14-3-3 gene family in spotted sea bass (Lateolabrax maculatus): Genome-wide identification, phylogenetic analysis and expression profiles after salinity stress.

The tyrosine 3-monooxygenase/tryptophan 5-monooxygenase activation (14-3-3) proteins are a group of highly conserved homologous and heterologous proteins involved in a wild range of physiological processes, including the regulation of many molecular phenomena under different environmental salinities. In this study, we identified eleven 14-3-3 genes from the spotted sea bass (Lateolabrax maculatus) genome and transcriptomic databases and verified their identities by conducting phylogenetic, syntenic and gene structure analyses. The spotted sea bass 14-3-3 genes are highly conserved based on sequence alignment, conserved domains and motifs, and tertiary structural feature. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) analysis of 14-3-3 genes in gill of spotted sea bass under normal physiological conditions indicated that the expression level of 14-3-3 zeta was the highest among tested genes, followed by 14-3-3 theta. Furthermore, expression profiles of 14-3-3 genes in gill tissue (in vivo and in vitro) indicated that the 14-3-3 zeta and 14-3-3 theta genes were significantly induced by different environmental salinities in spotted sea bass, suggesting their potential involvement in response to salinity challenge. Our findings may lay the foundation for future functional studies on the 14-3-3 gene family in euryhaline teleosts.