A high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) gene from Chlamys farreri and the DNA-binding ability and pro-inflammatory activity of its recombinant protein

• A HMGB1 was identified from Zhikong scallop (Chlamys farreri).
• The spatio-temporal mRNA expressions of CfHMGB1 mRNA were recorded.
• rCfHMGB1 displayed DNA-binding and pro-inflammatory activity.

High-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) protein, a highly conserved DNA binding protein, plays an important role in maintaining nucleosome structures, transcription, and inflammation. In the present research, a cDNA of 1268 bp for the Zhikong scallop Chlamys farreri HMGB1 (designed as CfHMGB1) was cloned via rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) technique and expression sequence tag (EST) analysis. The complete cDNA sequence of CfHMGB1 contained an open reading frame (ORF) of 648 bp, which encoded a protein of 215 amino acids. The amino acid sequence of CfHMGB1 shared 53–57% similarity with other identified HMGB1s. There were two HMG domains, two low complexity regions and a conserved acidic tail in the amino acid sequence of CfHMGB1. The mRNA transcripts of CfHMGB1 were constitutively expressed in all the tested tissues, including haemocytes, muscle, mantle, gill, hepatopancreas, kidney and gonad, with the highest expression level in hepatopancreas. The mRNA expression profiles of CfHMGB1 in haemocytes after the stimulation with different pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs), including lipopolysaccharide (LPS), peptidoglycan (PGN) and glucan (Glu), were similar with an up-regulation in the early stage and then recovered to the original level. The recombinant CfHMGB1 protein could bind double-stranded DNA and induce the release of TNF-α activity in mixed primary culture of scallop haemocytes. These results collectively indicated that CfHMGB1, with DNA-binding ability and pro-inflammatory activity, could play an important role in the immune response of scallops.