Molecular cloning and characterization of a cDNA encoding extracellular signal-regulated kinase from Litopenaeus vannamei

A molluscan extracellular signal-regulated kinase is involved in host response to immune challenges in vivo and in vitro

“…In mollusks, digestive glands similar to shrimp hepatopancreas can express numerous immune molecules and secrete various enzymes, which is essential for immunity and metabolism [49]. ChERK predominant expression was detected in digestive glands, which was consistent with that found in arthropods, such as Fenneropenaeus chinensis [35], Eriocheir sinensis [44] and Litopeneaus vannamei [34]. A relatively high transcript level of ChERK was observed in oyster hemocytes, a primary tissue that is responsible for the recognition and elimination of cellular pathogens [50,51].…”

“…4A, ChERK was broadly expressed in all of the tested tissues (gonads, gills, hearts, hemocytes, mantles, adductor muscles, and digestive glands), with a relatively higher expression in digestive glands and hemocytes. Earlier studies suggested that ERK is a widely distributed serine/threonine kinase in various species, such as bony fishes [29,30], arthropods [34,35] and bivalve mollusks [45]. In fishes, yellow croaker ERK was transcribed in almost all of the tissues tested, including intestine, brain, heart, skin, gill, kidney, spleen, head-kidney, stomach, liver, and muscle [30].…”

“…In fishes, yellow croaker ERK was transcribed in almost all of the tissues tested, including intestine, brain, heart, skin, gill, kidney, spleen, head-kidney, stomach, liver, and muscle [30]. In addition, lvERK gene transcripts were broadly expressed in shrimp tissues, such as the heart, muscle, hepatopancreas, intestine, hemocyte, and gill [34]. Similar to its homologs, ChERK mRNA expression was detected in almost all oyster tissues, whereas ChERK gene expression varies considerably between different tissues, suggesting that ChERK may be involved in various biological processes in C. hongkongensis.…”

“…In invertebrates, the ERK cascade of Caenorhabditis elegans participates in the immune response to Gram-positive bacterial pathogens [31e33]. Recently studies demonstrated that shrimp ERK was activated by white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) infection and that it can regulate virus proliferation and viral early gene transcription in Litopenaeus vannamei [34]. Similarly, FcERK expression in the immune tissues of Fenneropenaeus chinensis significantly increased during the early stage of WSSV infection [35].…”

“…In sum, the conserved ERK pathway is involved in the pathogenmediated immune response from mammals to arthropods [25,26,29,34]. However, the immune role of ERK in mollusks, the second most diverse group of animals, is still poorly understood.…”