Abstract
AbstractCaspases, also known as cysteine‐dependent aspartate‐directed proteases, play an important role in regulating apoptosis during development and inflammation. In this study, 10 caspase genes were characterized by searching the Japanese pufferfish genome using various bioinformatics methods, such as multiple sequence alignment and phylogenetic analysis. Additionally, we characterized the caspase genes and examined the expression profiles of every member in both healthy tissues and tissues infected with Vibrio harveyi in the liver and intestine. Our results revealed that 10 caspase genes were detected in all examined tissues, and the expression levels varied among different tissues and genes. Vibrio harveyi infection induced significant changes in the expression of 10 caspases in a time‐dependent manner, suggesting that they might play key roles in the defense process of Japanese pufferfish. Our findings offer strong support for future studies aiming to provide an initial assessment of caspase genes in teleosts.
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