The transcription factor CSL homolog in Penaeus vannamei positively regulates the transcription of the hemocyanin small subunit gene

Weiling Zhao; Yunxuan Fang; Zhihong Zheng; Zhongyang Lin; Yongzhen Zhao; Xiuli Chen; Defu Yao; Yueling Zhang

doi:10.1016/j.dci.2023.104723

The transcription factor CSL homolog in Penaeus vannamei positively regulates the transcription of the hemocyanin small subunit gene

Dev Comp Immunol. 2023 Aug:145:104723. doi: 10.1016/j.dci.2023.104723. Epub 2023 Apr 27.

Authors

Weiling Zhao¹, Yunxuan Fang¹, Zhihong Zheng¹, Zhongyang Lin¹, Yongzhen Zhao², Xiuli Chen², Defu Yao³, Yueling Zhang⁴

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Marine Sciences and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Marine Biotechnology, Shantou University, Shantou, 515063, China.
² Guangxi Academy of Fishery Sciences, Guangxi Key Laboratory of Aquatic Genetic Breeding and Healthy Aquaculture, Nanning, 530021, China.
³ Institute of Marine Sciences and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Marine Biotechnology, Shantou University, Shantou, 515063, China. Electronic address: dfyao@stu.edu.cn.
⁴ Institute of Marine Sciences and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Marine Biotechnology, Shantou University, Shantou, 515063, China. Electronic address: zhangyl@stu.edu.cn.

PMID: 37120045
DOI: 10.1016/j.dci.2023.104723

Abstract

Hemocyanin, a copper-containing respiratory protein, is abundantly present in hemolymph of arthropods and mollusks and performs a variety of immunological functions. However, the regulatory mechanisms of hemocyanin gene transcription remain largely unclear. Our previous work showed that knockdown of the transcription factor CSL, a component of the Notch signaling pathway, downregulated the expression of Penaeus vannamei hemocyanin small subunit gene (PvHMCs), indicating the involvement of CSL in regulating the PvHMCs transcription. In this study, we identified a CSL binding motif ("GAATCCCAGA", +1675/+1684 bp) in the core promoter of PvHMCs (designated as HsP3). Dual luciferase reporter assay and electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) demonstrated that the CSL homolog in P. vannamei (PvCSL) could directly bind and activate the HsP3 promoter. Moreover, in vivo silencing of PvCSL significantly attenuated the mRNA and protein expression of PvHMCs. Finally, in response to Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Streptococcus iniae and white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) challenge, the transcript of PvCSL and PvHMCs showed a positive correlation, suggesting that PvCSL could also modulate the expression of PvHMCs upon pathogen stimulation. Taken together, our present finding is the first to demonstrate that PvCSL is a crucial factor in transcriptional control of PvHMCs.

Keywords: CSL; Hemocyanin; Penaeus vannamei; Transcriptional regulation.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Animals
Arthropod Proteins / metabolism
Gene Expression Regulation
Hemocyanins
Penaeidae*
Transcription Factors / genetics
Transcription Factors / metabolism
White spot syndrome virus 1* / physiology

Substances

Hemocyanins
Transcription Factors
Arthropod Proteins