The interleukin enhancer binding factor-2 (ILF2) gene in Penaeus japonicus shrimp: cloning, tissue distribution, and antiviral effects.

It is reported that ILF2 (interleukin enhancer binding factor 2) is involved in the immune response by regulating the transcription of interleukin 2 (IL2), which may play an important role in host-virus interactions. To investigate the role of ILF2 in WSSV infection in Penaeus japonicus, the ILF2 gene was characterized by bioinformatics analysis and RNAi. The sequence of 873 bp ORF region encoding 290 amino acids was obtained by PCR amplification in this study. The relative molecular weight of ILF2 protein is 32.29154 KDa. The bioinformatics analysis indicated that the ILF2 protein has an DZF domain and a RGG domain and contained a large number of alpha helices and irregular coils. The results of tissue-specific assays demonstrated that ILF2 was highly expressed in the hemolymph and gill of shrimp. After WSSV stimulation, qRT-PCR analysis showed that the expression of ILF2 was significantly increased in all tissues of shrimp. Using RNAi to knock down the expression of ILF2 in shrimp, the results showed that the copy number of WSSV in shrimp was significantly increased, suggesting that ILF2 could inhibit the replication of WSSV. The results showed that ILF2 had the potential to inhibit WSSV replication and to achieve antiviral properties, providing a theoretical basis for the control of WSSV in shrimp. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]