A key gene of the RNA interference pathway in the black tiger shrimp, Penaeus monodon: identification and functional characterisation of Dicer-1.

RNA interference (RNAi) is an evolutionarily conserved mechanism by which double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) initiates post-transcriptional silencing of homologous genes. Here we report the amplification and characterisation of a full length cDNA from black tiger shrimp (Penaeus monodon) that encodes the bidentate RNAase III Dicer, a key component of the RNAi pathway. The full length of the shrimp Dicer (Pm Dcr1) cDNA is 7629bp in length, including a 5' untranslated region (UTR) of 130bp, a 3' UTR of 77bp, and an open reading frame of 7422bp encoding a polypeptide of 2473 amino acids with an estimated molecular mass of 277.895kDa and a predicted isoelectric point of 4.86. Analysis of the deduced amino acid sequence indicated that the mature peptide contains all the seven recognised functional domains and is most similar to the mosquito (Aedes aegypti) Dicer-1 sequence with a similarity of 34.6%. Quantitative RT-PCR analysis showed that Pm Dcr1 mRNA is most highly expressed in haemolymph and lymphoid organ tissues (P<0.05). However, there was no correlation between Pm Dcr1 mRNA levels in lymphoid organ and the viral genetic loads in shrimp naturally infected with gill-associated virus (GAV) and Mourilyan virus (P>0.05). Treatment with synthetic dsRNA corresponding to Pm Dcr1 sequence resulted in knock-down of Pm Dcr1 mRNA expression in both uninfected shrimp and shrimp infected experimentally with GAV. Knock-down of Pm Dcr1 expression resulted in more rapid mortalities and higher viral loads. These data demonstrated that Dicer is involved in antiviral defence in shrimp.

Real-time RT-PCR quantification of Kuruma shrimp transcripts: a comparison of relative and absolute quantification procedures.

Housekeeping genes are often used as references when quantifying the relative abundance of transcripts of interest, because it is assumed that they are stably expressed across tissues and developmental stages. Standard housekeeping genes are targeted particularly in organisms where there is no detailed information on gene expression profiles. Here, the validity of using the two widely accepted housekeeping genes, 18S rRNA and beta-actin, as reference genes to normalize real-time RT-PCR gene expression data from the Kuruma shrimp, Marsupenaeus japonicus, was tested. Expression patterns of two target genes in a diverse sample set of embryonic, larval, post-larval and gonad mRNAs were quantified using relative and absolute real-time RT-PCR procedures. Comparison of these approaches revealed significant differences (P<0.0001) in transcript level profiles between the relative and absolute procedures for both target genes. When 18S rRNA was used as a reference, target gene expression was more similar to that of the absolute method than when beta-actin was used as a reference. Variability between the relative and absolute procedures occurred for a greater percentage of the embryonic stages compared to later developmental stages. This study indicates that the use of 18S rRNA and beta-actin for studying relative gene expression patterns in Kuruma shrimp embryonic, larval, post-larval and gonad samples will give significantly variable results, and illustrates the proposition that housekeeping genes are not necessarily appropriate references for real-time RT-PCR data normalization. Until suitable reference genes are characterized, gene expression experiments using the studied Kuruma shrimp tissues of different morphological developmental stages should use absolute quantification procedures.

A PL10 vasa-like gene in the kuruma shrimp, Marsupenaeus japonicus, expressed during development and in adult gonad.

A PL10 vasa-like gene was isolated from the Kuruma shrimp Marsupenaeus japonicus and therefore called Mjpl10. It is differentially expressed during embryonic, larval, and postlarval development, and in female and male gonads. Using absolute real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), we demonstrate that Mjpl10 transcripts are present in the two-cell embryo, suggesting it is maternally expressed, and continually at low levels throughout embryogenesis. Mjpl10 expression increases significantly in the first 25 h after hatching (nauplii IV) and then decreases in a linear fashion by 316-fold over the next 52-day period. Its continued expression throughout embryonic and larval development is compatible with a conserved role in early germ cell specification. Transcript levels of Mjpl10 are also detected in the ovary and testes of mature adults.