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Published on: September 29, 2021
JUN participates in ERK-mediated regulation of inflammation-related gene expression during molting in Eriocheir
Yuting Xi1, Jinming Yu1, Yiyang Xu1
1College of Aquaculture and Life Science, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian, China.
Abstract:
Molting is an essential physiological process for crustaceans and is accompanied by dynamic immune fluctuations. 20-Hydroxyecdysone (20E), a key steroid hormone that drives the molting process, rises sharply at the pre-molt stage. However, the molecular mechanisms by which 20E coordinates stage-dependent immune regulation remain poorly understood. In this study, a JUN homolog was identified from Eriocheir sinensis and designated as EsJUN. Sequence analysis showed that EsJUN contains a conserved bZIP/BRLZ domain, and molecular docking predicted a potential binding mode between EsJUN and EsERK. Further analyses showed that both the mRNA expression and phosphorylation levels of JUN and ERK were significantly higher at pre-molt stage than those at post-molt stage. Moreover, exogenous 20E injection significantly enhanced ERK and JUN phosphorylation, promoted the nuclear translocation of JUN, and was associated with enhanced ERK-JUN co-association. In parallel, the inflammation-related genes IL-16, LITAF and ILF were also significantly upregulated at the pre-molt stage. Functional analyses showed that EsJUN knockdown significantly reduced the expression of these inflammatory genes. Consistently, ERK inhibition produced a similar suppressive effect on inflammatory transcription and also decreased EsJUN expression, phosphorylation as well as nuclear accumulation. Collectively, these findings suggest that EsJUN contributes to the expression of inflammation-related genes during molting in E. sinensis, providing new insight into the molecular linkage between endocrine signaling and immune regulation in crustaceans.
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