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Miiuy croaker hepcidin gene and comparative analyses reveal evidence for positive selection

Tianjun Xu1, Yuena Sun, Ge Shi

  • 1Laboratory for Marine Living Resources and Molecular Engineering, College of Marine Science, Zhejiang Ocean University, Zhoushan, People's Republic of China.

Plos One
|April 19, 2012
PubMed

Insights

The Hepcidin antimicrobial peptide (HAMP) gene in miiuy croaker was cloned and characterized. Its expression and sequence diversity suggest HAMP is crucial for innate immunity against bacterial infections in fish.

Area of Science:

  • * Molecular biology
  • * Immunology
  • * Genomics

Background:

  • * Hepcidin antimicrobial peptide (HAMP) is a vital component of the innate immune system, crucial for combating bacterial infections.
  • * Understanding HAMP's role in fish is essential for aquaculture and fish health management.

Purpose of the Study:

  • * To perform molecular cloning and genomic characterization of the HAMP gene in miiuy croaker (Miichthys miiuy).
  • * To investigate the expression patterns and sequence diversity of miiuy croaker HAMP.
  • * To explore the evolutionary mechanisms driving HAMP gene diversity in fish.

Main Methods:

  • * Molecular cloning and sequencing of the HAMP gene.
  • * Bioinformatic analysis to predict protein structure and gene organization.
  • * Quantitative analysis of HAMP gene expression in various tissues after bacterial challenge.
  • * Phylogenetic analysis and site-model tests (CODEML) to assess selection pressures.

Main Results:

  • * The miiuy croaker HAMP gene encodes a 99-amino acid prepropeptide with conserved features, including eight cysteine residues and a potential cleavage motif.
  • * Gene organization mirrors that of mammals and other fish, with three exons and two introns.
  • * HAMP expression is highest in the liver, with significant upregulation in spleen, intestine, and kidney following Vibrio anguillarum infection.
  • * Sequence polymorphism revealed two distinct HAMP variants, suggesting functional divergence.
  • * Darwinian selection appears to drive molecular evolution in fish HAMP genes, with HAMP1 and HAMP2 experiencing different selection pressures.

Conclusions:

  • * Miiuy croaker HAMP plays a significant role in the innate immune response against bacterial pathogens, particularly Vibrio anguillarum.
  • * The identified sequence diversity and differential selection pressures on HAMP genes contribute to evolutionary adaptation in fish.
  • * This study provides foundational insights into fish immunity and the molecular evolution of antimicrobial peptides.

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