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Antibacterial activity of hemocyanin from red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii)

Zhendong Qin1, V Sarath Babu2, Quanyuan Wan2

  • 1College of Fisheries, Huazhong Agricultural University Wuhan, Hubei 430070, China; Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Aquatic Animal Diseases and Waterfowl Breeding, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Waterfowl Healthy Breeding, College of Animal Sciences and Technology, Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510225, China.

Fish & Shellfish Immunology
|February 11, 2018
PubMed

Insights

Crayfish hemocyanin domains exhibit antibacterial and phagocytic activities. These hemocyanin (HMC) domains provide crucial immune responses against bacterial pathogens like V. parahaemolyticus and S. aureus.

Area of Science:

  • Marine Biology
  • Immunology
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Hemocyanins (HMC) are copper-containing respiratory proteins in invertebrate hemolymph, vital for immune functions.
  • The specific roles of Procambarus clarkii hemocyanin (PcHMC) domains in antimicrobial immunity are not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To comparatively analyze the expression patterns and immune functions of native PcHMC and its recombinant domains (N-terminal, tyrosinase, and C-terminal).
  • To investigate the antibacterial and phagocytic activities of PcHMC domains against specific bacterial pathogens.

Main Methods:

  • Expression and purification of three recombinant PcHMC domains: PcHMC-N, PcHMC-T, and PcHMC-C.
  • Assays for bacterial binding, agglutination, growth inhibition, phenoloxidase (PO) activity, and phagocytosis using V. parahaemolyticus and S. aureus.

Main Results:

  • All three recombinant PcHMC proteins demonstrated strong binding to bacteria and lipopolysaccharides, leading to agglutination.
  • Recombinant HMCs exhibited significant antibacterial activity, inhibiting bacterial growth and enhancing PO activity.
  • PcHMC-T and PcHMC-C were particularly effective in inhibiting bacterial growth, while PcHMC-T boosted PO activity.
  • PcHMC-N and PcHMC-C enhanced hemocyte phagocytosis more than PcHMC-T against S. aureus and V. parahaemolyticus.

Conclusions:

  • The variable domains of crayfish hemocyanin possess distinct antibacterial and phagocytic functions.
  • These domains play specific roles in the immune response against different bacterial pathogens, contributing to the overall antimicrobial defense of P. clarkii.

Keywords:
AntibacterialHemocyaninHemocytesPhagocytosisProcambarus clarkii

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