INVOLVEMENT OF TELEOSTEAN STAT MEMBERS IN WOUND HEALING PROCESS

S.D.N.K. Bathige1,2,*, Navaneethaiyer Umasuthan1,2, William Shanthakumar Thulasitha1,2, G. I. Godahewa1, 2, J.D.H.E. Jayasinghe1,2, and Jehee Lee1,2
1Department of Marine Life Sciences, School of Marine Biomedical Sciences, Jeju National University, Jeju Special Self-Governing Province 690-756, Republic of Korea.
 2Fish Vaccine Research Center, Jeju National University, Jeju Special Self-Governing Province 690-756, Republic of Korea
E-mail: sl_sanjaya@yahoo.com

 

Signal transducer and activator of transcription factors (STATs) are crucial transcription factors in JAK/STAT signaling pathway, play multiple roles by transducing the signals to the nucleus. Seven STATs (STAT1, STAT2, STAT3, STAT4, STAT5a, STAT5b and STAT6) were identified and well characterized in mammals. However, the complete JAK/STAT signaling pathway is still not completely studied in teleosts. In the present study, eight STAT members including STAT1, STAT1-like, STAT2, STAT3, STAT4, STAT5-1, STAT5-2 and STAT6 were identified from rock bream (Oplegnathus fasciatus), and studied their transcriptional modulations in response to the tissue injury.

The mRNA expression level of STAT members in different tissues of healthy rock bream and transcriptional modulations of STATs in blood cells and liver tissues after tissue injury were examined using SYBR Green quantitative real time PCR (qPCR) technique. In the tissue injury experiment, two incisions were made at dorsal surface near to the caudal fin as conducted in previous report (Umasuthan et al., 2012). Blood cells and liver tissues were collected at different time points (3, 6, 12, 24, and 48 h) after tissues injury.  

Tissue specific expression analysis revealed that all the STAT members except STAT4 were highly expressed in blood cells indicating the essential roles of STAT members in blood under normal physiological condition. Whereas, rock bream STAT4 was highly expressed in gill tissues. According to the transcriptional analysis of STAT members in injured fish, controversial results were detected in blood cells and liver tissues. Significantly up-regulated expressions of STATs were detected in liver tissues, while showing down-regulated expression in blood cells. Nonetheless, the expression of STAT6 in liver tissues was not significantly altered in response to the tissue injury. Thus, the current results may provide the potential evidences for the involvement of teleostean STAT members in wound healing process even though the real mechanisms need to be explored.

Reference

Umasuthan, N., Whang, I., Revathy, K.S., Oh, M.J., Jung, S.J., Choi, C.Y., Lee, J.H., Noh, J.K., Lee, J., 2012. A teleostean angiotensinogen from Oplegnathus fasciatus responses to immune and injury challenges. Fish Shellfish Immunol 32, 922-928.