51
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Zhang YX, Chen X, Wang JP, Zhang ZQ, Wei H, Yu HY, Zheng HK, Chen Y, Zhang LS, Lin JZ, Sun L, Liu DY, Tang J, Lei Y, Li XM, Liu M. Genomic insights into mite phylogeny, fitness, development, and reproduction. BMC Genomics 2019; 20:954. [PMID: 31818245 PMCID: PMC6902594 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-019-6281-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2019] [Accepted: 11/13/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Predatory mites (Acari: Phytoseiidae) are the most important beneficial arthropods used in augmentative biological pest control of protected crops around the world. However, the genomes of mites are far less well understood than those of insects and the evolutionary relationships among mite and other chelicerate orders are contested, with the enigmatic origin of mites at one of the centres in discussion of the evolution of Arachnida. RESULTS We here report the 173 Mb nuclear genome (from 51.75 Gb pairs of Illumina reads) of the predatory mite, Neoseiulus cucumeris, a biocontrol agent against pests such as mites and thrips worldwide. We identified nearly 20.6 Mb (~ 11.93% of this genome) of repetitive sequences and annotated 18,735 protein-coding genes (a typical gene 2888 bp in size); the total length of protein-coding genes was about 50.55 Mb (29.2% of this assembly). About 37% (6981) of the genes are unique to N. cucumeris based on comparison with other arachnid genomes. Our phylogenomic analysis supported the monophyly of Acari, therefore rejecting the biphyletic origin of mites advocated by other studies based on limited gene fragments or few taxa in recent years. Our transcriptomic analyses of different life stages of N. cucumeris provide new insights into genes involved in its development. Putative genes involved in vitellogenesis, regulation of oviposition, sex determination, development of legs, signal perception, detoxification and stress-resistance, and innate immune systems are identified. CONCLUSIONS Our genomics and developmental transcriptomics analyses of N. cucumeris provide invaluable resources for further research on the development, reproduction, and fitness of this economically important mite in particular and Arachnida in general.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan-Xuan Zhang
- Research Center of Engineering and Technology of Natural Enemy Resource of Crop Pest in Fujian, Institute of Plant Protection, Fujian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Fuzhou, 350003 People’s Republic of China
| | - Xia Chen
- Research Center of Engineering and Technology of Natural Enemy Resource of Crop Pest in Fujian, Institute of Plant Protection, Fujian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Fuzhou, 350003 People’s Republic of China
| | - Jie-Ping Wang
- Agricultural Bio-Resources Research Institute, Fujian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Fuzhou, 350013 People’s Republic of China
| | - Zhi-Qiang Zhang
- Landcare Research, Auckland and School of Biological Sciences, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Hui Wei
- Research Center of Engineering and Technology of Natural Enemy Resource of Crop Pest in Fujian, Institute of Plant Protection, Fujian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Fuzhou, 350003 People’s Republic of China
| | - Hai-Yan Yu
- Biomarker Technologies Corporation, Beijing, 101300 People’s Republic of China
| | - Hong-Kun Zheng
- Biomarker Technologies Corporation, Beijing, 101300 People’s Republic of China
| | - Yong Chen
- Research Center of Engineering and Technology of Natural Enemy Resource of Crop Pest in Fujian, Institute of Plant Protection, Fujian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Fuzhou, 350003 People’s Republic of China
| | - Li-Sheng Zhang
- Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100193 People’s Republic of China
| | - Jian-Zhen Lin
- Fujian Yanxuan Bio-preventing and Technology Biocontrol Corporation, Fuzhou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Li Sun
- Research Center of Engineering and Technology of Natural Enemy Resource of Crop Pest in Fujian, Institute of Plant Protection, Fujian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Fuzhou, 350003 People’s Republic of China
| | - Dong-Yuan Liu
- Biomarker Technologies Corporation, Beijing, 101300 People’s Republic of China
| | - Juan Tang
- Biomarker Technologies Corporation, Beijing, 101300 People’s Republic of China
| | - Yan Lei
- Biomarker Technologies Corporation, Beijing, 101300 People’s Republic of China
| | - Xu-Ming Li
- Biomarker Technologies Corporation, Beijing, 101300 People’s Republic of China
| | - Min Liu
- Biomarker Technologies Corporation, Beijing, 101300 People’s Republic of China
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Waldron R, McGowan J, Gordon N, Mitchell EB, Fitzpatrick DA, Doyle S. Characterisation of three novel β-1,3 glucanases from the medically important house dust mite Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (airmid). INSECT BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2019; 115:103242. [PMID: 31520716 DOI: 10.1016/j.ibmb.2019.103242] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2019] [Revised: 09/09/2019] [Accepted: 09/09/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
The European house dust mite, Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus is a major source of airborne allergens worldwide and is found in half of European homes. Interactions between microbes and house dust mites (HDM) are considered important factors that allow them to persist in the home. Laboratory studies indicate the European HDM, D. pteronyssinus is a mycophagous mite, capable of utilising a variety of fungi for nutrients, however specific mycolytic digestive enzymes are unknown. Our previous work identified a number of putative glycosyl hydrolases present in the predicted proteome of D. pteronyssinus airmid and validated the expression of 42 of these. Of note, three GH16 proteins with predicted β-1,3 glucanase activity were found to be consistently present in the mite body and excretome. Here, we performed an extensive bioinformatic, proteomic and biochemical study to characterize three-novel β-1,3 glucanases from this medically important house dust mite. The genes encoding novel β-1,3 glucanases designated Glu1, Glu2 and Glu3 were identified in D. pteronyssinus airmid, each exhibited more than 59% amino acid identity to one another. These enzymes are encoded by Glu genes present in a tri-gene cluster and protein homologs are found in other acari. The patchy phyletic distribution of Glu proteins means their evolutionary history remains elusive, however horizontal gene transfer cannot be completely excluded. Recombinant Glu1 and Glu2 exhibit hydrolytic activity toward laminarin, pachyman and barley glucan. Excreted β-1,3 glucanase activity was increased in response to D. pteronyssinus airmid feeding on baker's yeast. Active β-1,3 glucanases are expressed and excreted in the faeces of D. pteronyssinus airmid indicating they are digestive enzymes capable of breaking down β-1,3 glucans of fungi present in house dust.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rose Waldron
- Department of Biology, Maynooth University, Maynooth, Co. Kildare, Ireland; Airmid Healthgroup Ltd., Trinity Enterprise Campus, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Jamie McGowan
- Department of Biology, Maynooth University, Maynooth, Co. Kildare, Ireland; Human Health Research Institute, Maynooth University, Maynooth, Co. Kildare, Ireland
| | - Natasha Gordon
- Airmid Healthgroup Ltd., Trinity Enterprise Campus, Dublin, Ireland
| | - E Bruce Mitchell
- Airmid Healthgroup Ltd., Trinity Enterprise Campus, Dublin, Ireland
| | - David A Fitzpatrick
- Department of Biology, Maynooth University, Maynooth, Co. Kildare, Ireland; Human Health Research Institute, Maynooth University, Maynooth, Co. Kildare, Ireland
| | - Sean Doyle
- Department of Biology, Maynooth University, Maynooth, Co. Kildare, Ireland.
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Hanson MA, Lemaitre B, Unckless RL. Dynamic Evolution of Antimicrobial Peptides Underscores Trade-Offs Between Immunity and Ecological Fitness. Front Immunol 2019; 10:2620. [PMID: 31781114 PMCID: PMC6857651 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2019.02620] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2019] [Accepted: 10/22/2019] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
There is a developing interest in how immune genes may function in other physiological roles, and how traditionally non-immune peptides may, in fact, be active in immune contexts. In the absence of infection, the induction of the immune response is costly, and there are well-characterized trade-offs between immune defense and fitness. The agents behind these fitness costs are less understood. Here we implicate antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) as particularly costly effectors of immunity using an evolutionary framework. We describe the independent loss of AMPs in multiple lineages of Diptera (true flies), tying these observations back to life history. We then focus on the intriguing case of the glycine-rich AMP, Diptericin, and find several instances of loss, pseudogenization, and segregating null alleles. We suggest that Diptericin may be a particularly toxic component of the Dipteran immune response lost in flies either with reduced pathogen pressure or other environmental factors. As Diptericins have recently been described to have neurological roles, these findings parallel a developing interest in AMPs as potentially harmful neuropeptides, and AMPs in other roles beyond immunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark A Hanson
- School of Life Science, Global Health Institute, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Bruno Lemaitre
- School of Life Science, Global Health Institute, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Robert L Unckless
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, United States
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Johansen W, Grove S, Anonsen JH, Moen A, Agusti-Ridaura C, Azar AS, Strætkvern KO. Complement factor C5 in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar): Characterization of cDNA, protein and glycosylation. DEVELOPMENTAL AND COMPARATIVE IMMUNOLOGY 2019; 100:103424. [PMID: 31254563 DOI: 10.1016/j.dci.2019.103424] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2019] [Revised: 06/25/2019] [Accepted: 06/25/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Complement component 5 (C5) is an essential factor of the defensive complement system in all vertebrates. We report the characterization of C5 cDNA and protein from Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar), a teleost fish species of high importance in aquaculture. The C5 cDNA cloned from liver is 5079 nucleotides long, whose translation product has a molecular weight of 190 kDa, with the classical β-α orientation and motifs/sites for β-α cleavage (678RPKR681) and cleavage by C5 convertases (R758). Mass spectrometric analysis show a single N-linked, biantennary, complex glycan at N1125. Moreover, the N-linked glycan displays an unusual modification in the form of acetylated sialic acid residues. Three anti-C5 antisera produced in mice using purified C5 worked in immunohistochemical analyses of formalin fixed liver tissue. The purification method, whereby inactive and activated (C5b) forms were isolated, opens for interesting studies on the complement function in fish, including possible connection to stress, disease and glycosylation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenche Johansen
- Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, Department of Biotechnology, Campus Hamar, Norway
| | - Søren Grove
- Norwegian Veterinary Institute, Fish Health Research Group, Oslo, Norway; Institute of Marine Research, Diseases and Pathogen Transmission, Bergen, Norway
| | - Jan Haug Anonsen
- University of Oslo, Department of Biosciences IBV, Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics Unit, Oslo, Norway; Norwegian Research Center (NORCE), Mekjarvik 12, Randaberg, Norway
| | - Anders Moen
- University of Oslo, Department of Biosciences IBV, Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics Unit, Oslo, Norway
| | - Celia Agusti-Ridaura
- Norwegian Veterinary Institute, Fish Health Research Group, Oslo, Norway; Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Sea Lice Research Centre, Oslo, Norway
| | - Amir Sefidmouy Azar
- Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, Department of Biotechnology, Campus Hamar, Norway
| | - Knut Olav Strætkvern
- Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, Department of Biotechnology, Campus Hamar, Norway.
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55
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Xu B, Shi Y, Wu Y, Meng Y, Jin Y. Role of RNA secondary structures in regulating Dscam alternative splicing. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-GENE REGULATORY MECHANISMS 2019; 1862:194381. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbagrm.2019.04.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2019] [Revised: 04/21/2019] [Accepted: 04/22/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
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56
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Martins LA, Malossi CD, Galletti MFBDM, Ribeiro JM, Fujita A, Esteves E, Costa FB, Labruna MB, Daffre S, Fogaça AC. The Transcriptome of the Salivary Glands of Amblyomma aureolatum Reveals the Antimicrobial Peptide Microplusin as an Important Factor for the Tick Protection Against Rickettsia rickettsii Infection. Front Physiol 2019; 10:529. [PMID: 31130872 PMCID: PMC6509419 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2019.00529] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2018] [Accepted: 04/12/2019] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The salivary glands (SG) of ixodid ticks play a pivotal role in blood feeding, producing both the cement and the saliva. The cement is an adhesive substance that helps the attachment of the tick to the host skin, while the saliva contains a rich mixture of antihemostatic, anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulatory substances that allow ticks to properly acquire the blood meal. The tick saliva is also a vehicle used by several pathogens to be transmitted to the vertebrate host, including various bacterial species from the genus Rickettsia. Rickettsia rickettsii is a tick-borne obligate intracellular bacterium that causes the severe Rocky Mountain spotted fever. In Brazil, the dog yellow tick Amblyomma aureolatum is a vector of R. rickettsii. In the current study, the effects of an experimental infection with R. rickettsii on the global gene expression profile of A. aureolatum SG was determined by next-generation RNA sequencing. A total of 260 coding sequences (CDSs) were modulated by infection, among which 161 were upregulated and 99 were downregulated. Regarding CDSs in the immunity category, we highlight one sequence encoding one microplusin-like antimicrobial peptide (AMP) (Ambaur-69859). AMPs are important effectors of the arthropod immune system, which lack the adaptive response of the immune system of vertebrates. The expression of microplusin was confirmed to be significantly upregulated in the SG as well as in the midgut (MG) of infected A. aureolatum by a quantitative polymerase chain reaction preceded by reverse transcription. The knockdown of the microplusin expression by RNA interference caused a significant increase in the prevalence of infected ticks in relation to the control. In addition, a higher rickettsial load of one order of magnitude was recorded in both the MG and SG of ticks that received microplusin-specific dsRNA. No effect of microplusin knockdown was observed on the R. rickettsii transmission to rabbits. Moreover, no significant differences in tick engorgement and oviposition were recorded in ticks that received dsMicroplusin, demonstrating that microplusin knockdown has no effect on tick fitness. Further studies must be performed to determine the mechanism of action of this AMP against R. rickettsii.
