Development of a Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas) 31,918-feature microarray: identification of reference genes and tissue-enriched expression patterns

Background: Research using the Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas as a model organism has experienced rapid growth in recent years due to the development of high-throughput molecular technologies. As many as 56,268 EST sequences have been sequenced to date, representing a genome-wide resource that can be used for transcriptomic investigations. Results: In this paper, we developed a Pacific oyster microarray containing oligonucleotides representing 31,918 transcribed sequences selected from the publicly accessible GigasDatabase. This newly designed microarray was used to study the transcriptome of male and female gonads, mantle, gills, posterior adductor muscle, visceral ganglia, hemocytes, labial palps and digestive gland. Statistical analyses identified genes differentially expressed among tissues and clusters of tissue-enriched genes. These genes reflect major tissue-specific functions at the molecular level, such as tissue formation in the mantle, filtering in the gills and labial palps, and reproduction in the gonads. Hierarchical clustering predicted the involvement of unannotated genes in specific functional pathways such as the insulin/NPY pathway, an important pathway under study in our model species. Microarray data also accurately identified reference genes whose mRNA level appeared stable across all the analyzed tissues. Adp-ribosylation factor 1 9arf1) appeared to be the most robust reference for normalizing gene expression data across different tissues and is therefore proposed as a relevant reference gene for further gene expression analysis in the Pacific oyster. Conclusions: This study provides a new transcriptomic tool for studies of oyster biology, which will help in the annotation of its genome and which identifies candidate reference genes for gene expression analysis

A crucial role in fertility for the oyster angiotensin-converting enzyme orthologue CgACE

Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) is a highly conserved metallopeptidase. In mammals, the somatic isoform governs blood pressure whereas the germinal isoform (tACE) is required for fertility. In Ecdysozoans, ACE-like enzymes are implicated in reproduction. Despite ACE orthologues being present from bacteria to humans, their function(s) remain(s) unknown in distant organisms such as Lophotrochozoans. In silico analysis of an oyster (Crassostrea gigas) EST library suggested the presence of an ACE orthologue in molluscs. Primer walking and 5'-RACE revealed that the 1.9 kb cDNA encodes CgACE, a 632 amino acid protein displaying a conserved single active site and a putative C-terminal transmembrane anchor, thus resembling human tACE, as supported by molecular modelling. FRET activity assays and Maldi-TOF spectrometry indicated that CgACE is a functional dipeptidyl-carboxypeptidase which is active on Angiotensin I and sensitive to ACE inhibitors and chloride ion concentration. Immunocytochemistry revealed that, as its human counterpart, recombinant CgACE is synthesised as a transmembrane enzyme. RT-qPCR, in-situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry shed light on a tissue, and development stage, specific expression pattern for CgACE, which is increased in the gonad during spermatogenesis. The use of ACE inhibitors in vivo indicates that the dipeptidase activity of CgACE is crucial for the oyster fertilization. Our study demonstrates that a transmembrane active ACE is present in the oyster Crassostrea gigas, and for the first time ascribes a functional role for ACE in Lophotrochozoans. Its biological function in reproduction is conserved from molluscs to humans, a finding of particular evolutionary interest especially since oysters represent the most important aquaculture resource worldwide

Generation and analysis of a 29,745 unique Expressed Sequence Tags from the Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas) assembled into a publicly accessible database: the GigasDatabase

Background: Although bivalves are among the most-studied marine organisms because of their ecological role and economic importance, very little information is available on the genome sequences of oyster species. This report documents three large-scale cDNA sequencing projects for the Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas initiated to provide a large number of expressed sequence tags that were subsequently compiled in a publicly accessible database. This resource allowed for the identification of a large number of transcripts and provides valuable information for ongoing investigations of tissue-specific and stimulus-dependant gene expression patterns. These data are crucial for constructing comprehensive DNA microarrays, identifying single nucleotide polymorphisms and microsatellites in coding regions, and for identifying genes when the entire genome sequence of C. gigas becomes available. Description: In the present paper, we report the production of 40,845 high-quality ESTs that identify 29,745 unique transcribed sequences consisting of 7,940 contigs and 21,805 singletons. All of these new sequences, together with existing public sequence data, have been compiled into a publicly-available Website http://public-contigbrowser.sigenae.org:9090/Crassostrea_gigas/index.htm l. Approximately 43% of the unique ESTs had significant matches against the SwissProt database and 27% were annotated using Gene Ontology terms. In addition, we identified a total of 208 in silico microsatellites from the ESTs, with 173 having sufficient flanking sequence for primer design. We also identified a total of 7,530 putative in silico, single-nucleotide polymorphisms using existing and newly-generated EST resources for the Pacific oyster. Conclusion: A publicly-available database has been populated with 29,745 unique sequences for the Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas. The database provides many tools to search cleaned and assembled ESTs. The user may input and submit several filters, such as protein or nucleotide hits, to select and download relevant elements. This database constitutes one of the most developed genomic resources accessible among Lophotrochozoans, an orphan clade of bilateral animals. These data will accelerate the development of both genomics and genetics in a commercially-important species with the highest annual, commercial production of any aquatic organism

