Molecular characterization and transcription regulation analysis of type I IFN gene in grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella)

Type I interferons and interferon regulatory factor 7 (IRF7), which are crucial for innate immunity against viral infection, have been identified in many teleost fishes in recent years. In this study, the complete genomic sequence of grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) type I interferon (termed CiIFN) (GU139255) and the full-length IRF7 cDNA sequence of grass carp (termed CiIRF7) (GQ141741) were cloned and characterized. CiIFN consists of 3368 bp, retaining the characteristic 5-exon/4-intron gene organization in fish type I IFNs. The CiIFN spans 5 exons and encodes a polypeptide of 180 amino acids, with the first 22 amino acids representing a putative signal peptide. The CiIFN promoter sequence was found to be 760 bp, which can be divided into a proximal region (from − 1 to − 140 bp) and a distal region (from − 400 to − 700 bp). The cDNA of CiIRF7 was found to be 1808 bp in full length, with an ORF of 1293 bp that encodes a putative protein of 430 amino acids. The putative amino acid sequence of CiIRF7 possesses a DNA-binding domain (DBD) in the N-terminal region. Real-time PCR analysis revealed that CiIFN displayed a low constitutive expression in all the tissues tested. After stimulation by polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid (Poly I:C), the expression of CiIFN was significantly up-regulated in most tissues of grass carp, with a relatively strong expression in spleen, kidney and intestine. The recombinant polypeptides of CiIRF7 and CiIRF7–nDBD were analyzed in gel mobility shift assays, along with the PCR amplification products of the proximal region (CiIFNP2), the distal region (CiIFNP6) and the full-length (CiIFNP7) of CiIFN promoter sequence. The results revealed that CiIRF7 could bind to the distal region as well as to the proximal region of CiIFN promoter sequence in vitro. Subsequently, the CiIFNPs (CiIFNP7/2/6) were cloned into pGL3-Basic vectors and CiIRF7 was subcloned into pcDNA3.1 vectors, then pGL3-CiIFNPs were separately transiently transfected or co-transfected with pcDNA3.1-CiIRF7 into the mouse myeloma cell lines (MMCL) SP2/0 and the grass carp kidney cell lines (CIK), and the impact of CiIRF7 on CiIFN promoter activity was measured by luciferase assays in the transfected cells. These results demonstrated that CiIRF7 acted as a positive regulator on the transcription of CiIFN.

► Type I IFN genomic DNA sequence from C. idella (CiIFN) was identified.
► The CiIFN consists of 3368 bp with a typical 5-exon/4-intron gene organization.
► The full-length cDNA sequence of IRF7 from C. idella (CiIRF7) was identified.
► RT-PCR results showed CiIFN was expressed ubiquitously in all tested tissues.
► Luciferase analysis showed CiIRF7 could up-regulate the transcription of CiIFN.