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Affiliation(s)
- Larissa A Martins
- Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Camila D Malossi
- Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Maria F B de M Galletti
- Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - José M Ribeiro
- Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - André Fujita
- Departamento de Ciência da Computação, Instituto de Matemática e Estatística, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Eliane Esteves
- Departamento de Imunologia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Francisco B Costa
- Departamento de Medicina Veterinária Preventiva e Saúde Animal, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Marcelo B Labruna
- Departamento de Medicina Veterinária Preventiva e Saúde Animal, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Sirlei Daffre
- Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Andréa C Fogaça
- Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
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Salcedo-Porras N, Guarneri A, Oliveira PL, Lowenberger C. Rhodnius prolixus: Identification of missing components of the IMD immune signaling pathway and functional characterization of its role in eliminating bacteria. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0214794. [PMID: 30943246 PMCID: PMC6447187 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0214794] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2018] [Accepted: 03/20/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The innate immune system in insects is regulated by specific signalling pathways. Most immune related pathways were identified and characterized in holometabolous insects such as Drosophila melanogaster, and it was assumed they would be highly conserved in all insects. The hemimetabolous insect, Rhodnius prolixus, has served as a model to study basic insect physiology, but also is a major vector of the human parasite, Trypanosoma cruzi, that causes 10,000 deaths annually. The publication of the R. prolixus genome revealed that one of the main immune pathways, the Immune-deficiency pathway (IMD), was incomplete and probably non-functional, an observation shared with other hemimetabolous insects including the pea aphid (Acyrthosiphon pisum) and the bedbug (Cimex lectularius). It was proposed that the IMD pathway is inactive in R. prolixus as an adaptation to prevent eliminating beneficial symbiont gut bacteria. We used bioinformatic analyses based on reciprocal BLAST and HMM-profile searches to find orthologs for most of the "missing" elements of the IMD pathway and provide data that these are regulated in response to infection with Gram-negative bacteria. We used RNAi strategies to demonstrate the role of the IMD pathway in regulating the expression of specific antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) in the fat body of R. prolixus. The data indicate that the IMD pathway is present and active in R. prolixus, which opens up new avenues of research on R. prolixus-T. cruzi interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas Salcedo-Porras
- Centre for Cell Biology, Development, and Disease, Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Alessandra Guarneri
- Instituto René Rachou, Avenida Augusto de Lima, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Pedro L. Oliveira
- Instituto de Bioquímica Médica, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, CCS, Ilha do Fundão, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Carl Lowenberger
- Centre for Cell Biology, Development, and Disease, Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
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58
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Schilder RJ, Stewart H. Parasitic gut infection in Libellula pulchella causes functional and molecular resemblance of dragonfly flight muscle to skeletal muscle of obese vertebrates. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2019; 222:jeb.188508. [PMID: 30659084 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.188508] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2018] [Accepted: 01/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
We previously demonstrated the existence of a naturally occurring metabolic disease phenotype in Libellula pulchella dragonflies that shows high similarity to vertebrate obesity and type II diabetes, and is caused by a protozoan gut parasite. To further mechanistic understanding of how this metabolic disease phenotype affects fitness of male L. pulchella in vivo, we examined infection effects on in situ muscle performance and molecular traits relevant to dragonfly flight performance in nature. Importantly, these traits were previously shown to be affected in obese vertebrates. Similarly to obesity effects in rat skeletal muscle, dragonfly gut infection caused a disruption of relationships between body mass, flight muscle power output and alternative pre-mRNA splicing of troponin T, which affects muscle calcium sensitivity and performance in insects and vertebrates. In addition, when simulated in situ to contract at cycle frequencies ranging from 20 to 45 Hz, flight muscles of infected individuals displayed a left shift in power-cycle frequency curves, indicating a significant reduction in their optimal cycle frequency. Interestingly, these power-cycle curves were similar to those produced by flight muscles of non-infected teneral (i.e. physiologically immature) adult L. pulchella males. Overall, our results indicate that the effects of metabolic disease on skeletal muscle physiology in natural insect systems are similar to those observed in vertebrates maintained in laboratory settings. More generally, they indicate that study of natural, host-parasite interactions can contribute important insight into how environmental factors other than diet and exercise may contribute to the development of metabolic disease phenotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rudolf J Schilder
- Pennsylvania State University, Department of Entomology, 501 Ag Sciences & Industries Building, State College, PA 16802, USA .,Pennsylvania State University, Department of Biology, 501 Ag Sciences & Industries Building, State College, PA 16802, USA
| | - Hannah Stewart
- Pennsylvania State University, Department of Entomology, 501 Ag Sciences & Industries Building, State College, PA 16802, USA
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59
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Nishide Y, Kageyama D, Yokoi K, Jouraku A, Tanaka H, Futahashi R, Fukatsu T. Functional crosstalk across IMD and Toll pathways: insight into the evolution of incomplete immune cascades. Proc Biol Sci 2019; 286:20182207. [PMID: 30963836 PMCID: PMC6408883 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2018.2207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2018] [Accepted: 12/05/2018] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
In insects, antimicrobial humoral immunity is governed by two distinct gene cascades, IMD pathway mainly targeting Gram-negative bacteria and Toll pathway preferentially targeting Gram-positive bacteria, which are widely conserved among diverse metazoans. However, recent genomic studies uncovered that IMD pathway is exceptionally absent in some hemipteran lineages like aphids and assassin bugs. How the apparently incomplete immune pathways have evolved with functionality is of interest. Here we report the discovery that, in the hemipteran stinkbug Plautia stali, both IMD and Toll pathways are present but their functional differentiation is blurred. Injection of Gram-negative bacteria and Gram-positive bacteria upregulated effector genes of both pathways. Notably, RNAi experiments unveiled significant functional permeation and crosstalk between IMD and Toll pathways: RNAi of IMD pathway genes suppressed upregulation of effector molecules of both pathways, where the suppression was more remarkable for IMD effectors; and RNAi of Toll pathway genes reduced upregulation of effector molecules of both pathways, where the suppression was more conspicuous for Toll effectors. These results suggest the possibility that, in hemipterans and other arthropods, IMD and Toll pathways are intertwined to target wider and overlapping arrays of microbes, which might have predisposed and facilitated the evolution of incomplete immune pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yudai Nishide
- Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), Ohwashi, Tsukuba 305-8634, Japan
| | - Daisuke Kageyama
- Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), Ohwashi, Tsukuba 305-8634, Japan
| | - Kakeru Yokoi
- Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), Ohwashi, Tsukuba 305-8634, Japan
| | - Akiya Jouraku
- Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), Ohwashi, Tsukuba 305-8634, Japan
| | - Hiromitsu Tanaka
- Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), Ohwashi, Tsukuba 305-8634, Japan
| | - Ryo Futahashi
- National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba 305-8566, Japan
| | - Takema Fukatsu
- National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba 305-8566, Japan
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
- Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba 305-8572, Japan
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60
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Sackton TB. Comparative genomics and transcriptomics of host-pathogen interactions in insects: evolutionary insights and future directions. CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 2019; 31:106-113. [PMID: 31109663 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2018.12.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2018] [Revised: 12/21/2018] [Accepted: 12/22/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Classical evolutionary studies of protein-coding genes have established that genes in the canonical immune system are often among the most rapidly evolving within and between species. As more genomes and transcriptomes across insects are sequenced, it is becoming clear that duplications and losses of immune genes are also a likely consequence of host-pathogen interactions. Furthermore, particular species respond to diverse pathogenic challenges with a wide range of challenge-specific responses that are still poorly understood. Transcriptional studies, using RNA-seq to characterize the infection-regulated transcriptome of diverse insects, are crucial for additional progress in understanding the ecology and evolution of the full complexity of the host response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy B Sackton
- Informatics Group, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, United States.
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61
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Jin Y, Li H. Revisiting Dscam diversity: lessons from clustered protocadherins. Cell Mol Life Sci 2019; 76:667-680. [PMID: 30343321 PMCID: PMC11105660 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-018-2951-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2018] [Revised: 10/13/2018] [Accepted: 10/15/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The complexity of neuronal wiring relies on the extraordinary recognition diversity of cell surface molecules. Drosophila Dscam1 and vertebrate clustered protocadherins (Pcdhs) are two classic examples of the striking diversity from a complex genomic locus, wherein the former encodes more than 10,000 distinct isoforms via alternative splicing, while the latter employs alternative promoters to attain isoform diversity. These structurally unrelated families show remarkably striking molecular parallels and even similar functions. Recent studies revealed a novel Dscam gene family with tandemly arrayed 5' cassettes in Chelicerata (e.g., the scorpion Mesobuthus martensii and the tick Ixodes scapularis), similar to vertebrate clustered Pcdhs. Likewise, octopus shows a more remarkable expansion of the Pcdh isoform repertoire than human. These discoveries of Dscam and Pcdh diversification reshape the evolutionary landscape of recognition molecule diversity and provide a greater understanding of convergent molecular strategies for isoform diversity. This article reviews new insights into the evolution, regulatory mechanisms, and functions of Dscam and Pcdh isoform diversity. In particular, the convergence of clustered Dscams and Pcdhs is highlighted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yongfeng Jin
- Institute of Biochemistry, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, Zhejiang (ZJ), People's Republic of China.
| | - Hao Li
- Institute of Biochemistry, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, Zhejiang (ZJ), People's Republic of China
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Perry C, Scanlan J, Robin C. Mining insect genomes for functionally affiliated genes. CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 2019; 31:114-122. [PMID: 31109664 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2018.12.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2018] [Revised: 12/21/2018] [Accepted: 12/21/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Several hundred insect genome assemblies are already publicly available, and this total grows on a weekly basis. A major challenge now confronting insect science is how best to use genomic data to improve our understanding of insect biology. We consider a framework for genome analysis based on functional affiliation, that is, groups of genes involved in the same biological process or pathway, and explore how such an approach furthers our understanding of several aspects of insect phenotype. We anticipate that this approach will prove useful for future research across the breadth of insect studies, whatever organism or trait it involves.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caitlyn Perry
- The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia.
| | - Jack Scanlan
- The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia
| | - Charles Robin
- The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia
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63
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p47 licenses activation of the immune deficiency pathway in the tick Ixodes scapularis. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2018; 116:205-210. [PMID: 30559180 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1808905116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The E3 ubiquitin ligase X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis (XIAP) acts as a molecular rheostat for the immune deficiency (IMD) pathway of the tick Ixodes scapularis How XIAP activates the IMD pathway in response to microbial infection remains ill defined. Here, we identified the XIAP enzymatic substrate p47 as a positive regulator of the I. scapularis IMD network. XIAP polyubiquitylates p47 in a lysine 63-dependent manner and interacts with the p47 ubiquitin-like (UBX) module. p47 also binds to Kenny (IKKγ/NEMO), the regulatory subunit of the inhibitor of nuclear factor (NF)- κB kinase complex. Replacement of the amino acid lysine to arginine within the p47 linker region completely abrogated molecular interactions with Kenny. Furthermore, mitigation of p47 transcription levels through RNA interference in I. scapularis limited Kenny accumulation, reduced phosphorylation of IKKβ (IRD5), and impaired cleavage of the NF-κB molecule Relish. Accordingly, disruption of p47 expression increased microbial colonization by the Lyme disease spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi and the rickettsial agent Anaplasma phagocytophilum Collectively, we highlight the importance of ticks for the elucidation of paradigms in arthropod immunology. Manipulating immune signaling cascades within I. scapularis may lead to innovative approaches to reducing the burden of tick-borne diseases.
