Publication: Transcriptomic analysis of the autophagy machinery in crustaceans
Issued Date
2016
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eng
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Mahidol University
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BioMed Central
Bibliographic Citation
BMC Genomics. Vol. 17, (2016), 587
Suggested Citation
Saowaros Suwansa-ard, Wilairat Kankuan, Tipsuda Thongbuakaew, Jirawat Saetan, Napamanee Kornthong, Thanapong Kruangkum, Kanjana Khornchatri, Cummins, Scott F., Isidoro, Ciro, Prasert Sobhon Transcriptomic analysis of the autophagy machinery in crustaceans. BMC Genomics. Vol. 17, (2016), 587. doi:10.1186/s12864-016-2996-4 Retrieved from: https://repository.li.mahidol.ac.th/handle/20.500.14594/2745
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Title
Transcriptomic analysis of the autophagy machinery in crustaceans
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Abstract
Background: The giant freshwater prawn, Macrobrachium rosenbergii, is a decapod crustacean that is commercially
important as a food source. Farming of commercial crustaceans requires an efficient management strategy because
the animals are easily subjected to stress and diseases during the culture. Autophagy, a stress response process, is
well-documented and conserved in most animals, yet it is poorly studied in crustaceans.
Results: In this study, we have performed an in silico search for transcripts encoding autophagy-related (Atg)
proteins within various tissue transcriptomes of M. rosenbergii. Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST) search
using previously known Atg proteins as queries revealed 41 transcripts encoding homologous M. rosenbergii Atg
proteins. Among these Atg proteins, we selected commonly used autophagy markers, including Beclin 1, vacuolar
protein sorting (Vps) 34, microtubule-associated proteins 1A/1B light chain 3B (MAP1LC3B), p62/sequestosome 1
(SQSTM1), and lysosomal-associated membrane protein 1 (Lamp-1) for further sequence analyses using comparative
alignment and protein structural prediction. We found that crustacean autophagy marker proteins contain conserved
motifs typical of other animal Atg proteins. Western blotting using commercial antibodies raised against human Atg
marker proteins indicated their presence in various M. rosenbergii tissues, while immunohistochemistry localized Atg
marker proteins within ovarian tissue, specifically late stage oocytes.
Conclusions: This study demonstrates that the molecular components of autophagic process are conserved in
crustaceans, which is comparable to autophagic process in mammals. Furthermore, it provides a foundation for further
studies of autophagy in crustaceans that may lead to more understanding of the reproduction- and stress-related
autophagy, which will enable the efficient aquaculture practices.