Actin gene from blood cockle Anadara granosa as a potential housekeeping gene for gene expression analysis

Abstract

Actin gene has been used to control gene expression in several species. However, there is a lack of information on actin gene in the family Arcidae, including Anadara granosa. The objective of this research was to explore actin gene expression and characteristic from A. granosa induced by mercury. Blood cockle samples were acclimatized for two days prior to HgCl 2 exposure. Concentrations of HgCl 2 used were 0, 1, 2, and 10 mg/l. Samples were subjected to HgCl 2 for 0-48 h. Following induction, samples were dissected and isolated to collect RNA samples. Intact RNA samples were reverse transcibed and amplified using PCR method. PCR products were then sequenced. The expression of actin gene was constant despite variation in mercury concentration. A 353 bp fragment of AgACT cDNA was successfully amplified. As compared to other actin gene sequences from other molluscs, distinct sequences were observed. Hence, the actin gene from A. granosa is specific and can be utilized as housekeeping gene in future gene expression studies.

Identification and Functional Analysis of G Protein-Coupled Receptors in 20-Hydroxyecdysone Signaling From the Helicoverpa armigera Genome

“…Actb encodes a type of actin, which is a structural component of the cytoskeleton microfilaments. The Actb gene is highly conserved and highly expressed at the mRNA level ( Butet et al, 2014 ). In many studies, including studies on different developmental stages and different tissues in H. armigera ( Di et al, 2020 ), Actb is considered a suitable internal reference gene ( Lu et al, 2013 ; Gao et al, 2017 ).…”