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64
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Dong X, Chaisiri K, Xia D, Armstrong SD, Fang Y, Donnelly MJ, Kadowaki T, McGarry JW, Darby AC, Makepeace BL. Genomes of trombidid mites reveal novel predicted allergens and laterally transferred genes associated with secondary metabolism. Gigascience 2018; 7:5160133. [PMID: 30445460 PMCID: PMC6275457 DOI: 10.1093/gigascience/giy127] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2018] [Accepted: 10/18/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Trombidid mites have a unique life cycle in which only the larval stage is ectoparasitic. In the superfamily Trombiculoidea ("chiggers"), the larvae feed preferentially on vertebrates, including humans. Species in the genus Leptotrombidium are vectors of a potentially fatal bacterial infection, scrub typhus, that affects 1 million people annually. Moreover, chiggers can cause pruritic dermatitis (trombiculiasis) in humans and domesticated animals. In the Trombidioidea (velvet mites), the larvae feed on other arthropods and are potential biological control agents for agricultural pests. Here, we present the first trombidid mites genomes, obtained both for a chigger, Leptotrombidium deliense, and for a velvet mite, Dinothrombium tinctorium. Results Sequencing was performed using Illumina technology. A 180 Mb draft assembly for D. tinctorium was generated from two paired-end and one mate-pair library using a single adult specimen. For L. deliense, a lower-coverage draft assembly (117 Mb) was obtained using pooled, engorged larvae with a single paired-end library. Remarkably, both genomes exhibited evidence of ancient lateral gene transfer from soil-derived bacteria or fungi. The transferred genes confer functions that are rare in animals, including terpene and carotenoid synthesis. Thirty-seven allergenic protein families were predicted in the L. deliense genome, of which nine were unique. Preliminary proteomic analyses identified several of these putative allergens in larvae. Conclusions Trombidid mite genomes appear to be more dynamic than those of other acariform mites. A priority for future research is to determine the biological function of terpene synthesis in this taxon and its potential for exploitation in disease control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaofeng Dong
- Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZB, United Kingdom.,Department of Biological Sciences, Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, Suzhou 215123, China.,School of Life Sciences, Jiangsu Normal University, Xuzhou 221116, China.,Institute of Infection & Global Health, University of Liverpool, L3 5RF, United Kingdom
| | - Kittipong Chaisiri
- Institute of Infection & Global Health, University of Liverpool, L3 5RF, United Kingdom.,Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Ratchathewi Bangkok 10400, Thailand
| | - Dong Xia
- Institute of Infection & Global Health, University of Liverpool, L3 5RF, United Kingdom.,The Royal Veterinary College, London NW1 0TU, United Kingdom
| | - Stuart D Armstrong
- Institute of Infection & Global Health, University of Liverpool, L3 5RF, United Kingdom
| | - Yongxiang Fang
- Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZB, United Kingdom
| | - Martin J Donnelly
- Department of Vector Biology, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool L3 5QA, United Kingdom
| | - Tatsuhiko Kadowaki
- Department of Biological Sciences, Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, Suzhou 215123, China
| | - John W McGarry
- Institute of Veterinary Science, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L3 5RP, United Kingdom
| | - Alistair C Darby
- Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZB, United Kingdom
| | - Benjamin L Makepeace
- Institute of Infection & Global Health, University of Liverpool, L3 5RF, United Kingdom
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65
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Vizueta J, Rozas J, Sánchez-Gracia A. Comparative Genomics Reveals Thousands of Novel Chemosensory Genes and Massive Changes in Chemoreceptor Repertories across Chelicerates. Genome Biol Evol 2018; 10:1221-1236. [PMID: 29788250 PMCID: PMC5952958 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evy081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/17/2018] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Chemoreception is a widespread biological function that is essential for the survival, reproduction, and social communication of animals. Though the molecular mechanisms underlying chemoreception are relatively well known in insects, they are poorly studied in the other major arthropod lineages. Current availability of a number of chelicerate genomes constitutes a great opportunity to better characterize gene families involved in this important function in a lineage that emerged and colonized land independently of insects. At the same time, that offers new opportunities and challenges for the study of this interesting animal branch in many translational research areas. Here, we have performed a comprehensive comparative genomics study that explicitly considers the high fragmentation of available draft genomes and that for the first time included complete genome data that cover most of the chelicerate diversity. Our exhaustive searches exposed thousands of previously uncharacterized chemosensory sequences, most of them encoding members of the gustatory and ionotropic receptor families. The phylogenetic and gene turnover analyses of these sequences indicated that the whole-genome duplication events proposed for this subphylum would not explain the differences in the number of chemoreceptors observed across species. A constant and prolonged gene birth and death process, altered by episodic bursts of gene duplication yielding lineage-specific expansions, has contributed significantly to the extant chemosensory diversity in this group of animals. This study also provides valuable insights into the origin and functional diversification of other relevant chemosensory gene families different from receptors, such as odorant-binding proteins and other related molecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joel Vizueta
- Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística and Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio), Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Julio Rozas
- Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística and Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio), Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Alejandro Sánchez-Gracia
- Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística and Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio), Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
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66
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Shaw DK, Tate AT, Schneider DS, Levashina EA, Kagan JC, Pal U, Fikrig E, Pedra JHF. Vector Immunity and Evolutionary Ecology: The Harmonious Dissonance. Trends Immunol 2018; 39:862-873. [PMID: 30301592 PMCID: PMC6218297 DOI: 10.1016/j.it.2018.09.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2018] [Revised: 09/11/2018] [Accepted: 09/11/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Recent scientific breakthroughs have significantly expanded our understanding of arthropod vector immunity. Insights in the laboratory have demonstrated how the immune system provides resistance to infection, and in what manner innate defenses protect against a microbial assault. Less understood, however, is the effect of biotic and abiotic factors on microbial-vector interactions and the impact of the immune system on arthropod populations in nature. Furthermore, the influence of genetic plasticity on the immune response against vector-borne pathogens remains mostly elusive. Herein, we discuss evolutionary forces that shape arthropod vector immunity. We focus on resistance, pathogenicity and tolerance to infection. We posit that novel scientific paradigms should emerge when molecular immunologists and evolutionary ecologists work together.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dana K Shaw
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Pathology, Washington State, Pullman, WA, USA.
| | - Ann T Tate
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA.
| | - David S Schneider
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Elena A Levashina
- Vector Biology Unit, Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology, Berlin, Germany
| | - Jonathan C Kagan
- Division of Gastroenterology, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Utpal Pal
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | - Erol Fikrig
- Section of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD, USA
| | - Joao H F Pedra
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
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67
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Vieira CS, Moreira OC, Batista KKS, Ratcliffe NA, Castro DP, Azambuja P. The NF-κB Inhibitor, IMD-0354, Affects Immune Gene Expression, Bacterial Microbiota and Trypanosoma cruzi Infection in Rhodnius prolixus Midgut. Front Physiol 2018; 9:1189. [PMID: 30233391 PMCID: PMC6128222 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2018.01189] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2018] [Accepted: 08/07/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Rhodnius prolixus is an insect vector of Trypanosoma cruzi, the causative agent of Chagas disease in Latin America. Nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) transcription factors (TF) are conserved components of the innate immune system in several multicellular organisms including insects. The drug IMD-0354 [N-(3,5-bis-trifluoromethyl-phenyl)-5-chloro-2-hydroxy-benzamide] is a selective inhibitor of IκB kinases. It blocks IκBα phosphorylation thus preventing nuclear translocation of the NF-κb TF. In humans, NF-κB is involved in several biological processes such as inflammation, cell proliferation and immunity. In insects, the activation of the immune system upon microbial challenge can be controlled by signaling pathways such as the immune deficiency (IMD) and Toll, to combat infection. These activated pathways signal to downstream NF-κB TF to stimulate specific immune genes, triggering the synthesis of several molecules such as the antimicrobial peptides. In Drosophila melanogaster, the activation and regulation of NF-κB TF have been elucidated, while in triatomines these mechanisms are not fully understood Therefore, the present study investigated the effects of oral administration of the drug IMD-0354 on the R. prolixus immune response to challenge with bacteria and T. cruzi, as well as the impact on the gut bacterial microbiota. R. prolixus were fed with rabbit blood containing IMD-0354 and Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, or T. cruzi. The effects of IMD-0354 on insect mortality and antimicrobial activity in insect midgut samples, as well as the relative expression of R. prolixus immune genes were recorded. The bacterial microbiota was analyzed, and viable parasites were counted in insect midgut samples. The IMD-0354 treatment modulated antibacterial activity and the gene expression patterns of defensin A, defensin B, defensin C, and prolixicin, and the genes involved in the IMD and Toll pathways. Additionally, there was an increase of bacterial microbiota in treated insects. Insects treated with IMD-0354 and concomitantly infected with bacteria or T. cruzi through the blood meal had increased mortality, while the T. cruzi population in R. prolixus midgut was reduced. The inhibitory effect of IMD-0354 indicates the importance of NF-κB TF in the innate immune responses involved in the control of bacteria and parasite infections in the R. prolixus midgut.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cecilia S Vieira
- Laboratório de Bioquímica e Fisiologia de Insetos, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (IOC/FIOCRUZ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Otacílio C Moreira
- Laboratório de Biologia Molecular e Doenças Endêmicas, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (IOC/FIOCRUZ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Kate K S Batista
- Laboratório de Bioquímica e Fisiologia de Insetos, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (IOC/FIOCRUZ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Norman A Ratcliffe
- Laboratório de Biologia de Insetos, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Niterói, Brazil.,College of Science, Swansea University, Wales, United Kingdom
| | - Daniele P Castro
- Laboratório de Bioquímica e Fisiologia de Insetos, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (IOC/FIOCRUZ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.,Departamento de Entomologia Molecular, Instituto Nacional de Entomologia Molecular (INCT-EM), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Patrícia Azambuja
- Laboratório de Bioquímica e Fisiologia de Insetos, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (IOC/FIOCRUZ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.,Departamento de Entomologia Molecular, Instituto Nacional de Entomologia Molecular (INCT-EM), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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68
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Mondal M, Mansfield K, Flynt A. siRNAs and piRNAs collaborate for transposon control in the two-spotted spider mite. RNA (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2018; 24:899-907. [PMID: 29678924 PMCID: PMC6004056 DOI: 10.1261/rna.065839.118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2018] [Accepted: 04/16/2018] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
RNAi has revolutionized genetic research, and is being commercialized as an insect pest control technology. Mechanisms exploited for this purpose are antiviral and therefore rapidly evolving. Ideally, RNAi will also be used for noninsect pests; however, differences in RNAi biology make this uncertain. Tetranychus urticae (two-spotted spider mite) is a destructive noninsect pest, which has a proclivity to develop pesticide resistance. Here we provide a comprehensive study of the endogenous RNAi pathways of spider mites to inform design of exogenous RNAi triggers. This effort revealed unexpected roles for small RNAs and novel genome surveillance pathways. Spider mites have an expanded RNAi machinery relative to insects, encoding RNA dependent RNA polymerase (Rdrp) and extra Piwi-class effectors. Through analyzing T. urticae transcriptome data we explored small RNA biogenesis, and discovered five siRNA loci that appear central to genome surveillance. These RNAs are expressed in the gonad, which we hypothesize to trigger production of piRNAs for control of transposable elements (TEs). This work highlights the need to investigate endogenous RNAi biology as lessons from model organisms may not hold in other species, impacting development of an RNAi strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mosharrof Mondal
- Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, Mississippi 39406, USA
| | - Kody Mansfield
- Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, Mississippi 39406, USA
| | - Alex Flynt
- Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, Mississippi 39406, USA
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69
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Ixodes scapularis does not harbor a stable midgut microbiome. ISME JOURNAL 2018; 12:2596-2607. [PMID: 29946195 DOI: 10.1038/s41396-018-0161-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2017] [Revised: 04/19/2018] [Accepted: 05/09/2018] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Hard ticks of the order Ixodidae serve as vectors for numerous human pathogens, including the causative agent of Lyme Disease Borrelia burgdorferi. Tick-associated microbes can influence pathogen colonization, offering the potential to inhibit disease transmission through engineering of the tick microbiota. Here, we investigate whether B. burgdorferi encounters abundant bacteria within the midgut of wild adult Ixodes scapularis, its primary vector. Through the use of controlled sequencing methods and confocal microscopy, we find that the majority of field-collected adult I. scapularis harbor limited internal microbial communities that are dominated by endosymbionts. A minority of I. scapularis ticks harbor abundant midgut bacteria and lack B. burgdorferi. We find that the lack of a stable resident midgut microbiota is not restricted to I. scapularis since extension of our studies to I. pacificus, Amblyomma maculatum, and Dermacentor spp showed similar patterns. Finally, bioinformatic examination of the B. burgdorferi genome revealed the absence of genes encoding known interbacterial interaction pathways, a feature unique to the Borrelia genus within the phylum Spirochaetes. Our results suggest that reduced selective pressure from limited microbial populations within ticks may have facilitated the evolutionary loss of genes encoding interbacterial competition pathways from Borrelia.
