Genome-wide identification of JNK and p38 gene family in Ctenopharyngodon idella and their expression profiles in response to bacterial challenge

Abstract

c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNKs) and p38s are central components of signal transduction pathways, which are stimulated mainly by environmental stress and inflammatory cytokines. Manipulation of JNK and p38 dependent immune responses either boosts or subdues immune responses to infectious diseases or inflammatory disorders. In this study, we analyzed the whole-genome database of the grass carp and identified 4 JNK and 6 p38 genes. JNK and p38 genes of grass carp were distributed in 7 out of 24 chromosomes. All JNK and p38 proteins contained characteristic dual-phosphorylation site. The JNKs contain a specific dual-phosphorylation consensus ((Thr-Pro-Tyr) that is different from that of the p38 proteins (Thr-Gly-Tyr). Deduced gene secondary structure analyses as well as the syntenic analyses further supported their annotation and orthologs. Results of tissue distribution detection revealed that JNK and p38 genes exhibited lower expression in health grass carp. The mRNA expression levels of JNK and p38 genes were significantly up-regulated in tissues and CIK cells after bacterial infection, indicating their potential roles in bacterial-regulated immune responses. These findings in our study will facilitate the further evolutionary characterization of JNK and p38 genes in teleost species and provide a theoretical basis for their functional study.