Molecular characteristics and functional analysis of non-specific cytotoxic cell receptor (NCCRP1) in golden pompano (Trachinotus ovatus)

Meiling Huang; Zhiqiang Zhang; Xing Li; Jiamin Feng; Yongxiong Huang; Amoah Kwaku; Yu Huang; Jichang Jian

doi:10.1016/j.fsi.2023.109344

Molecular characteristics and functional analysis of non-specific cytotoxic cell receptor (NCCRP1) in golden pompano (Trachinotus ovatus)

Fish Shellfish Immunol. 2024 Feb:145:109344. doi: 10.1016/j.fsi.2023.109344. Epub 2023 Dec 25.

Authors

Meiling Huang¹, Zhiqiang Zhang¹, Xing Li¹, Jiamin Feng¹, Yongxiong Huang¹, Amoah Kwaku¹, Yu Huang², Jichang Jian³

Affiliations

¹ Fisheries College of Guangdong Ocean University, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Aquatic Animal Disease Control and Healthy Culture & Key Laboratory of Control for Disease of Aquatic Animals of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, Zhanjiang, 524088, China.
² Fisheries College of Guangdong Ocean University, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Aquatic Animal Disease Control and Healthy Culture & Key Laboratory of Control for Disease of Aquatic Animals of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, Zhanjiang, 524088, China; Guangdong Provincial Engineering Research Center for Aquatic Animal Health Assessment, Shenzhen, China. Electronic address: huangyu@gdou.edu.cn.
³ Fisheries College of Guangdong Ocean University, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Aquatic Animal Disease Control and Healthy Culture & Key Laboratory of Control for Disease of Aquatic Animals of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, Zhanjiang, 524088, China; Guangdong Provincial Engineering Research Center for Aquatic Animal Health Assessment, Shenzhen, China. Electronic address: jianjc@gdou.edu.cn.

PMID: 38151141
DOI: 10.1016/j.fsi.2023.109344

Abstract

Non-specific cytotoxic cells (NCCs) are cytotoxic cell population found in innate immune system of teleost, playing crucial role in immune defense. Non-specific cytotoxic cell receptor protein 1 (NCCRP1) is responsible for recognizing target cells and activating NCCs. That said, since the studies regarding NCCs' role in fish during pathogen infection are few, it is necessary to conduct more comprehensive studies. In this study, we identified NCCRP1 from Trachinotus ovatus (ToNCCRP1). The open reading frame of ToNCCRP1 was found to be 702 bp, encoding a protein of 233 amino acids. Additionally, ToNCCRP1 contained a conserved F-box-associated domain and exhibited more than 61 % similarity to NCCRP1 in other fish species. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis showed that ToNCCRP1 mRNA was generally expressed in all tissues, with the highest level expressed in the liver. Furthermore, the expression of ToNCCRP1 was significantly upregulated following infection with Streptococcus iniae. In vitro experiments demonstrated that recombinant ToNCCRP1 possessed bacterial agglutination and binding capabilities, suggesting its antibacterial function. Additionally, we investigated the immune response of head kidney leukocytes (HKLs) to ToNCCRP1. The challenge experiments revealed that ToNCCRP1 played a role in the immune response by influencing the inflammatory response, regulating signaling pathways and apoptosis in HKLs. These findings suggest that NCCRP1 is involved in the immune defense against pathogenic infections in golden pompano, providing insights into the immune mechanisms of teleost.

Keywords: Immune response; NCCs; Non-specific cytotoxic cell receptor protein 1(NCCRP1); Trachinotus ovatus.

MeSH terms

Animals
Fish Diseases*
Fish Proteins* / genetics
Fishes
Immunity, Innate / genetics
Receptors, Cell Surface

Substances

Fish Proteins
Receptors, Cell Surface