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70
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Keehnen NL, Hill J, Nylin S, Wheat CW. Microevolutionary selection dynamics acting on immune genes of the green-veined white butterfly,Pieris napi. Mol Ecol 2018; 27:2807-2822. [DOI: 10.1111/mec.14722] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2017] [Revised: 04/08/2018] [Accepted: 04/23/2018] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Jason Hill
- Department of Zoology; Stockholm University; Stockholm Sweden
| | - Sören Nylin
- Department of Zoology; Stockholm University; Stockholm Sweden
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71
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Matetovici I, Van Den Abbeele J. Thioester-containing proteins in the tsetse fly (Glossina) and their response to trypanosome infection. INSECT MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2018; 27. [PMID: 29528164 PMCID: PMC5969219 DOI: 10.1111/imb.12382] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
Thioester-containing proteins (TEPs) are conserved proteins with a role in innate immune immunity. In the current study, we characterized the TEP family in the genome of six tsetse fly species (Glossina spp.). Tsetse flies are the biological vectors of several African trypanosomes, which cause sleeping sickness in humans or nagana in livestock. The analysis of the tsetse TEP sequences revealed information about their structure, evolutionary relationships and expression profiles under both normal and trypanosome infection conditions. Phylogenetic analysis of the family showed that tsetse flies harbour a genomic expansion of specific TEPs that are not found in other dipterans. We found a general expression of all TEP genes in the alimentary tract, mouthparts and salivary glands. Glossina morsitans and Glossina palpalis TEP genes display a tissue-specific expression pattern with some that are markedly up-regulated when the fly is infected with the trypanosome parasite. A different TEP response was observed to infection with Trypanosoma brucei compared to Trypanosoma congolense, indicating that the tsetse TEP response is trypanosome-specific. These findings are suggestive for the involvement of the TEP family in tsetse innate immunity, with a possible role in the control of the trypanosome parasite.
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Affiliation(s)
- I. Matetovici
- Unit of Veterinary Protozoology, Department of Biomedical SciencesInstitute of Tropical Medicine Antwerp (ITM)AntwerpBelgium
| | - J. Van Den Abbeele
- Unit of Veterinary Protozoology, Department of Biomedical SciencesInstitute of Tropical Medicine Antwerp (ITM)AntwerpBelgium
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72
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Kitsou C, Pal U. Ixodes Immune Responses Against Lyme Disease Pathogens. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2018; 8:176. [PMID: 29896452 PMCID: PMC5986905 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2018.00176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2018] [Accepted: 05/08/2018] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Although Ixodes scapularis and other related tick species are considered prolific vectors for a number of important human diseases, many aspects of their biology, microbial interactions, and immunity are largely unknown; in particular, how these ancient vectors recognize invading pathogens like Borrelia burgdorferi and influence their persistence. The analysis of the Ixodes genome and a limited set of transcriptomic data have established that ticks encode many components of classical immune pathways; yet at the same time, they lack many key orthologs of these recognition networks. Therefore, whether a given immune pathway is active in Ixodes ticks and how precisely they exert its microbicidal functions are only incompletely delineated. A few recent studies have suggested that classical pathways like the Janus Kinase/Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription (JAK/STAT) as well as immunodeficiency (IMD) pathways are fully functional in I. scapularis, and upon challenge with microbes, generate potent microbicidal responses against diverse tick-borne pathogens including B. burgdorferi. These studies also highlight novel concepts of vector immunity that include both a direct and an indirect mode of recognition of pathogens, as well as the influence of the gut microbiome, which ultimately dictates the outcome of a robust microbicidal response. Further understanding of how Ixodes ticks recognize and suppress invading microbes like B. burgdorferi will enrich our fundamental knowledge of vector immunobiology, thereby contributing to the development of future interventions to better control the tick-borne pathogen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chrysoula Kitsou
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, United States
| | - Utpal Pal
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, United States
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73
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Rubio M, Maestro JL, Piulachs MD, Belles X. Conserved association of Argonaute 1 and 2 proteins with miRNA and siRNA pathways throughout insect evolution, from cockroaches to flies. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-GENE REGULATORY MECHANISMS 2018; 1861:554-560. [PMID: 29656113 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbagrm.2018.04.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2017] [Revised: 03/21/2018] [Accepted: 04/08/2018] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Mercedes Rubio
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology (CSIC-UPF), Passeig Marítim 37, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Jose Luis Maestro
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology (CSIC-UPF), Passeig Marítim 37, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Maria-Dolors Piulachs
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology (CSIC-UPF), Passeig Marítim 37, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Xavier Belles
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology (CSIC-UPF), Passeig Marítim 37, 08003 Barcelona, Spain.
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Santos-Matos G, Wybouw N, Martins NE, Zélé F, Riga M, Leitão AB, Vontas J, Grbić M, Van Leeuwen T, Magalhães S, Sucena É. Tetranychus urticae mites do not mount an induced immune response against bacteria. Proc Biol Sci 2018; 284:rspb.2017.0401. [PMID: 28592670 PMCID: PMC5474072 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2017.0401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2017] [Accepted: 05/05/2017] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The genome of the spider mite Tetranychus urticae, a herbivore, is missing important elements of the canonical Drosophila immune pathways necessary to fight bacterial infections. However, it is not known whether spider mites can mount an immune response and survive bacterial infection. In other chelicerates, bacterial infection elicits a response mediated by immune effectors leading to the survival of infected organisms. In T. urticae, infection by either Escherichia coli or Bacillus megaterium did not elicit a response as assessed through genome-wide transcriptomic analysis. In line with this, spider mites died within days even upon injection with low doses of bacteria that are non-pathogenic to Drosophila Moreover, bacterial populations grew exponentially inside the infected spider mites. By contrast, Sancassania berlesei, a litter-dwelling mite, controlled bacterial proliferation and resisted infections with both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria lethal to T. urticae This differential mortality between mite species was absent when mites were infected with heat-killed bacteria. Also, we found that spider mites harbour in their gut 1000-fold less bacteria than S. berlesei We show that T. urticae has lost the capacity to mount an induced immune response against bacteria, in contrast to other mites and chelicerates but similarly to the phloem feeding aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum Hence, our results reinforce the putative evolutionary link between ecological conditions regarding exposure to bacteria and the architecture of the immune response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gonçalo Santos-Matos
- Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Rua da Quinta Grande, 6 2780-156 Oeiras, Portugal.,cE3c: Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, 1749-016 Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Nicky Wybouw
- Laboratory for Agrozoology, Department of Crop Protection, University of Ghent, Coupure links 653, 9000 Ghent, Belgium.,Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904, 1098 XH Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Nelson E Martins
- Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Rua da Quinta Grande, 6 2780-156 Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Flore Zélé
- cE3c: Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, 1749-016 Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Maria Riga
- Faculty of Applied Biotechnology and Biology, Department of Biology, University of Crete, Vasilika Vouton, PO Box 2208, 71409 Heraklion, Crete, Greece
| | - Alexandre B Leitão
- Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Rua da Quinta Grande, 6 2780-156 Oeiras, Portugal
| | - John Vontas
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Foundation for Research and Technology Hellas, 100 N. Plastira Street, 70013 Heraklion, Crete, Greece.,Laboratory of Pesticide Science, Department of Crop Science, Agricultural University of Athens, 75 Iera Odos Street, 11855 Athens, Greece
| | - Miodrag Grbić
- Department of Biology, University of Western Ontario, London, Canada N6A 5B7.,Instituto de Ciencias de la Vid y del Vino Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas, Universidad de la Rioja, 26006 Logroño, Spain
| | - Thomas Van Leeuwen
- Laboratory for Agrozoology, Department of Crop Protection, University of Ghent, Coupure links 653, 9000 Ghent, Belgium.,Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904, 1098 XH Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Sara Magalhães
- Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Rua da Quinta Grande, 6 2780-156 Oeiras, Portugal .,Departamento de Biologia Animal, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Élio Sucena
- Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Rua da Quinta Grande, 6 2780-156 Oeiras, Portugal .,Departamento de Biologia Animal, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal
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Zumaya-Estrada FA, Martínez-Barnetche J, Lavore A, Rivera-Pomar R, Rodríguez MH. Comparative genomics analysis of triatomines reveals common first line and inducible immunity-related genes and the absence of Imd canonical components among hemimetabolous arthropods. Parasit Vectors 2018; 11:48. [PMID: 29357911 PMCID: PMC5778769 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-017-2561-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2017] [Accepted: 11/28/2017] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Insects operate complex humoral and cellular immune strategies to fend against invading microorganisms. The majority of these have been characterized in Drosophila and other dipterans. Information on hemipterans, including Triatominae vectors of Chagas disease remains incomplete and fractionated. Results We identified putative immune-related homologs of three Triatominae vectors of Chagas disease, Triatoma pallidipennis, T. dimidiata and T. infestans (TTTs), using comparative transcriptomics based on established immune response gene references, in conjunction with the predicted proteomes of Rhodnius prolixus, Cimex lecticularis and Acyrthosiphon pisum hemimetabolous. We present a compressive description of the humoral and cellular innate immune components of these TTTs and extend the immune information of other related hemipterans. Key homologs of the constitutive and induced immunity genes were identified in all the studied hemipterans. Conclusions Our results in the TTTs extend previous observations in other hemipterans lacking several components of the Imd signaling pathway. Comparison with other hexapods, using published data, revealed that the absence of various Imd canonical components is common in several hemimetabolous species. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s13071-017-2561-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jesús Martínez-Barnetche
- Centro de Investigación Sobre Enfermedades Infecciosas (CISEI), Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública, Cuernavaca, México
| | - Andrés Lavore
- Centro de Bioinvestigaciones (CeBio) and Centro de Investigación y Transferencia del Noroeste de Buenos Aires (CITNOBA-CONICET), Universidad Nacional del Noroeste de la Provincia de Buenos Aires, Pergamino, Argentina
| | - Rolando Rivera-Pomar
- Centro de Bioinvestigaciones (CeBio) and Centro de Investigación y Transferencia del Noroeste de Buenos Aires (CITNOBA-CONICET), Universidad Nacional del Noroeste de la Provincia de Buenos Aires, Pergamino, Argentina.,Laboratorio de Genética y Genómica Funcional. Centro Regional de Estudios Genómicos. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, La Plata, Argentina
| | - Mario Henry Rodríguez
- Centro de Investigación Sobre Enfermedades Infecciosas (CISEI), Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública, Cuernavaca, México.
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76
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Vieira CS, Moreira OC, Batista KKS, Ratcliffe NA, Castro DP, Azambuja P. The NF-κB Inhibitor, IMD-0354, Affects Immune Gene Expression, Bacterial Microbiota and Trypanosoma cruzi Infection in Rhodnius prolixus Midgut. Front Physiol 2018. [PMID: 30233391 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Rhodnius prolixus is an insect vector of Trypanosoma cruzi, the causative agent of Chagas disease in Latin America. Nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) transcription factors (TF) are conserved components of the innate immune system in several multicellular organisms including insects. The drug IMD-0354 [N-(3,5-bis-trifluoromethyl-phenyl)-5-chloro-2-hydroxy-benzamide] is a selective inhibitor of IκB kinases. It blocks IκBα phosphorylation thus preventing nuclear translocation of the NF-κb TF. In humans, NF-κB is involved in several biological processes such as inflammation, cell proliferation and immunity. In insects, the activation of the immune system upon microbial challenge can be controlled by signaling pathways such as the immune deficiency (IMD) and Toll, to combat infection. These activated pathways signal to downstream NF-κB TF to stimulate specific immune genes, triggering the synthesis of several molecules such as the antimicrobial peptides. In Drosophila melanogaster, the activation and regulation of NF-κB TF have been elucidated, while in triatomines these mechanisms are not fully understood Therefore, the present study investigated the effects of oral administration of the drug IMD-0354 on the R. prolixus immune response to challenge with bacteria and T. cruzi, as well as the impact on the gut bacterial microbiota. R. prolixus were fed with rabbit blood containing IMD-0354 and Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, or T. cruzi. The effects of IMD-0354 on insect mortality and antimicrobial activity in insect midgut samples, as well as the relative expression of R. prolixus immune genes were recorded. The bacterial microbiota was analyzed, and viable parasites were counted in insect midgut samples. The IMD-0354 treatment modulated antibacterial activity and the gene expression patterns of defensin A, defensin B, defensin C, and prolixicin, and the genes involved in the IMD and Toll pathways. Additionally, there was an increase of bacterial microbiota in treated insects. Insects treated with IMD-0354 and concomitantly infected with bacteria or T. cruzi through the blood meal had increased mortality, while the T. cruzi population in R. prolixus midgut was reduced. The inhibitory effect of IMD-0354 indicates the importance of NF-κB TF in the innate immune responses involved in the control of bacteria and parasite infections in the R. prolixus midgut.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cecilia S Vieira
- Laboratório de Bioquímica e Fisiologia de Insetos, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (IOC/FIOCRUZ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Otacílio C Moreira
- Laboratório de Biologia Molecular e Doenças Endêmicas, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (IOC/FIOCRUZ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Kate K S Batista
- Laboratório de Bioquímica e Fisiologia de Insetos, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (IOC/FIOCRUZ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Norman A Ratcliffe
- Laboratório de Biologia de Insetos, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Niterói, Brazil
- College of Science, Swansea University, Wales, United Kingdom
| | - Daniele P Castro
- Laboratório de Bioquímica e Fisiologia de Insetos, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (IOC/FIOCRUZ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Departamento de Entomologia Molecular, Instituto Nacional de Entomologia Molecular (INCT-EM), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Patrícia Azambuja
- Laboratório de Bioquímica e Fisiologia de Insetos, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (IOC/FIOCRUZ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Departamento de Entomologia Molecular, Instituto Nacional de Entomologia Molecular (INCT-EM), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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77
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Lewis SH, Quarles KA, Yang Y, Tanguy M, Frézal L, Smith SA, Sharma PP, Cordaux R, Gilbert C, Giraud I, Collins DH, Zamore PD, Miska EA, Sarkies P, Jiggins FM. Pan-arthropod analysis reveals somatic piRNAs as an ancestral defence against transposable elements. Nat Ecol Evol 2018; 2:174-181. [PMID: 29203920 PMCID: PMC5732027 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-017-0403-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 172] [Impact Index Per Article: 28.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2017] [Accepted: 11/02/2017] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
In animals, small RNA molecules termed PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) silence transposable elements (TEs), protecting the germline from genomic instability and mutation. piRNAs have been detected in the soma in a few animals, but these are believed to be specific adaptations of individual species. Here, we report that somatic piRNAs were probably present in the ancestral arthropod more than 500 million years ago. Analysis of 20 species across the arthropod phylum suggests that somatic piRNAs targeting TEs and messenger RNAs are common among arthropods. The presence of an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase in chelicerates (horseshoe crabs, spiders and scorpions) suggests that arthropods originally used a plant-like RNA interference mechanism to silence TEs. Our results call into question the view that the ancestral role of the piRNA pathway was to protect the germline and demonstrate that small RNA silencing pathways have been repurposed for both somatic and germline functions throughout arthropod evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel H Lewis
- Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3EH, UK.
