Cloning and expression analysis of c-type lysozyme gene in golden pompano, Trachinotus ovatus

• To-lysC was cloned from golden pompano, Trachinotus ovatus.
• To-lysC distributed in all examined tissues.
• To-lysC was up-regulated after Vibrio harveyi infection in vitro.

It is well known that lysozymes are key proteins to teleosts in the innate immune system and possess high bactericidal properties. In the present study, a c-type lysozyme gene (To-lysC) was cloned from golden pompano, Trachinotus ovatus. The To-lysC cDNA is composed of 743 bp with a 36 bp of 5′-UTR, 432 bp open reading frame (ORF) and 275 bp 3′-UTR, encoding a polypeptide of 144 amino acids (GenBank accession no: KT935522). Phylogenetic analysis revealed that To-lysC showed highest similarity to Perca flavescens lysC. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis showed that To-lysC had relatively high expression level in the head kidney, gill and brain. After Vibrio harveyi infection, transcripts of To-lysC increased and reached its peak at 12 h p.i. These results indicated that To-lysC may play an important role in innate immune response to bacteria.