MOLECULAR CLONING EXPRESSION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF NOVEL DEFENSE PROTEINS FROM SHRIMP

Abstract

Penaeus monodon is one of the most important cultured marine shrimp newlineworldwide. However, its culture has suffered due to the repeated attack of pathogens newlinelike Vibrio harveyi and white spot syndrome virus (WSSV). The crustaceans lack an newlineadaptive immune system unlike vertebrates and rely on some innate non-specific newlinecellular and humoral factors like antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) as their defense newlinemechanism against invading pathogen. Several studies have shown the microbial newlineinhibitory effect of such AMPs isolated from P. monodon and other shrimps, e.g. newlinepenaeidins, crustins, anti-lipopolysaccharide factor (ALF) etc, which are found to be newlineover expressed in shrimps upon infection by pathogens. These are advantageous to newlineshrimp because of their rapid and broad-spectrum microbicidal activity, low toxicity newlinefor eukaryotic cells and many others. newline