Cloning and expression analysis of the MAPKK gene in the mud crab(Scylla paramamosain)

In this paper,the MAPKK(mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase)was isolated from the mud crab,Scylla paramamosain using RT-PCR and RACE methods.The obtained full-length cDNA of MAPKK was 1 558 bp with an open reading frame of 1 224 bp encoding a putative peptide of 407 amino acids.By alignment,the amino acid sequence of S.paramamosain MAPKK showed high homology with those of some other animals.It suggested MAPKK was highly conservative.Real-time PCR showed that the MAPKK gene was expressed in various tissues,and highly expressed in brain ganglion and ovary.The MAPKK mRNA profiles during ovarian development indicated that the expression of MAPKK was significantly high at developing stage.We inferred that MAPKK might play a stimulative role in the ovarian development of the mud crab.