| Abstract: | Interleukin-17(IL-17), a prototype member of IL-17 family, plays an important role in defending against extracellular pathogens as a pro-inflammatory cytokine. The function and distribution of IL-17 have been extensively studied in many vertebrates. However, few study has focused on the role of IL-17 in invertebrates, especially in mollusks. In this study, an IL-17 homolog was identified in Octopus ocellatus, which was designated as OoIL-17. The phylogenetic analysis showed that OoIL-17 is clustered well with other invertebrate IL-17, indicating it is highly similar with the IL-17 of other invertebrates. The expression of OoIL-17 gene was analyzed with qRT-PCR in a variety of healthy tissues and the hemocytes infected with Vibro anguillarum or Micrococcus luteus. The mRNA of OoIL-17 gene is constitutively expressed at different levels in all examined tissues of healthy O. ocellatus, including mantle, stomach, hemocytes, muscle, gonad, hepatopancreas, systemic heart and gill. The lowest expression was observed in mantle while the highest was observed in hepatopancreas. The expression level of OoIL-17 gene is significantly up-regulated in O. ocellatus hemocytes upon infection with V. anguillarum and M. luteus, indicating its active involvement in the host immune response against bacterial pathogens. The results laid the foundation for further understanding the innate immune mechanisms of IL-17 in O. ocellatus and mollusks. |
