Abstract
Simple SummaryCathelicidins are a group of host defense peptides in vertebrates with both antimicrobial and immunomodulatory activities. In the present study, we identified the entire repertoire of the cathelicidin gene family from the forest musk deer genome. Sequence comparison, phylogenetic topology, and gene and genomic organizations collectively suggest that all cathelicidin genes have already been fixed in the genome of forest musk deer before the split of moschidae and bovidae, while independent pseudogenization events have occurred after species divergence. In addition, real-time PCR analysis suggested that all functional cathelicidins play important roles in the immune system. The results of this study will be helpful for further evolutionary and functional studies.The forest musk deer (Moschus berezovskii) is a small-sized artiodactyl species famous for the musk secreted by adult males. In the captive population, this species is under the threat of infection diseases, which greatly limits the increase of individual numbers. In the present study, we computationally analyzed the repertoire of the cathelicidin (CATHL) family from the genome of forest musk deer and investigated their expression pattern by real-time PCR. Our results showed that the entire genome of forest musk deer encodes eight cathelicidins, including six functional genes and two pseudogenes. Phylogenetic analyses further revealed that all forest musk deer cathelicidin members have emerged before the split of the forest musk deer and cattle and that forest musk deer CATHL3L2 and CATHL9 are orthologous with two cattle pseudogenes. In addition, the gene expression results showed that the six functional genes are not only abundantly expressed in the spleen and lung, but are also differently expressed in response to abscesses, which suggests that forest musk deer cathelicidins may be involved in infections. Taken together, identification and characterization of the forest musk deer cathelicidins provide fundamental data for further investigating their evolutionary process and biological functions.
Highlights
The forest musk deer (Moschus berezovskii), known as the dwarf musk deer, is a small-sized artiodactyl species that is mainly distributed in the forested and mountainous regions of South-WestAsia [1]
We examined the expression of musk deer cathelicidins in four different tissues and compared the mRNA abundance of the functional members in the liver and spleen between healthy musk deer and those who died of abscess disease
We reported the repertoire of forest musk deer cathelicidin genes for the first time
Summary
The forest musk deer (Moschus berezovskii), known as the dwarf musk deer, is a small-sized artiodactyl species that is mainly distributed in the forested and mountainous regions of South-WestAsia [1]. As a result of overhunting and habitat destruction in the past, the size of the wild forest musk deer population has been sharply reduced. This species has been listed as a first-class key species of wildlife in the Chinese Wild Animal Protection Law and is listed in the Appendices of Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, as well as on the International. Restricted by insufficient space and other animals’ natural behavioral needs in the artificial environment, disease is becoming a bottleneck that prevents the increase of captive populations [5,6]. Understanding immunity, including the genetic information of immune genes, is urgently needed to enhance the disease resistance of forest musk deer
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