Molecular characterization and expression profile of MAP2K1ip1/MP1 gene from tiger shrimp, Penaeus monodon.

MAPK kinase 1 interacting protein 1 (MAP2K1ip1) is an important scaffold proteins of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway that form an active signaling module and enhance the specificity and spatiality of MAPK signaling. In the present study, we identified and characterized a MAP2K1ip1 cDNA from tiger shrimp Penaeus monodon (designated as PmMAP2K1ip1). The open reading frame of PmMAP2K1ip1 is 372 bp encoding 123 amino-acid residues with a MAPK interaction domain. The predicted PmMAP2Kip1 protein is 13.6 KDa with the theoretical isoelectric point of 6.3. PmMAP2K1ip1 shared the highest amino acid with Nasonia vitripennis and Strongylocentrotus purpuratus, at 48% and 47.5%, respectively. Phylogenic analysis shows PmMAP2Kip1 is clustering with SpMAP2Kip1, and close to the group of MAP2Kip1s from insect. Furthermore, semiquantitative RT-PCR revealed PmMAP2Kip1 is widely distributed in most examined tissues except nerve, and high expressed in ovary, hemocyte, intestines and hepatopancreas. Meanwhile, PmMAP2k1ip1 is expressed ubiquitously during larval and sex gland development, and keep a high level at the initial development stage. Quantitative real time RT-PCR revealed PmMAP2K1ip1 were up-regulated by lipopolysaccharide and peptidoglycan (PGN) in haemocyte. These data reveal MAP2K1ip1 is a multifunction protein that involved development and immune response. It is benefit to characterize other MAPK signal genes and elucidate the molecular regulation mechanism of MAPK signaling in tiger shrimp.