Molecular cloning and expression analysis of the liver-expressed antimicrobial peptide 2 (LEAP-2) gene in grass carp

作者：Liu, Feng; Li, Jia-Le^*; Yue, Gen-Hua; Fu, Jian-Jun; Zhou, Zheng-Feng

来源：Veterinary Immunology and Immunopathology, 2010, 133(2-4): 133-143.

DOI：10.1016/j.vetimm.2009.07.014

• LEAP-2
• Antimicrobial peptide
• Expression
• Liver
• Grass carp

Liver-expressed antimicrobial peptide 2 (LEAP-2) is a novel antimicrobial peptide (AMP) recently found in vertebrates, and exhibits distinct amino acid sequence, secondary structure and expression pattern from other peptides. In this study, the LEAP-2 gene and its full-length cDNA were cloned from grass carp. Grass carp LEAP-2 gene consists of two introns and three exons. The translated product contains 92 amino acids, including a 26 amino acids signal peptide and a mature peptide of 41 amino acids. Grass carp LEAP-2 gene was expressed in a wide range of tissues except blood, with the highest level of transcripts found in liver. Upon induction by Aeromonas hydrophila, its expression was significantly up-regulated in liver, gill, skin, muscle, spleen, blood, head kidney, heart and intestine, but down-regulated in trunk kidney and brain. The transcript level was high in embryos at the 16-cell stage but declined gradually afterwards, suggesting that LEAP-2 transcripts in early embryos might be maternal. Mature peptides obtained by in vitro expression displayed selective antimicrobial activities. These results together further our understanding of the physiological function of LEAP-2 in vertebrates.

• 出版日期2010-2-15
• 单位上海海洋大学; 上海大学