Academic Journal
Molecular characterization, microbial recognition and immunomodulatory functions of a novel ladderlectin-like lectin (HoLL-like) from Hexagrammos otakii.
| Τίτλος: | Molecular characterization, microbial recognition and immunomodulatory functions of a novel ladderlectin-like lectin (HoLL-like) from Hexagrammos otakii. |
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| Συγγραφείς: | Wen Y; College of Fisheries and Life Science, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian, 116023, China., Wei X; Key Laboratory of Applied Biology and Aquaculture of Northern Fishes in Liaoning Province, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian, 116023, China; College of Fisheries and Life Science, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian, 116023, China., He T; Key Laboratory of Applied Biology and Aquaculture of Northern Fishes in Liaoning Province, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian, 116023, China; College of Fisheries and Life Science, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian, 116023, China., Wang S; Key Laboratory of Applied Biology and Aquaculture of Northern Fishes in Liaoning Province, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian, 116023, China; College of Fisheries and Life Science, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian, 116023, China., Zhang Y; Key Laboratory of Applied Biology and Aquaculture of Northern Fishes in Liaoning Province, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian, 116023, China; College of Fisheries and Life Science, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian, 116023, China., Zhang Z; College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Dalian Maritime University, Dalian, 116026, China., Li J; Key Laboratory of Applied Biology and Aquaculture of Northern Fishes in Liaoning Province, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian, 116023, China; College of Fisheries and Life Science, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian, 116023, China., Wang X; Key Laboratory of Applied Biology and Aquaculture of Northern Fishes in Liaoning Province, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian, 116023, China; College of Fisheries and Life Science, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian, 116023, China., Wang W; Key Laboratory of Applied Biology and Aquaculture of Northern Fishes in Liaoning Province, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian, 116023, China; College of Fisheries and Life Science, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian, 116023, China. Electronic address: wangwei@dlou.edu.cn., Li X; Key Laboratory of Applied Biology and Aquaculture of Northern Fishes in Liaoning Province, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian, 116023, China; College of Fisheries and Life Science, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian, 116023, China; Dalian Xinghai Bay Laboratory, Dalian, 116034, China. Electronic address: lixuejie@dlou.edu.cn. |
| Πηγή: | Fish & shellfish immunology [Fish Shellfish Immunol] 2026 Oct; Vol. 177, pp. 111603. Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 Jul 22. |
| Τύπος έκδοσης: | Journal Article |
| Γλώσσα: | English |
| Στοιχεία περιοδικού: | Publisher: Academic Press Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 9505220 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1095-9947 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 10504648 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Fish Shellfish Immunol Subsets: MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): | Original Publication: London ; New York : Academic Press, c1991- |
| Ιατρικοί όροι (MeSH): | Immunity, Innate*/genetics , Fish Diseases*/immunology , Perciformes*/immunology , Perciformes*/genetics , Lectins, C-Type*/genetics , Lectins, C-Type*/immunology , Lectins, C-Type*/chemistry , Gene Expression Regulation*/immunology, Sequence Alignment/veterinary ; Fish Proteins/genetics ; Fish Proteins/chemistry ; Fish Proteins/immunology ; Vibrio/physiology ; Gene Expression Profiling/veterinary ; Vibrio Infections/immunology ; Vibrio Infections/veterinary ; Lectins/genetics ; Lectins/immunology ; Lectins/chemistry ; Animals ; Amino Acid Sequence ; Phylogeny ; Base Sequence ; Innate Immunity Recognition |
| Περίληψη: | Ladderlectin, a member of the C-type lectin (CTL) family, has historically been identified only in fish and shrimp, where it is primarily involved in innate immune defense. In teleosts, ladderlectin plays a crucial dual role in both innate immunity against pathogens and reproductive regulation. However, the molecular characterization and immunomodulatory functions of ladderlectin homolog (ladderlectin-like) in Hexagrammos otakii remain poorly understood. In this study, a novel ladderlectin-like gene (HoLL-like) was identified and cloned from Hexagrammos otakii based on genomic data. Sequence analysis and domain prediction revealed that HoLL-like contains a 534-bp open reading frame encoding a 177-aa polypeptide, with an N-terminal signal peptide and a single C-type lectin-like domain (CTLD). The CTLD retains the WSD, WND, and WIGG motifs and is rich in cysteine residues. Phylogenetic analysis showed that HoLL-like forms a distinct, relatively independent clade within the teleost ladderlectin-like family. Quantitative RT-PCR analysis demonstrated that Holl-like is expressed in multiple tissues, with the highest transcript levels in the liver. Besides, it exhibited a time-dependent transcriptional response in the liver, spleen, skin, intestine, and kidney following Vibrio harveyi infection. After heterologous expression, purification, and refolding, the recombinant protein rHoLL-like displayed characteristic ladder-like oligomeric bands in immunoblotting. Functional assays revealed that rHoLL-like binds and agglutinates multiple Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria in a Ca2+-independent manner and binds pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs), including lipopolysaccharide (LPS), peptidoglycan (PGN), and poly(I:C) in a dose-dependent manner, showing higher affinity for LPS. Further analyses indicated that rHoLL-like did not directly agglutinate or lyse erythrocytes, but enhanced serum hemolytic and bactericidal activities under Ca2+-containing conditions. These effects were sensitive to EDTA and serum heat inactivation, suggesting that rHoLL-like may modulate heat-labile, Ca2+-dependent serum effector mechanisms, potentially associated with complement activity. Collectively, these findings suggest that HoLL-like plays a crucial role in the innate immune response of H. otakii against bacterial and other pathogen infections. This study expands our understanding of the functional repertoire of teleost ladderlectin-like proteins and provides new insights into the molecular strategies to prevent and control bacterial diseases in marine aquaculture, as well as for the development of immunoactive agents. (Copyright © 2026 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.) |
| Competing Interests: | Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper. |
| Contributed Indexing: | Keywords: Bacterial agglutination; C-type lectin; Hexagrammos otakii; Immunomodulation; Ladderlectin-like |
| Substance Nomenclature: | 0 (Fish Proteins) 0 (Lectins, C-Type) 0 (Lectins) |
| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20260722 Date Completed: 20260806 Latest Revision: 20260806 |
| Update Code: | 20260807 |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.fsi.2026.111603 |
| PMID: | 42486209 |
| Βάση Δεδομένων: | MEDLINE |
| ISSN: | 1095-9947 |
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| DOI: | 10.1016/j.fsi.2026.111603 |