참돔(Pagrus major) Interferon regulatory factor 3 (IRF3) 유전자의 분자적 특성 및 발현 분석

Abstract

Interferon regulatory factor 3 (IRF3) plays an important role in inducing the transcription of type I interferon (IFN) and IFN-stimulated genes (ISGs) following infection. We analysed the open reading frame (ORF) cDNA, genomic structure, and temporal variations in the mRNA transcription of IRF3 after challenge with Streptococcus iniae (S. iniae), Edwardsiella piscicida (E. piscicida), and red sea bream iridovirus (RSIV) in red sea bream Pagrus major (Pm). P. major IRF3 (PmIRF3) consisted an ORF of 1398 bp, encoding a polypeptide of 465 amino acids with an isoelectric point of 4.7 and theoretical molecular weight of 51.6 kDa. The strongest expression of PmIRF3 mRNA in healthy red sea bream was observed in the whole blood. The expression pattern of PmIRF3 mRNA after infection with pathogens was analysed in the gills, liver, kidney, and spleen. The quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR) results showed that PmIRF3 mRNA expression was significantly elevated in the liver 1 h post-E. piscicida injection (P < 0.001). PmIRF3 expression increased significantly in most tissues 1 h post-S. iniae injection. PmIRF3 expression was also upregulated in the liver 12 h post-RSIV injection. These results indicate that IRF3 may play an important role in the immune response of P. major following pathogenic infections.