BackgroundThe miiuy croaker (Miichthys miiuy) is an important species of marine fish that supports capture fisheries and aquaculture. At present commercial scale aquaculture of this species is limited due to diseases caused by pathogens and parasites which restrict production and limit commercial value. The lack of transcriptomic and genomic information for the miiuy croaker limits the ability of researchers to study the pathogenesis and immune system of this species. In this study we constructed a cDNA library from liver, spleen and kidney which was sequenced using Illumina paired-end sequencing to enable gene discovery and molecular marker development.Principal FindingsIn our study, a total of 69,071 unigenes with an average length of 572 bp were obtained. Of these, 45,676 (66.13%) were successfully annotated in public databases. The unigenes were also annotated with Gene Ontology, Clusters of Orthologous Groups and KEGG pathways. Additionally, 498 immune-relevant genes were identified and classified. Furthermore, 14,885 putative simple sequence repeats (cSSRs) and 8,510 putative single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were identified from the 69,071 unigenes.ConclusionThe miiuy croaker (Miichthys miiuy) transcriptome data provides a large resource to identify new genes involved in many processes including those involved in the response to pathogens and diseases. Furthermore, the thousands of potential cSSR and SNP markers found in this study are important resources with respect to future development of molecular marker assisted breeding programs for the miiuy croaker.

Transferrin (TF) is a protein that plays a central role in iron metabolism. This protein is associated with the innate immune system, which is responsible for disease defense responses after bacterial infection. The clear link between TF and the immune defense mechanism has led researchers to consider TF as a candidate gene for disease resistance. In this study, the Miichthys miiuy (miiuy croaker) TF gene (MIMI-TF) was cloned and characterized. The gene structure consisted of a coding region of 2070 nucleotides divided into 17 exons, as well as a non-coding region that included 16 introns and spans 6757 nucleotides. The deduced MIMI-TF protein consisted of 689 amino acids that comprised a signal peptide and two lobes (N- and C-lobes). MIMI-TF expression was significantly up-regulated after infection with Vibrio anguillarum. A series of model tests implemented in the CODEML program showed that TF underwent a complex evolutionary process. Branch-site models revealed that vertebrate TF was vastly different from that of invertebrates, and that the TF of the ancestors of aquatic and terrestrial organisms underwent different selection pressures. The site models detected 10 positively selected sites in extant TF genes. One site was located in the cleft between the N1 and N2 domains and was expected to affect the capability of TF to bind to or release iron indirectly. In addition, eight sites were found near the TF exterior. Two of these sites, which could have evolved from the competition for iron between pathogenic bacteria and TF, were located in potential pathogen-binding domains. Our results could be used to further investigate the function of TF and the selective mechanisms involved.

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