Gametogenesis in the Pacific Oyster Crassostrea gigas: A Microarrays-Based Analysis Identifies Sex and Stage Specific Genes

Background: The Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas (Mollusca, Lophotrochozoa) is an alternative and irregular protandrous hermaphrodite: most individuals mature first as males and then change sex several times. Little is known about genetic and phenotypic basis of sex differentiation in oysters, and little more about the molecular pathways regulating reproduction. We have recently developed and validated a microarray containing 31,918 oligomers (Dheilly et al., 2011) representing the oyster transcriptome. The application of this microarray to the study of mollusk gametogenesis should provide a better understanding of the key factors involved in sex differentiation and the regulation of oyster reproduction. Methodology/Principal Findings: Gene expression was studied in gonads of oysters cultured over a yearly reproductive cycle. Principal component analysis and hierarchical clustering showed a significant divergence in gene expression patterns of males and females coinciding with the start of gonial mitosis. ANOVA analysis of the data revealed 2,482 genes differentially expressed during the course of males and/or females gametogenesis. The expression of 434 genes could be localized in either germ cells or somatic cells of the gonad by comparing the transcriptome of female gonads to the transcriptome of stripped oocytes and somatic tissues. Analysis of the annotated genes revealed conserved molecular mechanisms between mollusks and mammals: genes involved in chromatin condensation, DNA replication and repair, mitosis and meiosis regulation, transcription, translation and apoptosis were expressed in both male and female gonads. Most interestingly, early expressed male-specific genes included bindin and a dpy-30 homolog and female-specific genes included foxL2, nanos homolog 3, a pancreatic lipase related protein, cd63 and vitellogenin. Further functional analyses are now required in order to investigate their role in sex differentiation in oysters. Conclusions/Significance: This study allowed us to identify potential markers of early sex differentiation in the oyster C. gigas, an alternative hermaphrodite mollusk. We also provided new highly valuable information on genes specifically expressed by mature spermatozoids and mature oocytes

Purification et caracterisation biochimique de peptides immunologiquement apparentes aux gastrines/cholecystokinines chez quelques crustaces decapodes : recherche d'un role biologique

SIGLECNRS T Bordereau / INIST-CNRS - Institut de l'Information Scientifique et TechniqueFRFranc

Caractérisation moléculaire de récepteurs orthologues des récepteurs de type GnRH et mise en évidence de peptides apparentés à la GnRH chez l'huître creuse Crassotrea gigas

CAEN-BU Sciences et STAPS (141182103) / SudocSudocFranceF

Caractérisation structurale et fonctionnelle d'une famille de facteurs de la famille 18 des glycosidases impliqués dans la croissance, le développement et l'immunité chez l'huître creuse Crassostrea gigas

CAEN-BU Sciences et STAPS (141182103) / SudocSudocFranceF

Caractérisation fonctionnelle de la voie de signalisation des "Transforming Growth Factor beta" chez l'huître creuse Crassostrea gigas (implications du ligand Cg-TGF-beta)

