Transient Receptor Potential (TRP) Channels in the Pacific Oyster (Crassostrea gigas): Genome-Wide Identification and Expression Profiling after Heat Stress between C. gigas and C. angulata.

Huiru Fu,Qi Li,Fuqiang Zhang,Liting Ren,Jing Tian,Yongjing Li,Shikai Liu,Zexin Jiao

doi:10.3390/ijms22063222

Abstract

Transmembrane proteins are involved in an array of stress responses, particularly in thermo-sensation and thermo-regulation. In this study, we performed a genome-wide identification and characterization of the Transient Receptor Potential (TRP) genes in the Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas) and investigated their expression profiles after heat stress to identify critical TRPs potentially associated with thermal regulation. A total of 66 TRP genes were identified in the C. gigas, which showed significant gene expansion and tandem duplication. Meta-analysis of the available RNA-Seq data generated from samples after acute heat stress revealed a set of heat-inducible TRPs. Further examination of their expression profiles under chronic heat stress, and comparison between C. gigas and C. angulata, two oyster species with different tolerance levels to heat stress, led to the identification of TRPC3.6, TRPC3.7, and TRPV4.7 as important TRPs involved in thermal regulation in oysters. This work provided valuable information for future studies on the molecular mechanism of TRP mediated thermal tolerance, and identification of diagnostic biomarker for thermal stress in the oysters.

Highlights

Global climate change has driven environmental changes dramatically, including global temperature rise, shrinking ice sheets, and ocean warming
A total of 66 Transient Receptor Potential (TRP) genes were identified in the C. gigas genome
We systematically identified and annotated a complete set of 66 TRP genes in C. gigas, which were assigned into TRPA, TRPC, TRPM, and TRPV subfamilies

Summary

Introduction

Global climate change has driven environmental changes dramatically, including global temperature rise, shrinking ice sheets, and ocean warming (https://climate.nasa.gov, accessed on 20 January 2021). Global ocean warming is a critical indicator of the climate system. Ocean temperature is a prominent external factor affecting biochemical and physiological performance of organisms, especially the aquatic ectotherms [2]. Mollusks are ecologically important components of aquatic ecosystems [3]. Oysters are a major group of marine mollusks and have well adapted to estuarine and intertidal environment [4]. The oysters have been encountering mass mortality during summer in recent years. Elevated water temperature has been considered to be one of the major causes for mass summer mortality in oyster aquaculture world-wide [5,6,7]

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Results

Discussion

Conclusion