cDNA Sequence Coding of the Third Complement Component (C3) of Broad-Snouted Caiman (Caiman Latirostris)

SIROSKI, P.A. ; MARELLI, B.E.; ORTEGA, H.H.; MUDRY, M.D.

Lousiana

Encuentro; 23rd Working Meeting of the Crocodile Specialts Group; 2014

From several years ago, we have been talking and reporting some impoortant characteristics of crocodilian immune sustem (IS) and its ability to avoid spreading infection. Likewise, many components of this IS were reported but few studies have been go into molecular details. If we can detect the origin of these abilities, we could think the idea to replicate it and apply therapeutically. The complement system (CS) is one of the major effector mechanisms of the IS and it was reported in crocodilians. It is a set of 30 different plasma proteins that act sequentially and whose function consists in recruiting effectors of pro-inflammatory cells, opsonization and lysis of pathogens. The CS is activated by three different pathways ant initiation of any of 3-way is performed by activation of C3, themain protein. In order to identify the cDNA coding C. latirostris C3, a set of random primers of the gene were designed from the C. latirostris partial genome sequence and the alignment of sequences from phylogenetically related species obtained from NCBI. Nowadays, 90% of Caiman C3 was identified by using rapid amplication of the cDNA ends (RACE), it isyielding the full open reading frame. This characterization is the initial step to perform a first evaluation of the future application of products derived from this species in non-specific antimicrobial therapy in animals of zootechnical interest. These findings generate an enhancement of the resource that is being subject to sustainable management programs with a major social impact.