Heat stress-mediated gene expression in the body wall of the Japanese sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus

Abstract

Suppression subtractive hybridization was used to analyze the differences in gene expression in the body wall of the Japanese sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus, induced by heat stress (28°C), in order to understand the response at the molecular level. A total of 737 clones was selected and analyzed, and 165 distinct sequences were obtained, with 65 sharing similarity to sequences in public databases. The sequenced genes were classified into 3 functional categories. Increased expression of some genes in response to stress was concomitant with decreased expression of genes concerned with energy production and metabolism. The results (1) suggest that heat stress has significant effects on gene expression in A. japonicus, and (2) provide the basis for further study of molecular regulation mechanisms underlying the response to heat stress and estivation in A. japonicus. © Inter-Research 2011.