Characterization and expression analysis of chymotrypsin after bacterial challenge in the mud crab, Scylla paramamosain

• Main Author: Gong,Jie
• Publication Date: 2014
• Other Authors: Xie,Yinjie, Yu,Kun, Yang,Ya'nan, Huang,Huiyang, Ye,Haihui
• Format: Article
• Language: eng
• Source: Genetics and Molecular Biology
• Download full: http://old.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1415-47572014000300010
• topic: chymotrypsin; Scylla paramamosain; immune response; immunocytochemistry; in situ hybridization

Chymotrypsin is one of the serine proteases families that have various biological functions. A chymotrypsin gene was isolated from hepatopancreas of the mud crab, Scylla paramamosain (designated SpCHY) in this study. The full-length cDNA of SpCHY contained 942 nucleotides with a polyadenylation sequence and encoded a peptide of 270 amino acids with a signal peptide of 17 amino acids. The SpCHY gene contains seven exons, six introns, a TATA box and several transcription factor binding sites that were found in 5'-promoter region which is 1221 bp in length-time quantitative PCR analysis indicated that the expression level of SpCHY mRNA in hepatopancreas was significantly higher than that in other tissues. Immunocytochemistry and in situ hybridization exhibited the CHY-like reactivity presented in resorptive cells of the hepatopancreas. After bacterial challenge with Vibrio alginolyticus, the expression level of SpCHY mRNA was extremely up-regulated at 3 h in hepatopancreas. Our results suggest that SpCHY might play an important role in the mud crab's immune response.