Cloning and Sequence Analysis of a cDNA for an Inducible 70 kDa Heat Shock Protein (Hsp70) of the American Oyster (Crassostrea virginica)

Abstract

We have been investigating 70 kDa heat shock proteins (Hsp70s) as potential molecular markers for improved breeding and stress management to revitalize stocks of the American oyster, C. virginica. From a C. virginica visceral mass library, a 2.2 kb full-length cDNA was isolated that included a 634 amino acid open reading frame possessing approximately 80% sequence identity with inducible and constitutive Hsp70s of a broad array of animal species. Northern blotting indicated that the cloned cDNA preferentially recognized an mRNA of about 2 kb that was virtually absent from visceral mass under basal conditions but greatly increased after in vivo heat shock of American and Pacific oysters, suggesting that the cDNA codes for an inducible Hsp70.

Key Words:

• Heat shock protein
• Hsp70
• stress
• oyster