The Role of the TLR4-MyD88 Signaling Pathway in the Immune Response of the Selected Scallop Strain “Hongmo No. 1” to Heat Stress
2024
Chenyang Yue | Kexin Zhang | Zhigang Liu | Wengang Lü | Hui Guo | Liqiang Zhao | Xinyu Song | James Kar-Hei Fang
The innate immunity of marine bivalves is challenged upon exposure to heat stress, especially with increases in the frequency and intensity of heat waves. TLR4 serves a classical pattern recognition receptor in recognizing pathogenic microorganisms and activating immune responses. In this study, three genes, <i>HMTLR4</i>, <i>HMMyD88</i> and <i>HMTRAF6</i>, were characterized as homologs of genes in the TLR4-MyD88 signaling pathway in the selected scallop strain “Hongmo No. 1”. According to RT-PCR, acute heat stress (32 °C) inhibited genes in the TLR4-MyD88 signaling pathway, and LPS stimulation-induced activation of TLR4-MyD88 signal transduction was also negatively affected at 32 °C. ELISA showed LPS-induced tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) or lysozyme (LZM) activity, but this was independent of temperature. RNA interference (RNAi) confirmed that <i>HMTLR4</i> silencing suppressed the expression of its downstream gene, whether at 24 °C or at 32 °C. The level of TNF-α and the activity of LZM also decreased after injection with dsRNA, indicating a negative effect on the innate immunity of scallops. Additionally, acute heat stress affected the suppression of downstream gene expression when compared with that at 24 °C, which led us to the hypothesis that heat stress directly influences the downstream targets of <i>HMTLR4</i>. These results enrich the knowledge of scallop immunity under heat stress and can be beneficial for the genetic improvement of new scallop strains with higher thermotolerance.
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