Genome-wide identification of the HSP70 genes in Pacific oyster Magallana gigas and their response to heat stress

Abstract

Heat shock protein 70 (HSP70), the most prominent and well-characterized stress protein in animals, plays an important role in assisting animals in responding to various adverse conditions. In the present study, a total of 113 HSP70 gene family members were identified in the updated genome of Magallana gigas (designated MgHSP70) (previously known as Crassostrea gigas). There were 75, 12, 11, and 8 HSP70s located in the cytoplasm, nucleus, mitochondria, and endoplasmic reticulum, respectively, and 7 HSP70s were located in both the nucleus and cytoplasm. Among 113 MgHSP70 genes, 107 were unevenly distributed in 8 chromosomes of M. gigas with the greatest number in chromosome 07 (61 genes, 57.01%). The MgHSP70 gene family members were mainly assigned into five clusters, among which the HSPa12 subfamily underwent lineage-specific expansion, consisting of 89 members. A total of 68 MgHSP70 genes (60.18%) were tandemly duplicated and formed 30 gene pairs, among which 14 gene pairs were under strong positive selection. In general, the expression of MgHSP70s was tissue-specific, with the highest expression in labial palp and gill and the lowest expression in adductor muscle and hemocytes. There were 35, 31, and 47 significantly upregulated genes at 6, 12, and 24 h after heat shock treatment (28 °C), respectively. The expression patterns of different tandemly duplicated genes exhibited distinct characteristics after shock treatment, indicating that these genes may have different functions. Nevertheless, genes within the same tandemly duplicated group exhibit similar expression patterns. Most of the tandemly duplicated HSP70 gene pairs showed the highest expression levels at 24 h. This study provides a comprehensive description of the MgHSP70 gene family in M. gigas and offers valuable insights into the functions of HSP70 in the mollusc adaptation of oysters to environmental stress.