Use of Mycophenolate mofetil as immunosuppressant during pearl production in pearl oyster Pinctada fucata martensii

Immune response after transplantation is the major cause of nucleus rejection and pearl oyster mortality during pearl production. Mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) is an immunosuppressant with low toxicity and strong immunosuppressive capacity and has been successfully used in reducing immune response in humans after organ transplantation. In this study, we evaluated the function of MMF in pearl production in pearl oyster Pinctada fucata martensii. Results showed that MMF treatment can significantly increase the retention rates without any significant effect on the survival rates and high-quality pearl rates. Gene expression analysis by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) showed that MMF can considerably down-regulate the expression of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kappa B) at 6 h and 1-12 days and reduces the expression of the inhibitor of NF-kappa B kinases (I kappa K) at 3-12 days after transplantation. Histological analysis indicated no difference in pearl sac development between the MMF treatment and control groups. These results suggested that MMF effectively regulates immune response induced by transplantation and improves the performance of pearl production in pearl oyster P. fucata martensii.

Automated summary

This study demonstrated that mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) can significantly increase pearl retention rates in pearl oysters without affecting survival rates and high-quality pearl rates. Molecular and histological analysis indicated that MMF effectively regulates immune response induced by transplantation and improves the performance of pearl production.