- Medical Research Council London Institute of Medical Sciences, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0NN, UK.
- Institute for Clinical Sciences, Imperial College London, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0NN, UK.
| | - Kaycee A Quarles
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, RNA Therapeutics Institute, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 368 Plantation Street, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
| | - Yujing Yang
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, RNA Therapeutics Institute, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 368 Plantation Street, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
| | - Melanie Tanguy
- Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3EH, UK
- Wellcome Trust/Cancer Research UK Gurdon Institute, Cambridge, CB2 1QN, UK
| | - Lise Frézal
- Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3EH, UK
- Wellcome Trust/Cancer Research UK Gurdon Institute, Cambridge, CB2 1QN, UK
- Institut de Biologie de l'Ecole Normale Supérieure, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Inserm, Ecole Normale Supérieure, Paris Sciences & Lettres Research University, 75005, Paris, France
| | - Stephen A Smith
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, 205 Duck Pond Drive, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA
| | - Prashant P Sharma
- Department of Zoology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 352 Birge Hall, 430 Lincoln Drive, Madison, WI, 53706, USA
| | - Richard Cordaux
- Université de Poitiers, Laboratoire Ecologie et Biologie des Interactions, Equipe Ecologie Evolution Symbiose, 5 Rue Albert Turpain, TSA 51106, 86073, Poitiers Cedex 9, France
| | - Clément Gilbert
- Université de Poitiers, Laboratoire Ecologie et Biologie des Interactions, Equipe Ecologie Evolution Symbiose, 5 Rue Albert Turpain, TSA 51106, 86073, Poitiers Cedex 9, France
- Laboratoire Evolution, Génomes, Comportement, Écologie, Unité Mixte de Recherche 9191 Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique and Unité Mixte de Recherche 247 Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Université Paris-Sud, 91198, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Isabelle Giraud
- Université de Poitiers, Laboratoire Ecologie et Biologie des Interactions, Equipe Ecologie Evolution Symbiose, 5 Rue Albert Turpain, TSA 51106, 86073, Poitiers Cedex 9, France
| | - David H Collins
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, UK
| | - Phillip D Zamore
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, RNA Therapeutics Institute, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 368 Plantation Street, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
| | - Eric A Miska
- Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3EH, UK
- Wellcome Trust/Cancer Research UK Gurdon Institute, Cambridge, CB2 1QN, UK
| | - Peter Sarkies
- Medical Research Council London Institute of Medical Sciences, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0NN, UK
- Institute for Clinical Sciences, Imperial College London, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0NN, UK
| | - Francis M Jiggins
- Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3EH, UK.
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78
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Immune-related redox metabolism of embryonic cells of the tick Rhipicephalus microplus (BME26) in response to infection with Anaplasma marginale. Parasit Vectors 2017; 10:613. [PMID: 29258559 PMCID: PMC5738103 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-017-2575-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2017] [Accepted: 12/06/2017] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Background It is well known that reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS) are involved in the control of pathogens and microbiota in insects. However, the knowledge of the role of ROS and RNS in tick-pathogen and tick-microbiota interactions is limited. Here, we evaluated the immune-related redox metabolism of the embryonic cell line BME26 from the cattle tick Rhipicephalus microplus in response to Anaplasma marginale infection. Methods A high-throughput qPCR approach was used to determine the expression profile of 16 genes encoding proteins involved in either production or detoxification of ROS and RNS in response to different microbial challenges. In addition, the effect of RNAi-mediated gene silencing of catalase, glutathione peroxidase, thioredoxin and protein oxidation resistance 1 in the control of infection with A. marginale was evaluated. Results Infection with A. marginale resulted in downregulation of the genes encoding ROS-generating enzymes dual oxidase and endoplasmic reticulum oxidase. In contrast, the genes encoding the antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione S-transferase, thioredoxin, thioredoxin reductase and peroxiredoxin were upregulated. The gene expression pattern in response to infection with Rickettsia rickettsii and exposure to heat-killed microorganisms, Micrococcus luteus, Enterobacter cloacae or S. cerevisiae was the opposite of that triggered by A. marginale challenge. The simultaneous silencing of three genes, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, and thioredoxin as well as the oxidation resistance 1 gene by RNAi apparently favoured the colonization of BME26 cells by A. marginale, suggesting that the antioxidant response might play a role in the control of infection. Conclusions Taken together, our results suggest that a general response of tick cells upon microbial stimuli is to increase ROS/RNS production. In contrast, A. marginale infection triggers an opposite profile, suggesting that this pathogen might manipulate the tick redox metabolism to evade the deleterious effect of the oxidant-based innate immune response. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s13071-017-2575-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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79
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Honig Mondekova H, Sima R, Urbanova V, Kovar V, Rego ROM, Grubhoffer L, Kopacek P, Hajdusek O. Characterization of Ixodes ricinus Fibrinogen-Related Proteins (Ixoderins) Discloses Their Function in the Tick Innate Immunity. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2017; 7:509. [PMID: 29276701 PMCID: PMC5727070 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2017.00509] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2017] [Accepted: 11/24/2017] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Ticks are important vectors of serious human and animal disease-causing organisms, but their innate immunity can fight invading pathogens and may have the ability to reduce or block transmission to mammalian hosts. Lectins, sugar-binding proteins, can distinguish between self and non-self-oligosaccharide motifs on pathogen surfaces. Although tick hemolymph possesses strong lectin activity, and several lectins have already been isolated and characterized, little is known about the implementation of these molecules in tick immunity. Here, we have described and functionally characterized fibrinogen-related protein (FReP) lectins in Ixodes ticks. We have shown that the FReP family contains at least 27 genes (ixoderins, ixo) that could, based on phylogenetic and expression analyses, be divided into three groups with differing degrees of expansion. By using RNA interference-mediated gene silencing (RNAi) we demonstrated that IXO-A was the main lectin in tick hemolymph. Further, we found that ixoderins were important for phagocytosis of Gram-negative bacteria and yeasts by tick hemocytes and that their expression was upregulated upon injection of microbes, wounding, or after blood feeding. However, although the tick hemocytes could swiftly phagocytose Borrelia afzelii spirochetes, their transmission and burst of infection in mice was not altered. Our results demonstrate that tick ixoderins are crucial immune proteins that work as opsonins in the tick hemolymph, targeting microbes for phagocytosis or lysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helena Honig Mondekova
- Biology Centre, Institute of Parasitology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Ceske Budejovice, Czechia.,Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Ceske Budejovice, Czechia
| | - Radek Sima
- Biology Centre, Institute of Parasitology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Ceske Budejovice, Czechia
| | - Veronika Urbanova
- Biology Centre, Institute of Parasitology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Ceske Budejovice, Czechia
| | - Vojtech Kovar
- Biology Centre, Institute of Parasitology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Ceske Budejovice, Czechia
| | - Ryan O M Rego
- Biology Centre, Institute of Parasitology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Ceske Budejovice, Czechia.,Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Ceske Budejovice, Czechia
| | - Libor Grubhoffer
- Biology Centre, Institute of Parasitology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Ceske Budejovice, Czechia.,Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Ceske Budejovice, Czechia
| | - Petr Kopacek
- Biology Centre, Institute of Parasitology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Ceske Budejovice, Czechia
| | - Ondrej Hajdusek
- Biology Centre, Institute of Parasitology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Ceske Budejovice, Czechia
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80
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Bilandžija H, Laslo M, Porter ML, Fong DW. Melanization in response to wounding is ancestral in arthropods and conserved in albino cave species. Sci Rep 2017; 7:17148. [PMID: 29215078 PMCID: PMC5719348 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-17471-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2017] [Accepted: 11/27/2017] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Many species adapted to aphotic subterranean habitats have lost all body pigmentation. Yet, melanization is an important component of wound healing in arthropods. We amputated appendages in a variety of cave-adapted and surface-dwelling arthropods. A dark clot formed at the site of injury in most species tested, including even albino cave-adapted species. The dark coloration of the clots was due to melanin deposition. The speed of wound melanization was uncorrelated with a difference in metabolic rate between surface and cave populations of an amphipod. The chelicerate Limulus polyphemus, all isopod crustaceans tested, and the cave shrimp Troglocaris anophthalmus did not melanize wounds. The loss of wound melanization in T. anophthalmus was an apomorphy associated with adaptation to subterranean habitats, but in isopods it appeared to be a symplesiomorphy unrelated to colonization of subterranean habitats. We conclude that wound melanization i) is an important part of innate immunity because it was present in all major arthropod lineages, ii) is retained in most albino cave species, and iii) has been lost several times during arthropod evolution, indicating melanization is not an indispensable component of wound healing in arthropods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helena Bilandžija
- Department of Molecular Biology, Ruđer Bošković Institute, Zagreb, 10000, Croatia
| | - Mara Laslo
- Museum of Comparative Zoology, Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA
| | - Megan L Porter
- Department of Biology, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI, 96822, USA
| | - Daniel W Fong
- Department of Biology, American University, Washington, DC, 20016, USA.
