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Zhu H, Yuan Z, Xu H, Sun L. Characterization of the Apoptotic and Antimicrobial Activities of Two Initiator Caspases of Sea Cucumber Apostichopus japonicus. Genes (Basel) 2024; 15:540. [PMID: 38790170 PMCID: PMC11121444 DOI: 10.3390/genes15050540] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2024] [Revised: 04/20/2024] [Accepted: 04/23/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Caspase (CASP) is a protease family that plays a vital role in apoptosis, development, and immune response. Herein, we reported the identification and characterization of two CASPs, AjCASPX1 and AjCASPX2, from the sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus, an important aquaculture species. AjCASPX1/2 share similar domain organizations with the vertebrate initiator caspases CASP2/9, including the CARD domain and the p20/p10 subunits with conserved functional motifs. However, compared with human CASP2/9, AjCASPX1/2 possess unique structural features in the linker region between p20 and p10. AjCASPX1, but not AjCASPX2, induced marked apoptosis of human cells by activating CASP3/7. The recombinant proteins of AjCASPX2 and the CARD domain of AjCASPX2 were able to bind to a wide range of bacteria, as well as bacterial cell wall components, and inhibit bacterial growth. AjCASPX1, when expressed in Escherichia coli, was able to kill the host bacteria. Under normal conditions, AjCASPX1 and AjCASPX2 expressions were most abundant in sea cucumber muscle and coelomocytes, respectively. After bacterial infection, both AjCASPX1 and AjCASPX2 expressions were significantly upregulated in sea cucumber tissues and cells. Together, these results indicated that AjCASPX1 and AjCASPX2 were initiator caspases with antimicrobial activity and likely functioned in apoptosis and immune defense against pathogen infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanshuo Zhu
- CAS and Shandong Province Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology, Institute of Oceanology, Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266404, China
- Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Qingdao Marine Science and Technology Center, Qingdao 266237, China
- College of Marine Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266404, China
| | - Zihao Yuan
- CAS and Shandong Province Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology, Institute of Oceanology, Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266404, China
- Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Qingdao Marine Science and Technology Center, Qingdao 266237, China
- College of Marine Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266404, China
| | - Hang Xu
- CAS and Shandong Province Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology, Institute of Oceanology, Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266404, China
| | - Li Sun
- CAS and Shandong Province Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology, Institute of Oceanology, Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266404, China
- Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Qingdao Marine Science and Technology Center, Qingdao 266237, China
- College of Marine Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266404, China
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Liu R, Ren X, Wang J, Chen T, Sun X, Lin T, Huang J, Guo Z, Luo L, Ren C, Luo P, Hu C, Cao X, Yan A, Yuan L. Transcriptomic analysis reveals the early body wall regeneration mechanism of the sea cucumber Holothuria leucospilota after artificially induced transverse fission. BMC Genomics 2023; 24:766. [PMID: 38087211 PMCID: PMC10714614 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-023-09808-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2023] [Accepted: 11/14/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Sea cucumbers exhibit a remarkable ability to regenerate damaged or lost tissues and organs, making them an outstanding model system for investigating processes and mechanisms of regeneration. They can also reproduce asexually by transverse fission, whereby the anterior and posterior bodies can regenerate independently. Despite the recent focus on intestinal regeneration, the molecular mechanisms underlying body wall regeneration in sea cucumbers still remain unclear. RESULTS In this study, transverse fission was induced in the tropical sea cucumber, Holothuria leucospilota, through constrainment using rubber bands. Histological examination revealed the degradation and loosening of collagen fibers on day-3, followed by increased density but disorganization of the connective tissue on day-7 of regeneration. An Illumina transcriptome analysis was performed on the H. leucospilota at 0-, 3- and 7-days after artificially induced fission. The differential expression genes were classified and enriched by GO terms and KEGG database, respectively. An upregulation of genes associated with extracellular matrix remodeling was observed, while a downregulation of pluripotency factors Myc, Klf2 and Oct1 was detected, although Sox2 showed an upregulation in expression. In addition, this study also identified progressively declining expression of transcription factors in the Wnt, Hippo, TGF-β, and MAPK signaling pathways. Moreover, changes in genes related to development, stress response, apoptosis, and cytoskeleton formation were observed. The localization of the related genes was further confirmed through in situ hybridization. CONCLUSION The early regeneration of H. leucospilota body wall is associated with the degradation and subsequent reconstruction of the extracellular matrix. Pluripotency factors participate in the regenerative process. Multiple transcription factors involved in regulating cell proliferation were found to be gradually downregulated, indicating reduced cell proliferation. Moreover, genes related to development, stress response, apoptosis, and cell cytoskeleton formation were also involved in this process. Overall, this study provides new insights into the mechanisms of whole-body regeneration and uncover potential cross-species regenerative-related genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renhui Liu
- School of Life Sciences and Biopharmaceutics, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, 510006, People's Republic of China
| | - Xinyue Ren
- School of Life Sciences and Biopharmaceutics, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, 510006, People's Republic of China
| | - Junyan Wang
- School of Medicine, Foshan University, Foshan, 528000, People's Republic of China
| | - Ting Chen
- Key Laboratory of Breeding Biotechnology and Sustainable Aquaculture, Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology (LMB), South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510301, People's Republic of China
| | - Xinyu Sun
- School of Life Sciences and Biopharmaceutics, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, 510006, People's Republic of China
| | - Tiehao Lin
- Guangdong Institute for Drug Control, Guangzhou, 510301, People's Republic of China
| | - Jiasheng Huang
- Key Laboratory of Breeding Biotechnology and Sustainable Aquaculture, Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology (LMB), South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510301, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhengyan Guo
- School of Life Sciences and Biopharmaceutics, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, 510006, People's Republic of China
| | - Ling Luo
- School of Life Sciences and Biopharmaceutics, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, 510006, People's Republic of China
| | - Chunhua Ren
- Key Laboratory of Breeding Biotechnology and Sustainable Aquaculture, Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology (LMB), South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510301, People's Republic of China
| | - Peng Luo
- Key Laboratory of Breeding Biotechnology and Sustainable Aquaculture, Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology (LMB), South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510301, People's Republic of China
| | - Chaoqun Hu
- Key Laboratory of Breeding Biotechnology and Sustainable Aquaculture, Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology (LMB), South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510301, People's Republic of China
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science, Guangxi Beibu Gulf Marine Research Center, Guangxi Academy of Sciences, Nanning, 530007, People's Republic of China
| | - Xudong Cao
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, 999040, Canada
| | - Aifen Yan
- School of Medicine, Foshan University, Foshan, 528000, People's Republic of China.
| | - Lihong Yuan
- School of Life Sciences and Biopharmaceutics, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, 510006, People's Republic of China.
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