RESUMO
Two heat-shock protein (HSP) 70 family transcripts, heat-shock protein 70 cognate 5 and heat-shock protein 70 cognate 3 (designated as EsHSC70-5 and EsHSC70-3, respectively), were isolated from the Chinese mitten crab Eriocheir sinensis and their expression profiles were evaluated for their responsiveness to larval development and immune challenge in adult crabs. The HSPs exhibited 45-89% identity with other heat-shock proteins, and they shared similar structural features. EsHSC70 mRNA expression was detected not only during infection but also during the developmental larval stages. The EsHSC70s were enriched, and their expression fluctuated during early development. EsHSC70 mRNA expression was significantly induced by Vibrio parahaemolyticus challenge in all of the tissues studied (P < 0.05). Expression of EsHSC70 mRNA in the hepatopancreas and at the early zoeal stages was particularly pronounced, and the two EsHSC70s exhibited differential expression patterns both chronologically and spatially. The EsHSC70-5 mRNA level was significantly downregulated in the intestine and gills compared to that in controls at nearly all time points, and was expressed at a lower level after the bacterial challenge, indicating that EsHSC70-5 and EsHSC70-3 respond to immune challenges. The stage-specific enrichment of EsHSC70 transcripts in crabs suggests that these stress proteins play an essential role during brachyurization events.