Comparative genomics studies on the stk gene family in vertebrates: From the bighead carp (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis) genome

The mammalian sterile 20-like (MST) family belongs to the serine/threonine protein kinase (STK) superfamily and participates in a variety of biological processes, such as cell apoptosis, polarity, migration, immune regulation, inflammatory responses, and cancer. In the economically important bighead carp (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis), the STK gene family and immune-related biological functions may be helpful in increasing its economic yield. However, the comprehensive role of STKs in the bighead carp remains unclear. In this study, the five stk sequences from the bighead carp were divided into two classes: stk3/4 and stk24/25/26. Gene structure and motif prediction analyses confirmed that stk is conserved in the bighead carp. Compared to 26 other vertebrate species, teleosts (including bighead carp) possess more stk members because of teleost-specific whole-genome duplication. Synteny analysis revealed that stk3, stk24, stk25, and stk26 have been relatively conserved in bighead carp during evolution. Meanwhile, stk4 was lost in most Cyprinid species, including bighead carp, during evolution. RNA-seq data revealed that STK expression was associated with various pathogens, and the expression of these STKs (Hnstk3, Hnstk24a, Hnstk24b, Hnstk25, and Hnstk26) was different in seven tissues of bighead carp. In addition, we showed that STK expression levels were dramatically altered in the head kidney and that stk24 was involved in defense against Aeromonas hydrophila. This study provides a molecular basis for the analysis of stk function in bighead carp, and can be used as a reference for further phylogenomics.