Proteomic approach for acute-phase proteins of hemolymph and muscles in Scylla serrata challenged by a pathogenic bacterium

Abstract

Acute-phase response is documented to be a significant mechanism of innate immunity in vertebrates and invertebrates. In this study, proteomic methodologies were applied for different protein expressions in hemolymph of Scylla serrata challenged by Vibrio parahaemolyticus after immunization, and in muscles of the crabs separately challenged by V. parahaemolyticus, V. anguillarum and Aeromonas hydrophila. Up-regulated cryptocyanin is documented in the hemolymph and up-regulated calexcitin, wingless (fragment) and tachykinin-related peptide in the muscle as acute-phase proteins. All the four altered proteins were responsible for bacterial stress, but cryptocyanin seemed to be a memory response protein against the challenge by a live bacterium after immunization of the live cells. These up-regulated proteins can be indicative of an understanding of immunity of a crab.