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81
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Esteves E, Maruyama SR, Kawahara R, Fujita A, Martins LA, Righi AA, Costa FB, Palmisano G, Labruna MB, Sá-Nunes A, Ribeiro JMC, Fogaça AC. Analysis of the Salivary Gland Transcriptome of Unfed and Partially Fed Amblyomma sculptum Ticks and Descriptive Proteome of the Saliva. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2017; 7:476. [PMID: 29209593 PMCID: PMC5702332 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2017.00476] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2017] [Accepted: 10/31/2017] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Ticks are obligate blood feeding ectoparasites that transmit a wide variety of pathogenic microorganisms to their vertebrate hosts. Amblyomma sculptum is vector of Rickettsia rickettsii, the causative agent of Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF), the most lethal rickettsiosis that affects humans. It is known that the transmission of pathogens by ticks is mainly associated with the physiology of the feeding process. Pathogens that are acquired with the blood meal must first colonize the tick gut and later the salivary glands (SG) in order to be transmitted during a subsequent blood feeding via saliva. Tick saliva contains a complex mixture of bioactive molecules with anticlotting, antiplatelet aggregation, vasodilatory, anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulatory properties to counteract both the hemostasis and defense mechanisms of the host. Besides facilitating tick feeding, the properties of saliva may also benefits survival and establishment of pathogens in the host. In the current study, we compared the sialotranscriptome of unfed A. sculptum ticks and those fed for 72 h on rabbits using next generation RNA sequencing (RNA-seq). The total of reads obtained were assembled in 9,560 coding sequences (CDSs) distributed in different functional classes. CDSs encoding secreted proteins, including lipocalins, mucins, protease inhibitors, glycine-rich proteins, metalloproteases, 8.9 kDa superfamily members, and immunity-related proteins were mostly upregulated by blood feeding. Selected CDSs were analyzed by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction preceded by reverse transcription (RT-qPCR), corroborating the transcriptional profile obtained by RNA-seq. Finally, high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis revealed 124 proteins in saliva of ticks fed for 96–120 h. The corresponding CDSs of 59 of these proteins were upregulated in SG of fed ticks. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on the proteome of A. sculptum saliva. The functional characterization of the identified proteins might reveal potential targets to develop vaccines for tick control and/or blocking of R. rickettsii transmission as well as pharmacological bioproducts with antihemostatic, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial activities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eliane Esteves
- Departamento de Imunologia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Sandra R Maruyama
- Departamento de Genética e Evolução, Universidade Federal de São Carlos, São Carlos, Brazil
| | - Rebeca Kawahara
- Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - André Fujita
- Departamento de Ciência da Computação, Instituto de Matemática e Estatística, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Larissa A Martins
- Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Adne A Righi
- Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Francisco B Costa
- Departamento de Medicina Veterinária Preventiva e Saúde Animal, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Giuseppe Palmisano
- Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Marcelo B Labruna
- Departamento de Medicina Veterinária Preventiva e Saúde Animal, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Anderson Sá-Nunes
- Departamento de Imunologia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - José M C Ribeiro
- Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Andréa C Fogaça
- Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
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82
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Levin TC, Malik HS. Rapidly Evolving Toll-3/4 Genes Encode Male-Specific Toll-Like Receptors in Drosophila. Mol Biol Evol 2017; 34:2307-2323. [PMID: 28541576 PMCID: PMC5850136 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msx168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Animal Toll-like receptors (TLRs) have evolved through a pattern of duplication and divergence. Whereas mammalian TLRs directly recognize microbial ligands, Drosophila Tolls bind endogenous ligands downstream of both developmental and immune signaling cascades. Here, we find that most Toll genes in Drosophila evolve slowly with little gene turnover (gains/losses), consistent with their important roles in development and indirect roles in microbial recognition. In contrast, we find that the Toll-3/4 genes have experienced an unusually rapid rate of gene gains and losses, resulting in lineage-specific Toll-3/4s and vastly different gene repertoires among Drosophila species, from zero copies (e.g., D. mojavensis) to nineteen copies (e.g., D. willistoni). In D. willistoni, we find strong evidence for positive selection in Toll-3/4 genes, localized specifically to an extracellular region predicted to overlap with the binding site of Spätzle, the only known ligand of insect Tolls. However, because Spätzle genes are not experiencing similar selective pressures, we hypothesize that Toll-3/4s may be rapidly evolving because they bind to a different ligand, akin to TLRs outside of insects. We further find that most Drosophila Toll-3/4 genes are either weakly expressed or expressed exclusively in males, specifically in the germline. Unlike other Toll genes in D. melanogaster, Toll-3, and Toll-4 have apparently escaped from essential developmental roles, as knockdowns have no substantial effects on viability or male fertility. Based on these findings, we propose that the Toll-3/4 genes represent an exceptionally rapidly evolving lineage of Drosophila Toll genes, which play an unusual, as-yet-undiscovered role in the male germline.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tera C Levin
- Division of Basic Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA
| | - Harmit S Malik
- Division of Basic Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA
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83
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Ioannidis P, Simao FA, Waterhouse RM, Manni M, Seppey M, Robertson HM, Misof B, Niehuis O, Zdobnov EM. Genomic Features of the Damselfly Calopteryx splendens Representing a Sister Clade to Most Insect Orders. Genome Biol Evol 2017; 9:415-430. [PMID: 28137743 PMCID: PMC5381652 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evx006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/19/2017] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Insects comprise the most diverse and successful animal group with over one million described species that are found in almost every terrestrial and limnic habitat, with many being used as important models in genetics, ecology, and evolutionary research. Genome sequencing projects have greatly expanded the sampling of species from many insect orders, but genomic resources for species of certain insect lineages have remained relatively limited to date. To address this paucity, we sequenced the genome of the banded demoiselle, Calopteryx splendens, a damselfly (Odonata: Zygoptera) belonging to Palaeoptera, the clade containing the first winged insects. The 1.6 Gbp C. splendens draft genome assembly is one of the largest insect genomes sequenced to date and encodes a predicted set of 22,523 protein-coding genes. Comparative genomic analyses with other sequenced insects identified a relatively small repertoire of C. splendens detoxification genes, which could explain its previously noted sensitivity to habitat pollution. Intriguingly, this repertoire includes a cytochrome P450 gene not previously described in any insect genome. The C. splendens immune gene repertoire appears relatively complete and features several genes encoding novel multi-domain peptidoglycan recognition proteins. Analysis of chemosensory genes revealed the presence of both gustatory and ionotropic receptors, as well as the insect odorant receptor coreceptor gene (OrCo) and at least four partner odorant receptors (ORs). This represents the oldest known instance of a complete OrCo/OR system in insects, and provides the molecular underpinning for odonate olfaction. The C. splendens genome improves the sampling of insect lineages that diverged before the radiation of Holometabola and offers new opportunities for molecular-level evolutionary, ecological, and behavioral studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Panagiotis Ioannidis
- Department of Genetic Medicine and Development, University of Geneva Medical School, Geneva, Switzerland.,Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Felipe A Simao
- Department of Genetic Medicine and Development, University of Geneva Medical School, Geneva, Switzerland.,Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Robert M Waterhouse
- Department of Genetic Medicine and Development, University of Geneva Medical School, Geneva, Switzerland.,Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Mosè Manni
- Department of Genetic Medicine and Development, University of Geneva Medical School, Geneva, Switzerland.,Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Mathieu Seppey
- Department of Genetic Medicine and Development, University of Geneva Medical School, Geneva, Switzerland.,Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Hugh M Robertson
- Department of Entomology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL
| | - Bernhard Misof
- Center for Molecular Biodiversity Research, Zoological Research Museum Alexander Koenig, Bonn, Germany
| | - Oliver Niehuis
- Center for Molecular Biodiversity Research, Zoological Research Museum Alexander Koenig, Bonn, Germany
| | - Evgeny M Zdobnov
- Department of Genetic Medicine and Development, University of Geneva Medical School, Geneva, Switzerland.,Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Geneva, Switzerland
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84
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Dostálová A, Rommelaere S, Poidevin M, Lemaitre B. Thioester-containing proteins regulate the Toll pathway and play a role in Drosophila defence against microbial pathogens and parasitoid wasps. BMC Biol 2017; 15:79. [PMID: 28874153 PMCID: PMC5584532 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-017-0408-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2017] [Accepted: 07/25/2017] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Members of the thioester-containing protein (TEP) family contribute to host defence in both insects and mammals. However, their role in the immune response of Drosophila is elusive. In this study, we address the role of TEPs in Drosophila immunity by generating a mutant fly line, referred to as TEPq Δ , lacking the four immune-inducible TEPs, TEP1, 2, 3 and 4. RESULTS Survival analyses with TEPq Δ flies reveal the importance of these proteins in defence against entomopathogenic fungi, Gram-positive bacteria and parasitoid wasps. Our results confirm that TEPs are required for efficient phagocytosis of bacteria, notably for the two Gram-positive species tested, Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus faecalis. Furthermore, we show that TEPq Δ flies have reduced Toll pathway activation upon microbial infection, resulting in lower expression of antimicrobial peptide genes. Epistatic analyses suggest that TEPs function upstream or independently of the serine protease ModSP at an initial stage of Toll pathway activation. CONCLUSIONS Collectively, our study brings new insights into the role of TEPs in insect immunity. It reveals that TEPs participate in both humoral and cellular arms of immune response in Drosophila. In particular, it shows the importance of TEPs in defence against Gram-positive bacteria and entomopathogenic fungi, notably by promoting Toll pathway activation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Dostálová
- Global Health Institute, School of Life Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Samuel Rommelaere
- Global Health Institute, School of Life Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Mickael Poidevin
- Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell, Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, Université Paris Sud, 1 Avenue de la Terrasse, 91198 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Bruno Lemaitre
- Global Health Institute, School of Life Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
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85
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Capelli-Peixoto J, Carvalho DD, Johnson WC, Scoles GA, Fogaça AC, Daffre S, Ueti MW. The transcription factor Relish controls Anaplasma marginale infection in the bovine tick Rhipicephalus microplus. DEVELOPMENTAL AND COMPARATIVE IMMUNOLOGY 2017; 74:32-39. [PMID: 28408334 DOI: 10.1016/j.dci.2017.04.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2017] [Revised: 04/06/2017] [Accepted: 04/08/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Rhipicephalus microplus is an important biological vector of Anaplasma marginale, the etiological agent of bovine anaplasmosis. The knowledge of tick immune responses to control bacterial infections remains limited. In this study, we demonstrate that transcription factor Relish from the IMD signaling pathway has an important role in the control of A. marginale infection in ticks. We found that RNA-mediated silencing of Relish caused a significant increase in the number of A. marginale in the midgut and salivary glands of R. microplus. In addition, the IMD pathway regulates the expression of the gene that encodes the antimicrobial peptide (AMP) microplusin. Moreover, microplusin expression was up-regulated in the midgut (2×) and salivary glands (8×) of A. marginale infected R. microplus. Therefore, it is plausible to hypothesize that microplusin may be involved in the A. marginale control. This study provides the first evidence of IMD signaling pathway participation on the A. marginale control in R. microplus.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Capelli-Peixoto
- Department of Parasitology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, 05508-900, São Paulo, State of São Paulo, Brazil.
| | - Danielle D Carvalho
- Department of Special Analysis, SD&W Modelagem e Soluções Estratégicas Ltda., 04707-010, São Paulo, State of São Paulo, Brazil.
| | - Wendell C Johnson
- Animal Diseases Research Unit, United States Department of Agricultural - Agricultural Research Service, Pullman, WA, United States.
| | - Glen A Scoles
- Animal Diseases Research Unit, United States Department of Agricultural - Agricultural Research Service, Pullman, WA, United States.
| | - Andrea C Fogaça
- Department of Parasitology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, 05508-900, São Paulo, State of São Paulo, Brazil.
| | - Sirlei Daffre
- Department of Parasitology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, 05508-900, São Paulo, State of São Paulo, Brazil.
| | - Massaro W Ueti
- Animal Diseases Research Unit, United States Department of Agricultural - Agricultural Research Service, Pullman, WA, United States.
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86
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Remnant EJ, Shi M, Buchmann G, Blacquière T, Holmes EC, Beekman M, Ashe A. A Diverse Range of Novel RNA Viruses in Geographically Distinct Honey Bee Populations. J Virol 2017; 91:e00158-17. [PMID: 28515299 PMCID: PMC5533899 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.00158-17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 95] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2017] [Accepted: 04/26/2017] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Understanding the diversity and consequences of viruses present in honey bees is critical for maintaining pollinator health and managing the spread of disease. The viral landscape of honey bees (Apis mellifera) has changed dramatically since the emergence of the parasitic mite Varroa destructor, which increased the spread of virulent variants of viruses such as deformed wing virus. Previous genomic studies have focused on colonies suffering from infections by Varroa and virulent viruses, which could mask other viral species present in honey bees, resulting in a distorted view of viral diversity. To capture the viral diversity within colonies that are exposed to mites but do not suffer the ultimate consequences of the infestation, we examined populations of honey bees that have evolved naturally or have been selected for resistance to Varroa This analysis revealed seven novel viruses isolated from honey bees sampled globally, including the first identification of negative-sense RNA viruses in honey bees. Notably, two rhabdoviruses were present in three geographically diverse locations and were also present in Varroa mites parasitizing the bees. To characterize the antiviral response, we performed deep sequencing of small RNA populations in honey bees and mites. This provided evidence of a Dicer-mediated immune response in honey bees, while the viral small RNA profile in Varroa mites was novel and distinct from the response observed in bees. Overall, we show that viral diversity in honey bee colonies is greater than previously thought, which encourages additional studies of the bee virome on a global scale and which may ultimately improve disease management.IMPORTANCE Honey bee populations have become increasingly susceptible to colony losses due to pathogenic viruses spread by parasitic Varroa mites. To date, 24 viruses have been described in honey bees, with most belonging to the order Picornavirales Collapsing Varroa-infected colonies are often overwhelmed with high levels of picornaviruses. To examine the underlying viral diversity in honey bees, we employed viral metatranscriptomics analyses on three geographically diverse Varroa-resistant populations from Europe, Africa, and the Pacific. We describe seven novel viruses from a range of diverse viral families, including two viruses that are present in all three locations. In honey bees, small RNA sequences indicate that these viruses are processed by Dicer and the RNA interference pathway, whereas Varroa mites produce strikingly novel small RNA patterns. This work increases the number and diversity of known honey bee viruses and will ultimately contribute to improved disease management in our most important agricultural pollinator.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily J Remnant
- Behaviour and Genetics of Social Insects Laboratory, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
- Marie Bashir Institute for Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, Sydney Medical School, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Mang Shi
- Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Gabriele Buchmann
- Behaviour and Genetics of Social Insects Laboratory, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | | | - Edward C Holmes
- Marie Bashir Institute for Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, Sydney Medical School, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
- Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Madeleine Beekman
- Behaviour and Genetics of Social Insects Laboratory, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
- Marie Bashir Institute for Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, Sydney Medical School, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Alyson Ashe
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
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87
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Narasimhan S, Schuijt TJ, Abraham NM, Rajeevan N, Coumou J, Graham M, Robson A, Wu MJ, Daffre S, Hovius JW, Fikrig E. Modulation of the tick gut milieu by a secreted tick protein favors Borrelia burgdorferi colonization. Nat Commun 2017; 8:184. [PMID: 28775250 PMCID: PMC5543126 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017-00208-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2016] [Accepted: 06/12/2017] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The Lyme disease agent, Borrelia burgdorferi, colonizes the gut of the tick Ixodes scapularis, which transmits the pathogen to vertebrate hosts including humans. Here we show that B. burgdorferi colonization increases the expression of several tick gut genes including pixr, encoding a secreted gut protein with a Reeler domain. RNA interference-mediated silencing of pixr, or immunity against PIXR in mice, impairs the ability of B. burgdorferi to colonize the tick gut. PIXR inhibits bacterial biofilm formation in vitro and in vivo. Abrogation of PIXR function in vivo results in alterations in the gut microbiome, metabolome and immune responses. These alterations influence the spirochete entering the tick gut in multiple ways. PIXR abrogation also impairs larval molting, indicative of its role in tick biology. This study highlights the role of the tick gut in actively managing its microbiome, and how this impacts B. burgdorferi colonization of its arthropod vector. Borrelia burgdorferi, the causative agent of Lyme disease, is transmitted by the tick Ixodes scapularis. Here, the authors show that a tick secreted protein (PIXR) modulates the tick gut microbiota and facilitates B. burgdorferi colonization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sukanya Narasimhan
- Department of Internal Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06420, USA.
