Molecular cloning and expression analysis of BMP10 gene from pearl oyster (Pinctada fucata)

Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) have functions of inducing bone formation as well as regulating embryo development, histogeny and reproduction. However, there are only a few researches on BMPs in molluscs. The BMP10 gene was cloned from pearl oyster (Pinctada fucata) and thus named as PfBMP10. The full length cDNA of PfBMP10 is 1 752 bp, including an open reading frame (ORF) of 1 344 bp which encodes 447 amino acids. The protein sequence includes an N-terminal signal peptide, a pro-domain and a mature protein region. The mature protein contains transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) domain which has seven cysteine residues. PfBMP10 expressed higher at the trochophore stage and metamorphosis during the larval development as indicated by qPCR, suggesting that it may involve in larval developmental regulation of trochophore stage and metamorphosis. Compared with other tissues, PfBMP10 showed high relative expression level in the gill and mantle, and rose in 24 h after shell notching, indicating that it probably involves in shell formation. The study provides references for functional study of BMP family genes and mechanism study of shell formation.