Identification and function of an evolutionarily conserved signaling intermediate in Toll pathways (ECSIT) from Crassostrea hongkongensis. Issue 1 (November 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Qu, Fufa; Xiang, Zhiming; Wang, Fuxuan; Zhang, Yang; Li, Jun; Zhang, Yuehuan; Xiao, Shu; Yu, Ziniu
• Is Part Of: Developmental and comparative immunology. Volume 53:Issue 1(2015)
• Page Start: 244
• Page End: 252
• Publication Date: 2015-11
• Subjects: Immunology -- Periodicals; Developmental immunology -- Periodicals; 616.079
• DOI: 10.1016/j.dci.2015.07.015
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0145-305X

Abstract

<abstract xml:lang="en" abstract-type="author" id="abs0010"> <title id="sectitle0010">Abstract</title> <sec> <p id="abspara0010">Evolutionarily conserved signaling intermediate in Toll pathways (ECSIT) is a multifunctional adaptor protein that plays a key role in the regulation of the oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) system, bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) pathway and Toll-like receptor (TLR) signaling pathway in mammals. However, the function of ECSIT homologs in mollusks, the second most diverse group of animals, is not well understood. In this study, we identified an ECSIT homolog in the Hong Kong oyster <italic>Crassostrea hongkongensis</italic> (<italic>Ch</italic>ECSIT) and investigated its biological functions. The full-length cDNA of <italic>Ch</italic>ECSIT is 1734 bp and includes an open reading frame (ORF) of 1074 bp that encodes a polypeptide of 451 amino acids. The predicted <italic>Ch</italic>ECSIT protein shares similar structural characteristics with other known ECSIT family proteins. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis revealed that <italic>Ch</italic>ECSIT mRNA is broadly expressed in all of the examined tissues and at different stages of embryonic development; its transcript level could be significantly up-regulated by challenge with microorganisms (<italic>Vibrio alginolyticus</italic>, <italic>Staphylococcus haemolyticus</italic> and <italic>Saccharomyces cerevisiae</italic>). In addition, <italic>Ch</italic>ECSIT was found to be located primarily in the cytoplasm, and its overexpression stimulated the transcriptional activity of an NF-κB reporter gene in HEK293T cells. These findings suggest that <italic>Ch</italic>ECSIT might be involved in embryogenesis processes and immune responses in <italic>C. hongkongensis</italic>.</p> </sec> </abstract>