Shuo Li , Chen Li , Shenglei Han , Kaiyu Chen , Weijing Li , Shuhong Jiang , Duan Liao , Changwei Shao , Chenghua Li
{"title":"Evolutionary and functional insights into Fibrinogen-related protein (FREP) dynamics in sea cucumbers","authors":"Shuo Li , Chen Li , Shenglei Han , Kaiyu Chen , Weijing Li , Shuhong Jiang , Duan Liao , Changwei Shao , Chenghua Li","doi":"10.1016/j.fsi.2025.110204","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Fibrinogen-related protein (FREP) gene family is a cornerstone of immune defense in metazoans, yet its evolution and functional specialization in invertebrates, particularly sea cucumbers, remain underexplored. By analyzing genomic data from 1004 species, this study reveals a significant and lineage-specific expansion of FREP genes in sea cucumbers. These genes are categorized into single-domain FREPs (sFREPs) and multi-domain FREPs (mFREPs), with the latter containing unique TIL domains associated with immune defense. Comparative analyses show that chromosomal rearrangements and gene duplications have driven FREP diversification, while transcriptomic profiling highlights tissue-specific expression and immune activation of TIL-containing mFREPs. These findings illuminate the adaptive evolution of FREPs and their pivotal role in pathogen recognition, emphasizing chromosomal dynamics and domain architecture in shaping invertebrate immunity. This study provides a foundation for deeper insights into the molecular basis of immune adaptation in sea cucumbers and other invertebrates.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12127,"journal":{"name":"Fish & shellfish immunology","volume":"160 ","pages":"Article 110204"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1000,"publicationDate":"2025-02-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Fish & shellfish immunology","FirstCategoryId":"97","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1050464825000932","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"FISHERIES","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
The Fibrinogen-related protein (FREP) gene family is a cornerstone of immune defense in metazoans, yet its evolution and functional specialization in invertebrates, particularly sea cucumbers, remain underexplored. By analyzing genomic data from 1004 species, this study reveals a significant and lineage-specific expansion of FREP genes in sea cucumbers. These genes are categorized into single-domain FREPs (sFREPs) and multi-domain FREPs (mFREPs), with the latter containing unique TIL domains associated with immune defense. Comparative analyses show that chromosomal rearrangements and gene duplications have driven FREP diversification, while transcriptomic profiling highlights tissue-specific expression and immune activation of TIL-containing mFREPs. These findings illuminate the adaptive evolution of FREPs and their pivotal role in pathogen recognition, emphasizing chromosomal dynamics and domain architecture in shaping invertebrate immunity. This study provides a foundation for deeper insights into the molecular basis of immune adaptation in sea cucumbers and other invertebrates.
期刊介绍:
Fish and Shellfish Immunology rapidly publishes high-quality, peer-refereed contributions in the expanding fields of fish and shellfish immunology. It presents studies on the basic mechanisms of both the specific and non-specific defense systems, the cells, tissues, and humoral factors involved, their dependence on environmental and intrinsic factors, response to pathogens, response to vaccination, and applied studies on the development of specific vaccines for use in the aquaculture industry.