Characterization and Expression Analysis of the C-Type Lectin Ladderlectin in <i>Litopenaeus vannamei</i> Post-WSSV Infection
Qian Xue,
Bingbing Yang,
Kun Luo,
Sheng Luan,
Jie Kong,
Qiang Fu,
Jiawang Cao,
Baolong Chen,
Ping Dai,
Qun Xing,
Xupeng Li,
Xianhong Meng
Affiliations
Qian Xue
State Key Laboratory of Mariculture Biobreeding and Sustainable Goods, Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China
Bingbing Yang
State Key Laboratory of Mariculture Biobreeding and Sustainable Goods, Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China
Kun Luo
State Key Laboratory of Mariculture Biobreeding and Sustainable Goods, Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China
Sheng Luan
State Key Laboratory of Mariculture Biobreeding and Sustainable Goods, Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China
Jie Kong
State Key Laboratory of Mariculture Biobreeding and Sustainable Goods, Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China
Qiang Fu
State Key Laboratory of Mariculture Biobreeding and Sustainable Goods, Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China
Jiawang Cao
State Key Laboratory of Mariculture Biobreeding and Sustainable Goods, Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China
Baolong Chen
State Key Laboratory of Mariculture Biobreeding and Sustainable Goods, Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China
Ping Dai
State Key Laboratory of Mariculture Biobreeding and Sustainable Goods, Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China
Qun Xing
BLUP Aquabreed Co., Ltd., Weifang 261311, China
Xupeng Li
State Key Laboratory of Mariculture Biobreeding and Sustainable Goods, Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China
Xianhong Meng
State Key Laboratory of Mariculture Biobreeding and Sustainable Goods, Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China
C-type lectins are known for agglutination activity and play crucial roles in regulating the prophenoloxidase (proPO) activation system, enhancing phagocytosis and encapsulation, synthesizing antimicrobial peptides, and mediating antiviral immune responses. This work cloned a C-type lectin, ladderlectin (LvLL), from Litopenaeus vannamei. LvLL comprised a 531 bp open reading frame (ORF) that encoded 176 amino acids. The predicted LvLL protein included a signal peptide and a CLECT domain. LvLL was predicted to feature a transmembrane region, suggesting it may be a transmembrane protein. LvLL was predominantly expressed in the shrimp’s hepatopancreas. After WSSV infection, LvLL expression in the hepatopancreas increased significantly by 11.35-fold after 228 h, indicating a general upregulation. Knockdown of LvLL resulted in a significant decrease in WSSV viral load and a notable increase in shrimp survival rates. Additionally, knockdown of LvLL led to a significant downregulation of apoptosis-related genes Bcl-2 and caspase 8 and a significant upregulation of p53 and proPO in WSSV-infected shrimp. This study showed that LvLL played a vital role in the interaction between L. vannamei and WSSV.
