RNA-seq identifies integrin alpha of kuruma shrimp Marsupenaeus japonicus as a candidate molecular marker for phagocytic hemocytes.

Phagocytosis is main cellular immunity, however, it is still unknown or debated upon which types of hemocyte contributes phagocytosis in penaeid shrimps. The hemocyte characterization in kuruma shrimp have been mainly performed based on its morphology by microscopic observation. Therefore, establishment of molecular markers to distinguish phagocytic hemocytes is required. In this study, using magnetic fluorescent beads, we enriched phagocytic hemocytes and conducted RNA-seq analysis between total and enriched phagocytic hemocytes. The data demonstrated functional difference between total and phagocytic hemocytes. In addition, a transcript homologous to integrin-alpha was highly expressed in phagocytic hemocytes, and named Mj-Intgα. Using anti-serum against Mj-Intgα revealed that around 60% of total hemocytes and more than 90% of phagocytic hemocytes showed positive for Mj-Intgα. This study presents Mj-Intgα as a candidate molecular marker for future functional characterization of hemocytes.