A C-type lectin fold gene from Japanese scallop Mizuhopecten yessoensis, involved with immunity and metamorphosis

C-type lectins are a superfamily of Ca2+-dependent carbohydrate-recognition proteins that are well known for their participation in pathogen recognition and clearance. In this study, a putative C-type lectin fold (MyCLF) gene was identified from the Japanese scallop Mizuhopecten yessoensis. The full-length of MyCLF was 645 bp, encoding a polypeptide of 167 amino acids. MyCLF carried a signal peptide of 20 amino acid residues, and a single carbohydrate recognition domain, having relatively high amino acid sequence conservation with C-type lectins reported for other bivalves. The expression of MyCLF mRNA transcripts in adult tissues, after bacterial challenge and during different developmental stages was determined using real-time quantitative RT-PCR. MyCLF was mainly distributed in the mantle, gill, and kidney. The expression of MyCLF clearly increased 3 h after Vibrio anguillarum challenge, and dropped to a minimum level after 9 h compared to the control group. During embryonic development, the expression level increased in the gastrulae, trochophore and early D-shaped larvae, decreased in D-shaped larvae, and then increased hundreds of times in metamorphosing larvae. The results suggested that MyCLF was involved in an immune response and it may play important roles during the metamorphosis phase of M. yessoensis.