Molecular characterization and immune response expression of the QM gene from the scallop Chlamys farreri

The scallop Chlamys farreri is an important aquaculture species in northern China. However, the sustainable development of the scallop industry is currently threatened by several pathogens that cause mass mortality of this mollusk. Therefore, a complete understanding of the immune response mechanisms involved in host-virus interactions is necessary. This study reports a novel QM gene from C. farreri. This gene was first identified as a putative tumor suppressor gene from human and then confirmed to participate in several functions, including immune response. The QM gene from C. farreri (CfQM) was identified by suppression subtractive hybridization, and its full-length (763 bp) cDNA was obtained through rapid amplification of cDNA ends. The cDNA of CfQM contained a short 5'-UTR of 22 bp and a 3'-UTR of 84 bp. Its ORF comprised 657 nucleotides that encode 218 amino acids with a molecular weight of approximately 28.3 kDa and an isoelectric point of 10.06. The deduced amino acid sequence of CfQM contained a series of conserved functional motifs that belong to the QM family. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that CfQM was closely related to other mollusk QM proteins, and altogether they form a mollusk QM protein subfamily that displays evolutionary conservation from yeast to human. The tissue-specific expression and transcriptional regulation of CfQM were investigated by quantitative real-time PCR in response to bacterial (Vibrio anguillarum) and viral (acute viral necrobiotic virus) challenges. The transcript level of CfQM was high in all of the examined tissues in a constitutive manner. The highest and lowest expression levels of CfQM were measured in the hepatopancreas and hemocyte, respectively. Upon bacterial and viral challenges, the relative mRNA expression of CfQM sharply increased at 6 h post-infection (hpi) and then normalized at 48 hpi. These findings suggest that CfQM can respond to and protect against pathogen challenge. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first report of the QM gene from scallop. The results presented herein provided new insights into the molecular basis of host-pathogen interactions in C. farreri.