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Identification and Characterization of the Lysine-Rich Matrix Protein Family in Pinctada fucata: Indicative of Roles in Shell Formation

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Abstract

Mantle can secret matrix proteins playing key roles in regulating the process of shell formation. The genes encoding lysine-rich matrix proteins (KRMPs) are one of the most highly expressed matrix genes in pearl oysters. However, the expression pattern of KRMPs is limited and the functions of them still remain unknown. In this study, we isolated and identified six new members of lysine-rich matrix proteins, rich in lysine, glycine and tyrosine, and all of them are basic matrix proteins. Combined with four members of the KRMPs previously reported, all these proteins can be divided into three subclasses according to the results of phylogenetic analyses: KRMP1–3 belong to subclass KPI, KRMP4–5 belong to KPII, and KRMP6–10 belong to KPIII. Three subcategories of lysine-rich matrix proteins are highly expressed in the D-phase, the larvae and adult mantle. Lysine-rich matrix proteins are involved in the shell repairing process and associated with the formation of the shell and pearl. What’s more, they can cause abnormal shell growth after RNA interference. In detail, KPI subgroup was critical for the beginning formation of the prismatic layer; both KPII and KPIII subgroups participated in the formation of prismatic layer and nacreous layer. Compared with different temperatures and salinity stimulation treatments, the influence of changes in pH on KRMPs gene expression was the greatest. Recombinant KRMP7 significantly inhibited CaCO3 precipitation, changed the morphology of calcite, and inhibited the growth of aragonite in vitro. Our results are beneficial to understand the functions of the KRMP genes during shell formation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Marine Biotechnology, Collaborative Innovation Center of Deep Sea Biology, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China

    Jian Liang, Jun Xie, Jing Gao, Chao-Qun Xu, Yi Yan, Gan-Chu Jia, Liang Xiang, Li-Ping Xie & Rong-Qing Zhang

  2. State Key Laboratory of Plateau Ecology and Agriculture, Qinghai University, Xining, Qinghai Province, 810016, China

    Jian Liang & Rong-Qing Zhang

  3. Protein Science Laboratory of the Ministry of Education, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China

    Li-Ping Xie & Rong-Qing Zhang

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  1. Jian Liang
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  2. Jun Xie
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  3. Jing Gao
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  4. Chao-Qun Xu
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  5. Yi Yan
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  6. Gan-Chu Jia
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  7. Liang Xiang
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  8. Li-Ping Xie
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  9. Rong-Qing Zhang
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Li-Ping Xie or Rong-Qing Zhang.

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Funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China Grants 31372502 and 31572594 and Independent Research Projects of Tsinghua University Grant 20111080964.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Fig. S1

Purification of recombinant KRMP7. Arrows represent the proteins induced by IPTG and confirmed by Western blot. (GIF 19 kb)

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Fig. S2

The position of qPCR primers in KRMP nucleotide sequences. The black single underline, bold underline, and double underline indicate primers qKPIF/qKPIR, qKPIIF/qKPIIR and qKPIIIF/qKPIIIR, respectively. (GIF 227 kb)

High Resolution Image (TIFF 8077 kb)

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Liang, J., Xie, J., Gao, J. et al. Identification and Characterization of the Lysine-Rich Matrix Protein Family in Pinctada fucata: Indicative of Roles in Shell Formation. Mar Biotechnol 18, 645–658 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10126-016-9724-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10126-016-9724-6

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