Molecular Cloning and Expression Analysis of Three Suppressors of Cytokine Signaling Genes (SOCS5, SOCS6, SOCS7) in the Mealworm Beetle Tenebrio molitor.

Bharat Patnaik,Bo Kim,Yong Jo,In Bang

doi:10.3390/insects10030076

Abstract

Suppressors of cytokine signaling (SOCS) influence cytokine and growth factor signaling by negatively regulating the Janus kinase (JAK)-signal transducers and activators of transcription (STAT) pathway to maintain homeostasis during immune responses. However, functional characterization of SOCS family members in invertebrates is limited. Here, we identified and evaluated three SOCS genes (type I sub-family) in the mealworm beetle Tenebrio molitor. The full-length open reading frames (ORFs) of TmSOCS5, TmSOCS6, and TmSOCS7 comprised of 1389, 897, and 1458 nucleotides, encoding polypeptides of 462, 297, and 485 amino acids, respectively. The SH2 and SOCS box domains of the TmSOCS C-terminal region were highly conserved. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that these SOCS genes were clustered within the type I subfamily that exhibits the highest amino acid identity with Tribolium castaneum SOCS genes. Contrary to TmSOCS7 expression, the expression levels of TmSOCS5 and TmSOCS6 were lower in the larval, pupal, and adult stages. In larvae and adults, the expression levels of TmSOCS5 and TmSOCS6 were highest in the hemocytes and ovaries, respectively. SOCS transcripts were also highly upregulated in the hemocytes of T. molitor larvae within 3–6 h post-infection with the fungus Candida albicans. Collectively, these results provide valuable information regarding the involvement of TmSOCS type-I subfamily in the host immune response of insects.

Highlights

Cytokines are secretory proteins that regulate inflammatory responses
The putative open reading frames (ORFs) sequences for the TmSOCS genes were identified using the gene-finding program FGENESH
Through multiple sequence alignment (MSA) and percent identity analysis, that the Src Homology 2 (SH2) and suppressor of cytokine signaling (SOCS)

Summary

Introduction

Cytokines are secretory proteins that regulate inflammatory responses. Most cytokines promote gene expression through the Janus kinase (JAK)-signal transducers and activators of transcription (STAT) pathway. Cytokine signaling and the JAK-STAT pathway are known to play essential roles in metazoan development and homeostasis of immune responses [1,2]. A large number of JAKs and STATs (e.g., four JAKs and seven STATs in humans) exist, and there appears to be differential employment of specific JAK-STAT pathway components in response to signaling mediated by a plethora of cytokine molecules. Non-redundant JAK/STAT signaling occurs in mammals, with preferential usage of various JAKs and STATs in response to specific cytokines/growth factors.

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