Preprint Article Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

A Novel Hemocyte-Derived Peptide and Its Possible Roles in Immune Response of Ciona intestinalis Type A

Shin Matsubara
* ORCID logo ,
Rin Iguchi
,
Michio Ogasawara
ORCID logo ,
Hiroya Nakamura
,
Tatsuki R. Kataoka
,
Akira Shiraishi
ORCID logo ,
Tomohiro Osugi
,
Tsuyoshi Kawada
,
Honoo Satake
ORCID logo
Version 1 : Received: 20 December 2023 / Approved: 20 December 2023 / Online: 20 December 2023 (15:19:21 CET)

A peer-reviewed article of this Preprint also exists.

Matsubara, S.; Iguchi, R.; Ogasawara, M.; Nakamura, H.; Kataoka, T.R.; Shiraishi, A.; Osugi, T.; Kawada, T.; Satake, H. A Novel Hemocyte-Derived Peptide and Its Possible Roles in Immune Response of Ciona intestinalis Type A. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25, 1979. Matsubara, S.; Iguchi, R.; Ogasawara, M.; Nakamura, H.; Kataoka, T.R.; Shiraishi, A.; Osugi, T.; Kawada, T.; Satake, H. A Novel Hemocyte-Derived Peptide and Its Possible Roles in Immune Response of Ciona intestinalis Type A. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25, 1979.

Abstract

A wide variety of bioactive peptides have been identified in the central nervous system and several peripheral tissues in the ascidian Ciona intestinalis type A (Ciona robusta). However, hemocyte endocrine peptides have yet to be explored. Here, we report a novel 14-amino acid peptide, CiEMa, that is predominant in the granular hemocytes and unilocular refractile granulocytes of Ciona. RNA-seq and qRT-PCR revealed the high CiEma expression in the adult pharynx and stomach. Immunohistochemistry further revealed the highly concentrated CiEMa in the hemolymph of the pharynx and epithelial cells of the stomach, suggesting biological roles in the immune response. Notably, bacterial lipopolysaccharide stimulation of isolated hemocytes for 1-4 hours resulted in increased CiEMa secretion. Furthermore, CiEMa-stimulated pharynx exhibited mRNA upregulation of the growth factor (Fgf3/7/10/22), vanadium binding proteins (CiVanabin1 and CiVanabin3), and forkhead and homeobox transcription factors (Foxl2, Hox3, and Dbx), but not antimicrobial peptides (CrPap-a and CrMam-a) or immune-related genes (Tgfbtun3, Tnfa, and Il17-2). Collectively, these results suggest that CiEMa plays roles in signal transduction involving tissue development or repair in the immune response, rather than in the direct regulation of immune-response genes. The present study identified a novel Ciona hemocyte peptide, CiEMa, providing insights into the molecular and functional diversity of the immune response in chordates.

Keywords

ascidian; Ciona; hemocyte; stomach; pharynx; peptide; immune response

Subject

Biology and Life Sciences, Endocrinology and Metabolism

Copyright: This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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