HSP60 and HSP90β from blunt snout bream, Megalobrama amblycephala: Molecular cloning, characterization, and comparative response to intermittent thermal stress and Aeromonas hydrophila infection

Heat shock proteins (HSPs) play critical roles in the process of anti-stress and immunity and are implicated in autoimmune diseases. In order to understand the comparative stress responses of HSP60 and HSP90 beta under intermittent thermal stress and Aeromonas hydrophila infection, we cloned their full-length cDNAs from Megalobrama amblycephala liver, predicted their secondary and tertiary structure, and examined their tissue specific expression patterns. The full length of HSP60 and HSP90 beta cDNAs indicated that they included all signature sequences of corresponding protein families. They showed high homology to their counterparts in other species, and were consistent with the known classification of fishes based on phylogenetic analysis. HSP60 showed the highest expression in head-kidney, brain, and gill, while HSP90 beta presented higher in hindgut, liver, and brain. Significant mRNA expression differences were determined between HSP60 and HSP90 beta in tissues of bladder, liver, heart, and gill. During thermal stress and recovery phase, the highest expression of them were observed at the first recovery for 2 d and 1 d, respectively. The expression between them were extremely significant difference during the first recovery and second stress period. After A. hydrophila infection, their expressions were extremely significantly upregulated. The significant upregulation and rapid response indicated that they were sensitive to thermal stress and bacterial challenge. This study demonstrated that HSP60 and HSP90 beta might participate in innate immune and environmental responses of M. amblycephala. It indicated that they could be used as biomarkers to test the stress caused by local aquaculture environment.