Krüppel-like factor 4 (KLF4) is an important transcription factor involving in formation and maintenance of muscles in mammals. However, no data are available on KLF4 function in shellfish muscles which play vital roles in the movement, stress response, and physiology in shellfish. In the present study, we revealed that the Klf4 mRNA of Zhikong scallop Chlamys farreri was expressed in most tissues, which has high level in adductor muscle, mantle, kidney, and testis. Positive signals of the Klf4 mRNA and protein were visible in all skeletal muscle fibers of adductor muscle, and all the cells of C. farreri mantle. Furthermore, the knockdown of Klf4 mRNA in adductor muscle and mantle by means of in vivo RNA interference led to some different phenotypes, including disordered arrangement of muscle fibers in adductor muscle and mantle, abnormal structures of skeletal muscles, and reduced muscle fibers under endepidermis of mantle. Our findings demonstrated that Klf4 plays important roles in maintenance of muscle functions in C. farreri adductor muscle and mantle, and suggested that its regulatory way in skeletal muscle may be different from the smooth muscle in shellfish.
Keywords: Adductor muscle; Chlamys farreri; Klf4; Mantle; RNAi.