Cloning, characterization, and expression patterns of three sarco/endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase isoforms from...

A large amount of calcium is required for mollusk biomineralization. Sarco/endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase (SERCA) is a well-known protein with the function of sustaining the calcium homeostasis. How does it possibly function in the process of pearl oyster biomineralization? Three SERCA isoforms, namely PSERA, PSERB, and PSERC were cloned from the pearl oyster, Pinctada fucata. The cDNAs of the three isoforms were isolated by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and rapid amplification of cDNA ends. PSERA consisted of 3568 bp encoding 1007 amino acids, PSERB included 3953 bp encoding 1024 amino acids, and PSERC comprised of 3450 bp encoding 1000 amino acids. The three isoforms showed high homology (65%-87%) with SERCAs from other species. Consistent with the results from other invertebrates, Southern blot analysis revealed that the three isoforms originated from a single gene that was also related to SERCA1, SERCA2, and SERCA3 of vertebrates. The splicing mechanism of the three isoforms was similar to that of isoforms of vertebrate SERCA3. Semiquantitative RT-PCR was carried out to study the expression patterns of the three isoforms. The results showed that PSERB was ubiquitously expressed in all tested tissues and was a potential "housekeeping" SERCA isoform; PSERA was expressed in the adductor muscle and foot and was likely to be a muscle-specific isoform, and PSERC was expressed in the other tissues except the adductor muscle or foot with the highest expression levels in the gill and mantle, indicating that it was a non-muscle-specific isoform and might be involved in calcium homeostasis during pearl oyster biomineralization.