Application of monoclonal antibody against granulocytes of scallop Chlamys farreri on granulocytes occurrence at different developmental stages and antigenic cross-reactivity of granulocytes in five other bivalve species

Development of a Monoclonal Antibody Specific to the IgM Heavy Chain of Bighead Catfish (Clarias macrocephalus): A Biomolecular Tool for the Detection and Quantification of IgM Molecules and IgM+ Cells in Clarias Catfish

Catfish is a commonly-cultivated freshwater fish in Thailand and many Southeast Asian countries. The molecular data obtained for the IgM heavy chain (IgMH) of catfish have been useful for distinguishing monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). A mAb specific to Cμ₁ of the IgMH of catfish (IgMHCμ₁ mAb) was developed in a rabbit model using sequence information from bighead catfish (Clarias macrocephalus). The IgMHCμ₁ mAb strongly recognized the IgM heavy chain of the tested catfish, namely, bighead catfish, African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) and their hybrid (C. macrocephalus × C. gariepinus), in immunological Western blot analysis and competitive ELISAs. Additionally, the IgMHCμ₁ mAb successfully recognized IgM⁺ cells by detecting IgM molecules in both secreted and membrane-bound forms in peripheral blood leukocytes (PBLs). The IgMHCμ₁ mAb was further used to quantify the percentage of IgM⁺ cells among PBLs through flow cytophotometry. The IgM⁺ cell percentages of healthy bighead catfish, African catfish and their hybrid were 38.0–39.9%, 45.6–53.2%, and 58.7–60.0%, respectively. Furthermore, the IgMHCμ₁ mAb showed no cross-reactivity with the IgM of zebrafish. These findings suggest that this mAb can be used as an immunological tool for monitoring the health, immune status, and immune development of cultivated Clarias catfish.

A new member of the runt domain family from Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas (CgRunx) potentially involved in immune response and larvae hematopoiesis

The Runx family is a kind of heteromeric transcription factors, which is defined by the presence of a runt domain. As transcriptional regulator during development and cell fate specification, Runx is best known for its critical roles in hematopoiesis. In the present study, a Runx transcription factor (designed as CgRunx) was identified and characterized from the oyster Crassostrea gigas. The complete coding sequence of CgRunx was of 1638 bp encoding a predicted polypeptide of 545 amino acids with one conserved runt domain, which shared high similarity with other reported Runx proteins. CgRunx was highly expressed in hemocytes, gill and mantle both at the protein and nucleic acid levels. CgRunx protein was localized specifically in the cell nuclei of hemocytes, and distributed at the tubule lumen of gill filament. During the larval developmental stages, the mRNA transcripts of CgRunx gradually increased after fertilization, reached to a relative high level at the 8 cell embryos and the blastula stage of 2-4 hpf (hours post fertilization) (about 40-fold), and peaked at early trochophore larvae (10 hpf) (about 60-fold). Whole-mount immunofluorescence assay further revealed that the abundant immunofluorescence signals of CgRunx distributed through the whole embryo at blastula stage (5 hpf), and progressively reduced with the development to a ring structure around the dorsal region in trochophore larvae (10 hpf). Scattered positive immunoreactivity signals finally appeared in the velum region of D-veliger larvae. After LPS and Vibrio splendidus stimulations, the expression levels of CgRunx mRNA in hemocytes were up-regulated significantly compared with that in the control (0 h), which were 2.98- and 2.46-fold (p < 0.05), 2.67- and 1.5-fold (p < 0.05), 2.36- and 1.38-fold (p < 0.05) at 3 h, 6 h and 12 h, respectively. These results collectively suggested that CgRunx involved in immune response and might participate in larvae hematopoiesis in oyster.

