Discovery of genes expressed in response to Perkinsus marinus challenge in Eastern (Crassostrea virginica) and Pacific (C. gigas) oysters

The protozoan pathogen Perkinsus marinus is the causative agent of Dermo, a lethal disease of the eastern oyster Crassostrea virginica, but not the Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas. To understand the response of these two oysters to parasite exposure, a suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) method was employed to characterize genes up-regulated during parasite challenge in both hemocytes and gills. The number of differentially expressed gene sequences obtained was 107 for C. virginica and 69 for C. gigas, including 46 and 37 sequences, respectively, that matched known genes in GenBank. Most of the sequences have not been characterized in other molluscs. Nineteen genes involved in immune system and cell communication, protein regulation and transcription, cell cycle, respiratory chain and cytoskeleton were selected for expression analysis by semi-quantitative PCR. Although varying in magnitude and timing post exposure, all genes screened showed over-expression in challenged oysters in both species, validating the SSH method. Results of this study highlighted some differences in gene expression between the two oysters in response to P. marinus infection, providing candidate genes and pathways for further analysis.