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Published on: July 24, 2018
Circadian clock gene modulates spawning through inflammatory response in the razor clam Sinonovacula constricta
Zefeng Gu1, Jinzhao Lu1, Qihao Bian2
1College of Marine Sciences, Ningbo University, Ningbo, 315010, PR China; College of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, Zhejiang Wanli University, Ningbo, 315101, PR China; Ninghai Institute of Mariculture Breeding and Seed Industry, Zhejiang Wanli University, Ninghai, 315604, PR China.
None:
The razor clam Sinonovacula constricta is an economically important cultivated bivalve. Unlike other bivalve species, S. constricta spawns exclusively at night, suggesting potential endogenous circadian regulation of spawning. To investigate this, we identified circadian clock (period circadian, per) and inflammation-related genes, such as the nuclear factor-κB (nf-κb), inhibitor of NF-κB kinase (iκk), tumor necrosis factor receptor 3 (traf3), B-cell lymphoma-2 (bcl2), and caspase 6 (casp6), which were screened from transcriptome data across four diurnal time points (00:00/ZT16, 06:00/ZT22, 12:00/ZT28, 18:00/ZT34) in S. constricta. Both per and these inflammation-related genes were highly expressed during the light cycle. Furthermore, both their expression levels and corresponding proinflammatory mediator content were significantly higher in the spawning group than the control group. Additionally, interference with the per gene upregulated the expression levels of several inflammation-related genes with predicted E-box motifs in their promoter regions. These findings suggest that the circadian clock may modulate inflammatory responses and proinflammatory factors by rhythmically expressing, thereby influencing spawning behavior in razor clams. This study establishes a foundation for understanding circadian regulatory mechanisms and provides valuable insights into the role of inflammatory responses in molluscan reproduction.
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