Identification and characterization of p38MAPK in response to acute cold stress in the gill of Pacific white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei)

Abstract Acute cold snaps induce a sudden reduction in water temperature and lead to high mortality of cultured Pacific white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei); however, little is known about the regulatory mechanisms in this shrimp species when adapting to acute cold stress. Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathways are highly conserved and well known for their important roles in transducing environmental stress signals into the cell nucleus. In this study, the potential roles of p38MAPK in the response to acute cold stress in L. vannamei were identified. The transcript levels of p38MAPK in the gills were found to be significantly upregulated after challenge with acute cold stress for the first 12 h, while no distinctly differential expression was detected in the other two types of MAPKs (JNK and ERK). The phosphorylation levels of p38MAPK under acute cold stress continued to increase and reached a peak 1 h after cold exposure. The phosphorylation signaling of p38MAPK in re-chilled shrimp (5 min) appeared more quickly than that in primary shrimp (15 min). The results suggest that p38MAPK might play an essential role in transducing acute cold stress signals from the environment to the cell nucleus in L. vannamei. Our study is the first to characterize p38MAPK during acute cold stress adaptation, and the results will contribute to further research.