Molecular characterisation and expression analysis of a fish-egg lectin in rock bream, and its response to bacterial or viral infection

A fish-egg lectin, RbFEL, was identified from rock bream (Oplegnathus fasciatus) and its expression analysed. In both vertebrates and invertebrates, carbohydrate-binding proteins (lectins) play an important role in innate immunity against microbial invasion. Here, we report the cloning of a fish-egg lectin from rock bream using a combination of expression sequence tag (EST) analyses. The full-length cDNA of RbFEL is composed of 1512-bp with a 780-bp ORF that encodes 259 amino acid residues. The deduced polypeptide exhibits six conserved residues of the FEL family. All cysteine positions in each domain were completely conserved. Reverse transcription quantitative real-time PCR analysis of the tissues revealed that RbFEL mRNA was abundantly expressed in liver, moderately expressed in head kidney and rarely expressed in other tissues. Expression analyses of time series sampled fertilised eggs showed that expression gradually increased 1, 3, 12, 24 and 36 h after fertilisation. In addition, RbFEL expression was significantly up-regulated in rock bream challenged with Edwardsiella tarda, Streptococcus iniae and red sea bream iridovirus (RSIV). These results suggest that RbFEL is a member of the egg-lectin family and is involved in the innate immune response in rock bream.