| | - Tim J Schuijt
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Center for Experimental and Molecular Medicine, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, AZ, 1105, The Netherlands
| | - Nabil M Abraham
- Department of Internal Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06420, USA.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD, 20815, USA
| | - Nallakkandi Rajeevan
- Yale Centre for Medical Informatics, 300 George Street, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA.,Clinical Epidemiology Research Centre, VA Cooperative Studies Program, West Haven, CT, 06516, USA
| | - Jeroen Coumou
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Center for Experimental and Molecular Medicine, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, AZ, 1105, The Netherlands
| | - Morven Graham
- Yale Centre for Cellular and Molecular Imaging, 333 Cedar Street, New Haven, CT, 06510, USA
| | - Andrew Robson
- Program in Vertebrate Developmental Biology, Departments of Pediatrics and Genetics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06420, USA
| | - Ming-Jie Wu
- Department of Internal Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06420, USA
| | - Sirlei Daffre
- Departamento de Parasitologia, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, 05508-900, Brazil
| | - Joppe W Hovius
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Center for Experimental and Molecular Medicine, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, AZ, 1105, The Netherlands
| | - Erol Fikrig
- Department of Internal Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06420, USA. .,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD, 20815, USA.
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88
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Armitage SAO, Kurtz J, Brites D, Dong Y, Du Pasquier L, Wang HC. Dscam1 in Pancrustacean Immunity: Current Status and a Look to the Future. Front Immunol 2017. [PMID: 28649249 PMCID: PMC5465998 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2017.00662] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The Down syndrome cell adhesion molecule 1 (Dscam1) gene is an extraordinary example of diversity: by combining alternatively spliced exons, thousands of isoforms can be produced from just one gene. So far, such diversity in this gene has only been found in insects and crustaceans, and its essential part in neural wiring has been well-characterized for Drosophila melanogaster. Ten years ago evidence from D. melanogaster showed that the Dscam1 gene is involved in insect immune defense and work on Anopheles gambiae indicated that it is a hypervariable immune receptor. These exciting findings showed that via processes of somatic diversification insects have the possibility to produce unexpected immune molecule diversity, and it was hypothesized that Dscam1 could provide the mechanistic underpinnings of specific immune responses. Since these first publications the quest to understand the function of this gene has uncovered fascinating insights from insects and crustaceans. However, we are still far from a complete understanding of how Dscam1 functions in relation to parasites and pathogens and its full relevance for the immune system. In this Hypothesis and Theory article, we first briefly introduce Dscam1 and what we know so far about how it might function in immunity. By focusing on seven questions, we then share our sometimes contrasting thoughts on what the evidence tells us so far, what essential experiments remain to be done, and the future prospects, with the aim to provide a multiangled view on what this fascinating gene has to do with immune defense.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophie A O Armitage
- Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Joachim Kurtz
- Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Daniela Brites
- Tuberculosis Research Unit, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland.,Zoological Institute, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Yuemei Dong
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Bloomberg School of Public Health, John Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | | | - Han-Ching Wang
- Department of Biotechnology and Bioindustry Sciences, College of Bioscience and Biotechnology, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
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89
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Paces J, Nic M, Novotny T, Svoboda P. Literature review of baseline information to support the risk assessment of RNAi‐based GM plants. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2017. [PMCID: PMC7163844 DOI: 10.2903/sp.efsa.2017.en-1246] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jan Paces
- Institute of Molecular Genetics of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic (IMG)
| | | | | | - Petr Svoboda
- Institute of Molecular Genetics of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic (IMG)
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90
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Lai AG, Aboobaker AA. Comparative genomic analysis of innate immunity reveals novel and conserved components in crustacean food crop species. BMC Genomics 2017; 18:389. [PMID: 28521727 PMCID: PMC5437397 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-017-3769-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2017] [Accepted: 05/07/2017] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Growing global demands for crustacean food crop species have driven large investments in aquaculture research worldwide. However, large-scale production is susceptible to pathogen-mediated destruction particularly in developing economies. Thus, a thorough understanding of the immune system components of food crop species is imperative for research to combat pathogens. RESULTS Through a comparative genomics approach utilising extant data from 55 species, we describe the innate immune system of the class Malacostraca, which includes all food crop species. We identify 7407 malacostracan genes from 39 gene families implicated in different aspects of host defence and demonstrate dynamic evolution of innate immunity components within this group. Malacostracans have achieved flexibility in recognising infectious agents through divergent evolution and expansion of pathogen recognition receptors genes. Antiviral RNAi, Toll and JAK-STAT signal transduction pathways have remained conserved within Malacostraca, although the Imd pathway appears to lack several key components. Immune effectors such as the antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have unique evolutionary profiles, with many malacostracan AMPs not found in other arthropods. Lastly, we describe four putative novel immune gene families, potentially representing important evolutionary novelties of the malacostracan immune system. CONCLUSION Our analyses across the broader Malacostraca have allowed us to not only draw analogies with other arthropods but also to identify evolutionary novelties in immune modulation components and form strong hypotheses as to when key pathways have evolved or diverged. This will serve as a key resource for future immunology research in crustacean food crops.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alvina G Lai
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Tinbergen Building, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3PS, UK.
| | - A Aziz Aboobaker
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Tinbergen Building, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3PS, UK.
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91
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Martins LA, Galletti MFBDM, Ribeiro JM, Fujita A, Costa FB, Labruna MB, Daffre S, Fogaça AC. The Distinct Transcriptional Response of the Midgut of Amblyomma sculptum and Amblyomma aureolatum Ticks to Rickettsia rickettsii Correlates to Their Differences in Susceptibility to Infection. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2017; 7:129. [PMID: 28503490 PMCID: PMC5409265 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2017.00129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2017] [Accepted: 03/29/2017] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Rickettsia rickettsii is a tick-borne obligate intracellular bacterium that causes Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (RMSF). In Brazil, two species of ticks in the genus Amblyomma, A. sculptum and A. aureolatum, are incriminated as vectors of this bacterium. Importantly, these two species present remarkable differences in susceptibility to R. rickettsii infection, where A. aureolatum is more susceptible than A. sculptum. In the current study, A. aureolatum and A. sculptum ticks were fed on suitable hosts previously inoculated with R. rickettsii, mimicking a natural infection. As control, ticks were fed on non-infected animals. Both midgut and salivary glands of all positively infected ticks were colonized by R. rickettsii. We did not observe ticks with infection restricted to midgut, suggesting that important factors for controlling rickettsial colonization were produced in this organ. In order to identify such factors, the total RNA extracted from the midgut (MG) was submitted to next generation RNA sequencing (RNA-seq). The majority of the coding sequences (CDSs) of A. sculptum differentially expressed by infection were upregulated, whereas most of modulated CDSs of A. aureolatum were downregulated. The functional categories that comprise upregulated CDSs of A. sculptum, for instance, metabolism, signal transduction, protein modification, extracellular matrix, and immunity also include CDSs of A. aureolatum that were downregulated by infection. This is the first study that reports the effects of an experimental infection with the highly virulent R. rickettsii on the gene expression of two natural tick vectors. The distinct transcriptional profiles of MG of A. sculptum and A. aureolatum upon infection stimulus strongly suggest that molecular factors in this organ are responsible for delineating the susceptibility to R. rickettsii. Functional studies to determine the role played by proteins encoded by differentially expressed CDSs in the acquisition of R. rickettsii are warranted and may be considered as targets for the development of strategies to control the tick-borne pathogens as well as to control the tick vectors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Larissa A Martins
- Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade de São PauloSão Paulo, Brazil
| | - Maria F B de Melo Galletti
- Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade de São PauloSão Paulo, Brazil
| | - José M Ribeiro
- Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious DiseasesRockville, MD, USA
| | - André Fujita
- Departamento de Ciência da Computação, Instituto de Matemática e Estatística, Universidade de São PauloSão Paulo, Brazil
| | - Francisco B Costa
- Departamento de Medicina Veterinária Preventiva e Saúde Animal, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia, Universidade de São PauloSão Paulo, Brazil
| | - Marcelo B Labruna
- Departamento de Medicina Veterinária Preventiva e Saúde Animal, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia, Universidade de São PauloSão Paulo, Brazil
| | - Sirlei Daffre
- Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade de São PauloSão Paulo, Brazil
| | - Andréa C Fogaça
- Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade de São PauloSão Paulo, Brazil
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92
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Infection-derived lipids elicit an immune deficiency circuit in arthropods. Nat Commun 2017; 8:14401. [PMID: 28195158 PMCID: PMC5316886 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms14401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2016] [Accepted: 12/22/2016] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The insect immune deficiency (IMD) pathway resembles the tumour necrosis factor receptor network in mammals and senses diaminopimelic-type peptidoglycans present in Gram-negative bacteria. Whether unidentified chemical moieties activate the IMD signalling cascade remains unknown. Here, we show that infection-derived lipids 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoglycerol (POPG) and 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl diacylglycerol (PODAG) stimulate the IMD pathway of ticks. The tick IMD network protects against colonization by three distinct bacteria, that is the Lyme disease spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi and the rickettsial agents Anaplasma phagocytophilum and A. marginale. Cell signalling ensues in the absence of transmembrane peptidoglycan recognition proteins and the adaptor molecules Fas-associated protein with a death domain (FADD) and IMD. Conversely, biochemical interactions occur between x-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein (XIAP), an E3 ubiquitin ligase, and the E2 conjugating enzyme Bendless. We propose the existence of two functionally distinct IMD networks, one in insects and another in ticks. The insect IMD signalling pathway detects invading pathogens. Here the authors show that ticks have an alternative IMD system that lacks peptidoglycan receptors, IMD and FADD, and is instead reliant on interaction of the E3 ligase XIAP with the E2 conjugating enzyme Bendless.
