Cloning and tissue expressions of seven chitinase family genes in Litopenaeus vannamei

Chitinase gene responses and tissue sensitivity in an intertidal mud crab (Macrophthalmus japonicus) following low or high salinity stress

“…Mj-chi1 and Mj-chi4 were most abundant in hepatopancreas and showed the highest expression, whereas Mj-chi5 expression was least in the hepatopancreas. As was found in this study, much higher expression in hepatopancreas than the other ti ssues of int er m ol t st age of L. vannamei chitinase 1 (denoted as CHT1), chitinase 3 (CHT3), and chitinase 4 (CHT4) has been reported (Huang et al 2010). Hepatopancreas has been shown to be the site of synthesis of digestive enzymes (Lehnert and Johnson 2002), and Huang et al (2010) indicate that CHT1 may function mainly in chitincont ai ning food digestion and degradation of endogeneous chitin in the gut peritrophic membrane before molting.…”

“…As was found in this study, much higher expression in hepatopancreas than the other ti ssues of int er m ol t st age of L. vannamei chitinase 1 (denoted as CHT1), chitinase 3 (CHT3), and chitinase 4 (CHT4) has been reported (Huang et al 2010). Hepatopancreas has been shown to be the site of synthesis of digestive enzymes (Lehnert and Johnson 2002), and Huang et al (2010) indicate that CHT1 may function mainly in chitincont ai ning food digestion and degradation of endogeneous chitin in the gut peritrophic membrane before molting. Moreover, Tan et al (2000) also reported that gene coding for Penaeus monodon chitinase 1 (denoted as PmChi-1) was mainly expressed in hepatopancreas, less in the intestine, stomach, and antenna suggesting that hepatopancreatic chitinases and chitin metabolism-related genes not only function as digestive enzymes for ingested chitin but are also involved in the digestion of endogenic stomach chitin, during the premolt stage in crustaceans (Yudkovski et al 2007;Rocha et al 2012).…”

“…Basal expression in hepatopancreas and the low level of the expression of Mj-chi5 in gills indicate that Mj-chi5 may have specific osmoregulatory functions in gill, but may also have other functions. As evidence in previous studies (Huang et al 2010) has shown that chitinase plays a role in immunity; in this study, the question whether Mj-chi1 and Mj-chi5 has a function in immunity also arises. A higher Mj-chi5 induction in the gills at SW at day 7 compared to day 1 at SW was observed, and this pattern of expression was not observed in other chitinases in gills or hepatopancreas except for a considerably higher expression in Mj-chi1 at day 4 (4±2-fold) in the gills.…”

“…In some studies, their physiological and biological functions were determined or predicted based on transcriptional and/or protein levels (Huang et al 2010;Proespraiwong et al 2010;Salma et al 2012;Rocha et al 2012;Tan et al 2000;Watanabe et al 1998;Zhang et al 2010Zhang et al , 2014. Crustacean chitinase gene responses related to development, growth, and immunity have been reported substantially, while less research has been reported on how environmental changes (temperature, salinity, etc.)…”

“…Moreover, Tan et al (2000) also reported that gene coding for Penaeus monodon chitinase 1 (denoted as PmChi-1) was mainly expressed in hepatopancreas, less in the intestine, stomach, and antenna suggesting that hepatopancreatic chitinases and chitin metabolism-related genes not only function as digestive enzymes for ingested chitin but are also involved in the digestion of endogenic stomach chitin, during the premolt stage in crustaceans (Yudkovski et al 2007;Rocha et al 2012). Moreover, L. vannamei chitinase 5 (CHT5) has been expressed in all the tissues tested (hepatopancreas, intestine, cuticle, gill, eyestalk, heart, muscle, and hemocyte) and the highest expression was reported in muscle followed by cuticle and with similar expression in the gill and heart (Huang et al 2010). In contrast, in the present study, the highest Mj-chi5 expression was observed in the stomach with weak expression in the muscle, gill, and hepatopancreas with no expression at the gonad.…”