Molecular characterization of interleukin 15 mRNA from rohu, Labeo rohita (Hamilton): Its prominent role during parasitic infection as indicated from infection studies

• Sequence characterization of IL-15 mRNA of rohu indicated a small signal peptide.
• IL-15 expression was high during early developmental stages.
• IL-15 was constitutively expressed in all rohu tissues examined.
• Modulation of IL-15 expression during viral analog, bacterial and parasitic infections was noticed.

Interleukin 15 (IL-15) is an important cytokine of fish immune system. Sequence characterization of IL-15 from rohu, Labeo rohita revealed a mRNA sequence of 1064 bp with coding sequence of 567 bp and signal peptide of 16 amino acids. There are four characteristic sequence features viz., presence of four out-of-frame AUG initiation codons, four highly conserved cysteine residues, constitutive expression in all tissues and evolutionary similarity. The ontogeny study revealed maternal transfer of this molecule and higher expression up to 3 h post-fertilization in fertilized embryos. Its expression was down-regulated in anterior and posterior kidneys, intestine and liver tissues of rohu infected with Aeromonas hydrophila. Mild up-regulation in liver and higher expression in spleen was noticed in rohu stimulated with poly I:C (poly ionosinic:cytidylic), whereas down-regulation was observed in intestine and kidney tissues. However, a consistent higher expression was noticed in kidney and skin tissues during Argulus siamensis infection. Therefore, rohu IL-15 might possess more defensive role during early development and parasitic infection.