CgAATase with specific expression pattern can be used as a potential surface marker for oyster granulocytes

Granulocytes are known as the main immunocompetent hemocytes that play important roles in the immune defense of oyster Crassostrea gigas. In the present study, an alcohol acyltransferase (designed as CgAATase) with specific expression pattern was identified from oyster C. gigas, and it could be employed as a potential marker for the isolation of oyster granulocytes. The open reading frame (ORF) of CgAATase was of 1431 bp, encoding a peptide of 476 amino acids with a typically conserved AATase domain. The mRNA transcripts of CgAATase were highest expressed in hemocytes, lower expressed in hepatopancreas, mantle, gonad, gill, ganglion, adductor muscle, and labial palp. The mRNA expression level of CgAATase in hemocytes was significantly up-regulated at 3-12 h and reached the highest level (27.40-fold compared to control group, p < 0.05) at 6 h after Vibrio splendidus stimulation. The total hemocytes were sorted as granulocytes, semi-granulocytes and agranulocytes by Percoll^® density gradient centrifugation. CgAATase transcripts were dominantly observed in granulocytes, which was 8.26-fold (p < 0.05) and 2.80-fold (p < 0.05) of that in agranulocytes and semi-granulocytes, respectively. The monoclonal antibody against CgAATase was produced and employed for the isolation of granulocytes with the immunomagnetic bead. CgAATase protein was mainly detected on the cytomembrane of granulocytes. About 85.7 ± 4.60% of the granulocytes were positive for CgAATase and they could be successfully separated by flow cytometry with immunomagnetic bead coated with anti-CgAATase monoclonal antibody, and 97.7 ± 1.01% of the rest hemocytes (agranulocytes and semi-granulocytes) were negative for CgAATase. The isolated primary granulocytes could maintain cell activity for more than one week in vitro culture that exhibited numerous filopodia. These results collectively suggested that CgAATase was a potential marker of oyster granulocytes, and the granulocytes could be effectively isolated from total circulating hemocytes by immunomagnetic bead coated with the anti-CgAATase monoclonal antibody.

Hematopoiesis in Bivalvia larvae: Cellular origin, differentiation of hemocytes, and neoplasia

Hemocytes play vital roles in the immune response. Despite progress in the characterization of molluscan hemocytes and immune cells, including their cellular receptors and signal transduction pathways, the processes that lead to their differentiation in bivalve larvae remain unknown. Furthermore, the molecular mechanisms of that decide hemocyte stem cell fate and self-renewal during development remain poorly characterized. Similar to adult mollusks, the larvae are filter feeders and are highly susceptible to pathogens and biotoxins; therefore, it is important to understand the development and function of their immune system. This review summarizes the current data on the appearance of elements of the immune system in bivalve larvae. I have discussed why the immune cells emerge before the circular blood vessel system, which differentiates at the late stages of development. I also discuss how molluscan hemocytes are involved in the development of disseminated neoplasia.

Predicting growth and mortality of bivalve larvae using gene expression and supervised machine learning

It is commonly known that the nature of the diet has diverse consequences on larval performance and longevity, however it is still unclear which genes have critical impacts on bivalve development and which pathways are of particular importance in their vulnerability or resistance. First we show that a diet deficient in essential fatty acid (EFA) produces higher larval mortality rates, a reduced shell growth, and lower postlarval performance, all of which are positively correlated with a decline in arachidonic and eicosapentaenoic acids levels, two EFAs known as eicosanoid precursors. Eicosanoids affect the cell inflammatory reactions and are synthesized from long-chain EFAs. Second, we show for the first time that a deficiency in eicosanoid precursors is associated with a network of 29 genes. Their differential regulation can lead to slower growth and higher mortality of Mytilus edulis larvae. Some of these genes are specific to bivalves and others are implicated at the same time in lipid metabolism and defense. Several genes are expressed only during pre-metamorphosis where they are essential for muscle or neurone development and biomineralization, but only in stress-induced larvae. Finally, we discuss how our networks of differentially expressed genes might dynamically alter the development of marine bivalves, especially under dietary influence.