Shao-Ping
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Weng
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Marine Resources and Coastal Engineering in Guangdong Province, South China Sea Bio-Resource Exploitation and Protection Collaborative Innovation Center (SCS-REPIC), School of Marine Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, 135 Xingang Road West, Guangzhou 510275, PR China; School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, 135 Xingang Road West, Guangzhou 510275, PR China; State Key Laboratory for Biocontrol, MOE Key Laboratory of Aquatic Product Safety, Institute of Aquatic Economic Animals and Guangdong Province Key Laboratory for Aquatic Economic Animals, Sun Yat-sen University, 135 Xingang Road West, Guangzhou 510275, PR China.
authors.forename: Jian-Guo
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: He
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Marine Resources and Coastal Engineering in Guangdong Province, South China Sea Bio-Resource Exploitation and Protection Collaborative Innovation Center (SCS-REPIC), School of Marine Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, 135 Xingang Road West, Guangzhou 510275, PR China; State Key Laboratory for Biocontrol, MOE Key Laboratory of Aquatic Product Safety, Institute of Aquatic Economic Animals and Guangdong Province Key Laboratory for Aquatic Economic Animals, Sun Yat-sen University, 135 Xingang Road West, Guangzhou 510275, PR China. Electronic address: chenyh6@mail.sysu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Yi-Hong
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified; D060829:Arthropod Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000276:immunology*; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004266:DNA Virus Infections / Q000276:immunology*; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D055785:Gene Knockdown Techniques; D007113:Immunity, Innate / Q000235:genetics; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000276:immunology; D033561:Penaeidae / Q000276:immunology*; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000276:immunology*; D056811:Unfolded Protein Response / Q000235:genetics; D044149:Vibrio alginolyticus / Q000276:immunology*; D046848:White spot syndrome virus 1 / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D060829:Arthropod Proteins; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; C086179:spz protein, Drosophila
keywords: Litopenaeus vannamei; NF-κB; Spätzle; Toll-like receptor; Unfolded protein response; Vibrio alginolyticus