Molecular cloning and functional analysis of the fatty acid-binding protein (Sp-FABP) gene in the mud crab (Scylla paramamosain)

Abstract

Intracellular fatty acid-binding proteins (FABPs) are multifunctional cytosolic lipid-binding proteins found in vertebrates and invertebrates. In this work, we used RACE to obtain a full-length cDNA of Sp-FABP from the mud crab Scylla paramamosain. The open reading frame of the full length cDNA (886 bp) encoded a 136 amino acid polypeptide that showed high homology with related genes from other species. Real-time quantitative PCR identified variable levels of Sp-FABP transcripts in epidermis, eyestalk, gill, heart, hemocytes, hepatopancreas, muscle, ovary, stomach and thoracic ganglia. In ovaries, Sp-FABP expression increased gradually from stage I to stage IV of development and decreased in stage V. Sp-FABP transcripts in the hepatopancreas and hemocytes were up-regulated after a bacterial challenge with Vibrio alginnolyficus. These results suggest that Sp-FABP may be involved in the growth, reproduction and immunity of the mud crab.

Dynamics of fatty acid regulatory genes during ovarian development in Penaeus monodon

“…The differential expression of FABP due to feeding and ovarian development demonstrates that FABP is essential in P. monodon ovaries during this time. In fact, FABP is one of the most well-characterized genes in the crustacean fatty acid transport pathway based on studies in the crayfish Pacifastacus leniusculus and P. monodon (Söderhäll et al 2006), E. sinensis (Gong et al 2010, Li et al 2011, P. trituberculatus (Yu et al 2015) and S. paramamosain (Zeng et al 2013). In P. trituberculatus, a higher expression level of FABP was observed in mature ovaries (Yu et al 2015).…”

“…The positive effects of dietary PUFAs on crustacean ovarian development have been established in several species, including the Pacific white shrimp Penaeus vannamei, the Chinese mitten crab Eriocheir sinensis, the mud crab Scylla serrata and P. monodon (Wouters et al 2001a, Alava et al 2007, Huang et al 2008, Sui et al 2011. Once consumed, these fatty acids accumulate in crustacean hepatopancreas, which is a site for lipid storage and metabolism as well as an extraovarian site for the synthesis of yolk protein called vitellogenin (Vogt 1994, Lee & Chang 1999, Wen et al 2001, Zeng et al 2013, Girish et al 2014. It was observed that increasing amounts of fatty acids in crustacean diets led to higher total lipid contents in ovaries and hepatopancreas of E. sinensis and S. serrata (Alava et al 2007, Sui et al 2011.…”

“…These include acetyl-CoA carboxylase, acyl-CoA oxidase (ACOX), acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (ACAD), long-chain fatty acid-CoA ligase and fatty acid synthase (FASN) (Sun et al 2014, Wang et al 2014. Additionally, fatty acid-binding protein (FABP), whose encoded protein is part of the fatty acid transport pathway, is present in ovaries and hepatopancreas during ovarian maturation in the mud crab Scylla paramamosain, E. sinensis and P. trituberculatus (Gong et al 2010, Zeng et al 2013, Ding et al 2017. However, little is known about the expression patterns of other fatty acid regulatory genes in crustacean ovaries.…”

Expression Profiles and Prognostic Value of FABPs in Colorectal Adenocarcinomas

“…Fatty-acid binding proteins (FABPs) are a class of molecules that help cells organize their lipid responses, and they are also involved in metabolic and inflammatory processes [3]. The FABP genes family encodes transcription factors that binds free FAs, cholesterol, and retinoids [4,5]. Some FABP polymorphisms have been linked to lipid metabolism problems and the onset of atherosclerosis, such that FABP levels in the blood are utilized as indicators of tissue injury [6].…”