Characterization of a novel activating protein-1 (AP-1) gene and the association of its single nucleotide polymorphisms with vibrio resistance in Tegillarca granosa

The blood clam Tegillarca granosa is a commercial marine bivalve of economic value, accounting for approximately 50% of clam production in China. In recent years, the yield of blood clams has been threatened by bacterial infections caused by marine Vibrio species that thrive under a rising sea temperature. The transcription factor activating protein-1 (AP-1) is emerging as an important player in the innate immunity of marine bivalves against viral or bacterial infections. In this study, the full-length cDNA of a novel T. granosa AP-1 (TgAP-1) was cloned for the first time. The 1591-bp cDNA encoded a protein of 292 amino acid residues with a calculated molecular weight of 32.8 kDa. The TgAP-1 protein contained an N-terminal Jun domain and a C-terminal basic region leucine zipper domain typically found in Jun proteins (a subfamily of AP-1 proteins). TgAP-1 was ubiquitously expressed in T. granosa, with the highest expression detected in the gill and foot, followed by the mantle, hemolymph, and hepatopancreas. Exposure to Vibrio harveyi induced TgAP-1 expression in gill tissues and the expression levels of TgAP-1 of resistant blood clams were always lower than that of control population whether Vibro infection or not. A total of 18 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of TgAP-1 were detected in T. granosa. SNP-typing and haplotyping of resistant and susceptible populations revealed that six SNPs (AG type of TgSNP-1, GA type of TgSNP-2, TG type of TgSNP-4, CT type of TgSNP-7, AG type of TgSNP-11, and GA type of TgSNP-12) and four haplotypes (fHap2, fHap3, fHap6, and fHap7) were significantly associated with V. harveyi resistance. Risk assessment showed that fHap2 (CG) and fHap7 (GA) were associated with an increased resistance, while fHap3 (CT) and fHap6 (AG) were associated with an increased susceptibility. The results from this study supported a potential role of TgAp-1 in the anti-Vibro immunity of T. granosa. The discovery of the genetic molecular markers and haplotypes related to Vibrio resistance can provide guidance for selective breeding of T. granosa in the future.