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93
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Oliva Chávez AS, Shaw DK, Munderloh UG, Pedra JHF. Tick Humoral Responses: Marching to the Beat of a Different Drummer. Front Microbiol 2017; 8:223. [PMID: 28261180 PMCID: PMC5306392 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2017.00223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2016] [Accepted: 01/31/2017] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Ticks transmit a variety of human pathogens, including Borrelia burgdorferi, the etiological agent of Lyme disease. Multiple pathogens that are transmitted simultaneously, termed “coinfections,” are of increasing importance and can affect disease outcome in a host. Arthropod immunity is central to pathogen acquisition and transmission by the tick. Pattern recognition receptors recognize pathogen-associated molecular patterns and induce humoral responses through the Toll and Immune Deficiency (IMD) pathways. Comparative analyses between insects and ticks reveal that while the Toll pathway is conserved, the IMD network exhibits a high degree of variability. This indicates that major differences in humoral immunity exist between insects and ticks. While many variables can affect immunity, one of the major forces that shape immune outcomes is the microbiota. In light of this, we discuss how the presence of commensal bacteria, symbionts and/or coinfections can lead to altered immune responses in the tick that impact pathogen persistence and subsequent transmission. By investigating non-insect arthropod immunity, we will not only better comprehend tick biology, but also unravel the intricate effects that pathogen coinfections have on vector competence and tick-borne disease transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adela S Oliva Chávez
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore MD, USA
| | - Dana K Shaw
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore MD, USA
| | | | - Joao H F Pedra
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore MD, USA
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94
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Kim BM, Kang S, Ahn DH, Kim JH, Ahn I, Lee CW, Cho JL, Min GS, Park H. First Insights into the Subterranean Crustacean Bathynellacea Transcriptome: Transcriptionally Reduced Opsin Repertoire and Evidence of Conserved Homeostasis Regulatory Mechanisms. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0170424. [PMID: 28107438 PMCID: PMC5249073 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0170424] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2016] [Accepted: 01/04/2017] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Bathynellacea (Crustacea, Syncarida, Parabathynellidae) are subterranean aquatic crustaceans that typically inhabit freshwater interstitial spaces (e.g., groundwater) and are occasionally found in caves and even hot springs. In this study, we sequenced the whole transcriptome of Allobathynella bangokensis using RNA-seq. De novo sequence assembly produced 74,866 contigs including 28,934 BLAST hits. Overall, the gene sequences were most similar to those of the waterflea Daphnia pulex. In the A. bangokensis transcriptome, no opsin or related sequences were identified, and no contig aligned to the crustacean visual opsins and non-visual opsins (i.e. arthropsins, peropsins, and melaopsins), suggesting potential regressive adaptation to the dark environment. However, A. bangokensis expressed conserved gene family sets, such as heat shock proteins and those related to key innate immunity pathways and antioxidant defense systems, at the transcriptional level, suggesting that this species has evolved adaptations involving molecular mechanisms of homeostasis. The transcriptomic information of A. bangokensis will be useful for investigating molecular adaptations and response mechanisms to subterranean environmental conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bo-Mi Kim
- Unit of Polar Genomics, Korea Polar Research Institute, Incheon, South Korea
| | - Seunghyun Kang
- Unit of Polar Genomics, Korea Polar Research Institute, Incheon, South Korea
| | - Do-Hwan Ahn
- Unit of Polar Genomics, Korea Polar Research Institute, Incheon, South Korea
| | - Jin-Hyoung Kim
- Unit of Polar Genomics, Korea Polar Research Institute, Incheon, South Korea
| | - Inhye Ahn
- Unit of Polar Genomics, Korea Polar Research Institute, Incheon, South Korea
- Polar Sciences, University of Science & Technology, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, South Korea
| | - Chi-Woo Lee
- Department of Biological Sciences, Inha University, Incheon, South Korea
| | - Joo-Lae Cho
- Nakdonggang National Institute of Biological Resources, Sangju, South Korea
| | - Gi-Sik Min
- Department of Biological Sciences, Inha University, Incheon, South Korea
| | - Hyun Park
- Unit of Polar Genomics, Korea Polar Research Institute, Incheon, South Korea
- Polar Sciences, University of Science & Technology, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, South Korea
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95
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Candido-Ferreira IL, Kronenberger T, Sayegh RSR, Batista IDFC, da Silva Junior PI. Evidence of an Antimicrobial Peptide Signature Encrypted in HECT E3 Ubiquitin Ligases. Front Immunol 2017; 7:664. [PMID: 28119686 PMCID: PMC5220581 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2016.00664] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2016] [Accepted: 12/16/2016] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The ubiquitin-proteasome pathway (UPP) is a hallmark of the eukaryotic cell. In jawed vertebrates, it has been co-opted by the adaptive immune system, where proteasomal degradation produces endogenous peptides for major histocompatibility complex class I antigen presentation. However, proteolytic products are also necessary for the phylogenetically widespread innate immune system, as they often play a role as host defense peptides (HDPs), pivotal effectors against pathogens. Here, we report the identification of the arachnid HDP oligoventin, which shares homology to a core member of the UPP, E3 ubiquitin ligases. Oligoventin has broad antimicrobial activity and shows strong synergy with lysozymes. Using computational and phylogenetic approaches, we show high conservation of the oligoventin signature in HECT E3s. In silico simulation of HECT E3s self-proteolysis provides evidence that HDPs can be generated by fine-tuned 26S proteasomal degradation, and therefore are consistent with the hypothesis that oligoventin is a cryptic peptide released by the proteolytic processing of an Nedd4 E3 precursor protein. Finally, we compare the production of HDPs and endogenous antigens from orthologous HECT E3s by proteasomal degradation as a means of analyzing the UPP coupling to metazoan immunity. Our results highlight the functional plasticity of the UPP in innate and adaptive immune systems as a possibly recurrent mechanism to generate functionally diverse peptides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivan Lavander Candido-Ferreira
- Special Laboratory for Applied Toxinology (LETA), Center of Toxins, Immune-Response and Cell Signaling (CeTICS), Butantan Institute, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil; Biosciences Institute, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Thales Kronenberger
- Department of Parasitology, Biomedical Sciences Institute, University of São Paulo , São Paulo, São Paulo , Brazil
| | - Raphael Santa Rosa Sayegh
- Special Laboratory for Applied Toxinology (LETA), Center of Toxins, Immune-Response and Cell Signaling (CeTICS), Butantan Institute, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil; Department of Biochemistry, Institute of Chemistry, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | - Pedro Ismael da Silva Junior
- Special Laboratory for Applied Toxinology (LETA), Center of Toxins, Immune-Response and Cell Signaling (CeTICS), Butantan Institute , São Paulo, São Paulo , Brazil
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96
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Lewis SH, Webster CL, Salmela H, Obbard DJ. Repeated Duplication of Argonaute2 Is Associated with Strong Selection and Testis Specialization in Drosophila. Genetics 2016; 204:757-769. [PMID: 27535930 PMCID: PMC5068860 DOI: 10.1534/genetics.116.192336] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2016] [Accepted: 08/12/2016] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Argonaute2 (Ago2) is a rapidly evolving nuclease in the Drosophila melanogaster RNA interference (RNAi) pathway that targets viruses and transposable elements in somatic tissues. Here we reconstruct the history of Ago2 duplications across the D. obscura group and use patterns of gene expression to infer new functional specialization. We show that some duplications are old, shared by the entire species group, and that losses may be common, including previously undetected losses in the lineage leading to D. pseudoobscura We find that while the original (syntenic) gene copy has generally retained the ancestral ubiquitous expression pattern, most of the novel Ago2 paralogs have independently specialized to testis-specific expression. Using population genetic analyses, we show that most testis-specific paralogs have significantly lower genetic diversity than the genome-wide average. This suggests recent positive selection in three different species, and model-based analyses provide strong evidence of recent hard selective sweeps in or near four of the six D. pseudoobscura Ago2 paralogs. We speculate that the repeated evolution of testis specificity in obscura group Ago2 genes, combined with their dynamic turnover and strong signatures of adaptive evolution, may be associated with highly derived roles in the suppression of transposable elements or meiotic drive. Our study highlights the lability of RNAi pathways, even within well-studied groups such as Drosophila, and suggests that strong selection may act quickly after duplication in RNAi pathways, potentially giving rise to new and unknown RNAi functions in nonmodel species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel H Lewis
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, University of Edinburgh, Ashworth Laboratories, EH9 3FL, United Kingdom
| | - Claire L Webster
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, University of Edinburgh, Ashworth Laboratories, EH9 3FL, United Kingdom
| | - Heli Salmela
- Department of Biosciences, Centre of Excellence in Biological Interactions, University of Helsinki, Finland
| | - Darren J Obbard
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, University of Edinburgh, Ashworth Laboratories, EH9 3FL, United Kingdom Centre for Immunity, Infection and Evolution, University of Edinburgh, Ashworth Laboratories, EH9 3FL, United Kingdom
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97
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Leite DJ, McGregor AP. Arthropod evolution and development: recent insights from chelicerates and myriapods. Curr Opin Genet Dev 2016; 39:93-100. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gde.2016.06.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2016] [Revised: 06/06/2016] [Accepted: 06/07/2016] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
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98
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Hoy MA, Waterhouse RM, Wu K, Estep AS, Ioannidis P, Palmer WJ, Pomerantz AF, Simão FA, Thomas J, Jiggins FM, Murphy TD, Pritham EJ, Robertson HM, Zdobnov EM, Gibbs RA, Richards S. Genome Sequencing of the Phytoseiid Predatory Mite Metaseiulus occidentalis Reveals Completely Atomized Hox Genes and Superdynamic Intron Evolution. Genome Biol Evol 2016; 8:1762-75. [PMID: 26951779 PMCID: PMC4943173 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evw048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/27/2016] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Metaseiulus occidentalis is an eyeless phytoseiid predatory mite employed for the biological control of agricultural pests including spider mites. Despite appearances, these predator and prey mites are separated by some 400 Myr of evolution and radically different lifestyles. We present a 152-Mb draft assembly of the M. occidentalis genome: Larger than that of its favored prey, Tetranychus urticae, but considerably smaller than those of many other chelicerates, enabling an extremely contiguous and complete assembly to be built-the best arachnid to date. Aided by transcriptome data, genome annotation cataloged 18,338 protein-coding genes and identified large numbers of Helitron transposable elements. Comparisons with other arthropods revealed a particularly dynamic and turbulent genomic evolutionary history. Its genes exhibit elevated molecular evolution, with strikingly high numbers of intron gains and losses, in stark contrast to the deer tick Ixodes scapularis Uniquely among examined arthropods, this predatory mite's Hox genes are completely atomized, dispersed across the genome, and it encodes five copies of the normally single-copy RNA processing Dicer-2 gene. Examining gene families linked to characteristic biological traits of this tiny predator provides initial insights into processes of sex determination, development, immune defense, and how it detects, disables, and digests its prey. As the first reference genome for the Phytoseiidae, and for any species with the rare sex determination system of parahaploidy, the genome of the western orchard predatory mite improves genomic sampling of chelicerates and provides invaluable new resources for functional genomic analyses of this family of agriculturally important mites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marjorie A Hoy
- Department of Entomology and Nematology, University of Florida
| | - Robert M Waterhouse
- Department of Genetic Medicine and Development, University of Geneva Medical School, Switzerland Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Geneva, Switzerland Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - Ke Wu
- Department of Entomology and Nematology, University of Florida
| | - Alden S Estep
- Department of Entomology and Nematology, University of Florida
| | - Panagiotis Ioannidis
- Department of Genetic Medicine and Development, University of Geneva Medical School, Switzerland Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Geneva, Switzerland
| | | | | | - Felipe A Simão
- Department of Genetic Medicine and Development, University of Geneva Medical School, Switzerland Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Jainy Thomas
- Department of Human Genetics, University of Utah
| | | | - Terence D Murphy
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | | | - Hugh M Robertson
- Department of Entomology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
| | - Evgeny M Zdobnov
- Department of Genetic Medicine and Development, University of Geneva Medical School, Switzerland Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Richard A Gibbs
- Human Genome Sequencing Center, Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine
| | - Stephen Richards
- Human Genome Sequencing Center, Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine
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99
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McGonigle JE, Purves J, Rolff J. Intracellular survival of Staphylococcus aureus during persistent infection in the insect Tenebrio molitor. DEVELOPMENTAL AND COMPARATIVE IMMUNOLOGY 2016; 59:34-38. [PMID: 26778297 DOI: 10.1016/j.dci.2016.01.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2015] [Revised: 01/06/2016] [Accepted: 01/07/2016] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Survival of bacteria within host cells and tissues presents a challenge to the immune systems of higher organisms. Escape from phagocytic immune cells compounds this issue, as immune cells become potential vehicles for pathogen dissemination. However, the duration of persistence within phagocytes and its contribution to pathogen load has yet to be determined. We investigate the immunological significance of intracellular persistence within the insect model Tenebrio molitor, assessing the extent, duration and location of bacterial recovery during a persistent infection. Relative abundance of Staphylococcus aureus in both intracellular and extracellular fractions was determined over 21 days, and live S. aureus were successfully recovered from both the hemolymph and within phagocytic immune cells across the entire time course. The proportion of bacteria recovered from within phagocytes also increased over time. Our results show that to accurately estimate pathogen load it is vital to account for bacteria persisting within immune cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- John E McGonigle
- Sheffield Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, UK; Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, UK
| | - Joanne Purves
- Sheffield Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, UK; School of Life Sciences, Centre for Biomolecular Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, United Kingdom
| | - Jens Rolff
- Sheffield Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, UK; Institute of Biology, Free University Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
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100
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Toll Genes Have an Ancestral Role in Axis Elongation. Curr Biol 2016; 26:1609-1615. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2016.04.055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2016] [Revised: 04/06/2016] [Accepted: 04/20/2016] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
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