LPS-induced TNFα factor (LITAF) in the snail Cipangopaludina chinensis: Gene cloning and its apoptotic effect on NCI-H446 cells

LPS-induced TNFα factor (LITAF) is a transcription factor mediating TNF-α expression under LPS stimulation, and playing important roles in immune responses. In the present study, partial cDNA sequence of a LITAF (designated CcLITAF) gene was cloned and identified from snail Cipangopaludina chinensis. It contains an open reading frame of 348 nucleotides encoding a predicted protein of 115 amino acids, with a conserved LITAF domain at C-terminal, and shares a similarity ranging from 34% to 96% with other LITAF from oyster to mammals. CcLITAF mRNA ubiquitously expressed in all analyzed tissues. Interestingly, cLITAF could induce apoptosis in human tumor cell line, NCI-H446 cells, and caspase 3 play key roles in CcLITAF-mediated apoptosis. Present studies provide new insight into the biological function of CcLITAF.