Pour compléter les composants de la voie de signalisation de la superfamille des TGF-beta chez les Lophotrochozoaires, un récepteur de type II aux Activines (Cg-ActRII), proche du récepteur humain ActRIIB, a été caractérisé chez Crassostrea gigas. Il est fortement exprimé lors des premiers stades de développement de l huître et dans les tissus nerveux. Il est fonctionnel dans des embryons de poisson zèbre, se comportant de façon similaire à son orthologue de poisson, pouvant jouer un rôle dans les deux voies TGF-beta/Activine et BMP. Afin de comprendre comment les différents composants de la voie de signalisation interagissent, le ligand Cg-TGF-beta et différentes combinaisons des récepteurs ont été co-exprimés dans des lignées cellulaires de mammifères. Les résultats montrent une interaction entre Cg-TGF-beta et deux récepteurs de type I (TbetaRI/ALRI) pour activer la voie de signalisation TGF-beta/Activine. Le récepteur TbetafRII semble inhiber cette voie mais il active la voie des BMP en présence du récepteur BMPRI et du ligand recombinant BMP2. Structuralement proche des ligands vertébrés de la famille des TGFbeta, les fonctions de Cg-TGF-beta dans des chondrocytes articulaires de lapin ont été étudiées. Bien qu entrainant une inhibition de la prolifération et stimulant la synthèse de composés extracellulaires (Aggrécane et collagène de type II), il possède des activités différentes de ses orthologues. Cette étude suggère une conservation de la fonctionnalité des composants de la voie de signalisation des TGF-betass chez les Lophotrochozoaires, avec une polyvalence des interactions entre les composants, ce qui constitue un mécanisme essentiel pour des réponses cellulaires spécifiques.To complete the full repertoire of the TGF-beta pathway components in Lophotrochozoans, an Activin type II receptor (Cg-ActRII) was characterized from the oyster Crassostrea gigas. This receptor showed highest identity with human ActRIIB and demonstrated high expression during the first stages of oyster development and in the nervous tissues. It was found functional in zebrafish used as reporter organism and appeared to behave in a way similar to its zebrafish counterpart playing seemingly a dual role in both activin and BMP pathways. To decipher how, the various TGF-beta pathway components characterized in oyster interact to each other, Cg-TGF-beta ligand as well as various combinations of TGF-b receptors were co-expressed in mammalian cell lines. The results show interactions between Cg-TGF-b and two type I receptors (TbetaRI/ALRI) in the TGF-betass/Activin pathway. The receptor Cg-Tbeta sfRII seems to inhibit this pathway but activates the BMP pathway in presence of Cg-BMPRI and recombinant BMP2 though discrete Cg-ALR1 also activates this pathway. Since Cg-TGF-b is structurally related to the vertebrate TGF-bss family, its activity was investigated on Rabbit Articular Chondrocytes. Although Cg-TGF-beta inhibits their proliferation and promotes the transcription of some extracellular matrix components like Agrecan or type II Collagen, Cg-TGF-b activity was distinct from that of its vertebrate counterpart. This study suggests a preservation of the functionality of the TGFbeta pathway components in Lophotrochozoans, a relative conservation of the hierarchy but a versatility of the interactions between the various components which constitutes the central mechanism for fine tuning cellular responses.CAEN-BU Sciences et STAPS (141182103) / SudocSudocFranceF

Diversity of the RFamide Peptide Family in Mollusks

International audienceSince the initial characterization of the cardioexcitatory peptide FMRFamide in the bivalve mollusk Macrocallista nimbosa, a great number of FMRFamide-like peptides (FLPs) have been identified in mollusks. FLPs were initially isolated and molecularly characterized in model mollusks using biochemical methods. The development of recombinant technologies and, more recently, of genomics has boosted knowledge on their diversity in various mollusk classes. Today, mollusk FLPs represent approximately 75 distinct RFamide pep-tides that appear to result from the expression of only five genes: the FMRFamide-related peptide gene, the LFRFamide gene, the luqin gene, the neuropeptide F gene, and the chole-cystokinin/sulfakinin gene. FLPs display a complex spatiotemporal pattern of expression in the central and peripheral nervous system. Working as neurotransmitters, neuromodu-lators, or neurohormones, FLPs are involved in the control of a great variety of biological and physiological processes including cardiovascular regulation, osmoregulation, reproduction , digestion, and feeding behavior. From an evolutionary viewpoint, the major challenge will then logically concern the elucidation of the FLP repertoire of orphan mollusk classes and the way they are functionally related. In this respect, deciphering FLP signaling pathways by characterizing the specific receptors these peptides bind remains another exciting objective

Caractérisation structurale et fonctionnelle de récepteurs de la superfamille des TGF-ß chez l'huître creuse Crassostrea gigas (implications évolutives)

CAEN-BU Sciences et STAPS (141182103) / SudocSudocFranceF