Molecular cloning and mRNA expression of a hepcidin gene from the spinyhead croaker, Collichthys lucidus
Antimicrobial peptides are important components that participate in host innate immune activities and play crucial roles in host defense against microbial invasion. Hepcidin is an antimicrobial peptide and iron-regulatory molecule that primarily functions in the liver. In the present study, we first obtained a full-length cDNA sequence of hepcidin and its corresponding genomic DNA sequence from Collichthys lucidus using RT-PCR and rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE), and then analyzed these sequences using bioinformatics software. The results showed that C.