Amphioxus ribosomal proteins RPS15, RPS18, RPS19 and RPS30-precursor act as immune effectors via killing or agglutinating bacteria

Evaluation of the biological function of ribosomal protein S18 from cattle tick Rhipicephalus microplus

Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus, also known as the cattle tick, causes severe parasitism and transmits different pathogens to vertebrate hosts, leading to massive economic losses. In the present study, we performed a functional characterization of a ribosomal protein from R. microplus to investigate its importance in blood feeding, egg production and viability. Ribosomal protein S18 (RPS18) is part of the 40S subunit, associated with 18S rRNA, and has been previously pointed to have a secondary role in different organisms. Rhipicephalus microplus RPS18 (RmRPS18) gene expression levels were modulated in female salivary glands during blood feeding. Moreover, mRNA levels in this tissue were 10 times higher than those in the midgut of fully engorged female ticks. Additionally, recombinant RmRPS18 was recognized by IgG antibodies from sera of cattle naturally or experimentally infested with ticks. RNAi-mediated knockdown of the RmRPS18 gene was performed in fully engorged females, leading to a significant (29 %) decrease in egg production. Additionally, egg hatching was completely impaired, suggesting that no viable eggs were produced by the RmRPS18-silenced group. Furthermore, antimicrobial assays revealed inhibitory activities against gram-negative Escherichia coli and gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus bacteria, affecting bacterial growth. Data presented here show the important role of RmRPS18 in tick physiology and suggest that RmRPS18 can be a potential target for the development of novel strategies for tick control.

Molecular and functional characterization of ribosome protein S24 in ovarian development of Macrobrachium nipponense

Ribosomal proteins (RPs) have mang extraribosomal functions including regulation of ovarian development in some organisms. In order to solve the problem of rapid ovarian maturation in Macrobrachium nipponense aquaculture, this study identified a RPS24 (MnRPS24) gene from M. nipponense, which encodes a protein of ββαβαααα folding structure type. MnRPS24 exhibited the greatest expressions in the female adult stage among the six growth stages, in the ovary among the nine tissues, and in the stage I ovary among the six ovarian development stages. The MnRPS24 protein located in the cytoplasm of oogonia, previtellogenic and early-vitellogenic oocytes, and the follicular cells surrounding the oocytes. The expression of the vitellogenin (MnVg), vitellogenin receptor (MnVgr), cell cycle protein B (MnCyclin B) and cell division cyclin 2 (MnCdc2) genes were increased by recombinant MnRPS24 protein incubation. Conversely, the expression of the Wee1 kinase (MnWee1) gene was decreased. MnRPS24 gene silencing downregulated the expression for MnVg, MnVgr, MnCyclin B and MnCdc2 and upregulated the expression for MnWee1. Furthermore, MnRPS24 gene silencing delayed the vitellogenesis of oocytes, halting the progression of ovarian development. The findings of this research demonstrate that MnRPS24 could potentially function as a stimulator in promoting the development of ovaries in M. nipponense.

Hematological and gene co-expression network analyses of high-risk beef cattle defines immunological mechanisms and biological complexes involved in bovine respiratory disease and weight gain

Bovine respiratory disease (BRD), the leading disease complex in beef cattle production systems, remains highly elusive regarding diagnostics and disease prediction. Previous research has employed cellular and molecular techniques to describe hematological and gene expression variation that coincides with BRD development. Here, we utilized weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) to leverage total gene expression patterns from cattle at arrival and generate hematological and clinical trait associations to describe mechanisms that may predict BRD development. Gene expression counts of previously published RNA-Seq data from 23 cattle (2017; n = 11 Healthy, n = 12 BRD) were used to construct gene co-expression modules and correlation patterns with complete blood count (CBC) and clinical datasets. Modules were further evaluated for cross-populational preservation of expression with RNA-Seq data from 24 cattle in an independent population (2019; n = 12 Healthy, n = 12 BRD). Genes within well-preserved modules were subject to functional enrichment analysis for significant Gene Ontology terms and pathways. Genes which possessed high module membership and association with BRD development, regardless of module preservation (“hub genes”), were utilized for protein-protein physical interaction network and clustering analyses. Five well-preserved modules of co-expressed genes were identified. One module (“steelblue”), involved in alpha-beta T-cell complexes and Th2-type immunity, possessed significant correlation with increased erythrocytes, platelets, and BRD development. One module (“purple”), involved in mitochondrial metabolism and rRNA maturation, possessed significant correlation with increased eosinophils, fecal egg count per gram, and weight gain over time. Fifty-two interacting hub genes, stratified into 11 clusters, may possess transient function involved in BRD development not previously described in literature. This study identifies co-expressed genes and coordinated mechanisms associated with BRD, which necessitates further investigation in BRD-prediction research.