Molecular characterization and expression profiles in response to bacterial infection of Chinese soft-shelled turtle interleukin-8 (IL-8), the first reptilian chemokine gene

  • Zhou, Xiuxia
  • Guo, Qionglin
  • Dai, Heping
  • Guo, QL, Chinese Acad Sci, Inst Hydrobiol, Wuhan 430072, Peoples R China
Publication date
January 2009
Publisher
Elsevier BV
ISSN
0145-305X
Citation count (estimate)
16

Abstract

In this study, an IL-8 homologue has been cloned and identified from a reptile, Chinese soft-shelled turtle for the first time. The full-length cDNA of turtle IL-8 was 1188 bp and contained a 312 bp open reading frame (ORF) coding for a protein of 104 amino acids. The chemokine CXC domain, which contained Glu-Leu-Arg (ELR) motif and four cysteine residues, was well conserved in turtle IL-8. The 4924 bp genomic DNA of turtle IL-8 contained four exons and three introns. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the amino acid sequence of turtle IL-8 clustered together with birds. RT-PCR analysis showed that turtle IL-8 mRNA was constitutively expressed liver, spleen, kidney, heart, blood and intestine tissues of control turtles. Real-time quantitativ...

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