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Mair I, Fenn J, Wolfenden A, Lowe AE, Bennett A, Muir A, Thompson J, Dieumerci O, Logunova L, Shultz S, Bradley JE, Else KJ. The adaptive immune response to Trichuris in wild versus laboratory mice: An established model system in context. PLoS Pathog 2024; 20:e1012119. [PMID: 38626206 PMCID: PMC11051619 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1012119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2023] [Revised: 04/26/2024] [Accepted: 03/13/2024] [Indexed: 04/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Laboratory model organisms have provided a window into how the immune system functions. An increasing body of evidence, however, suggests that the immune responses of naive laboratory animals may differ substantially to those of their wild counterparts. Past exposure, environmental challenges and physiological condition may all impact on immune responsiveness. Chronic infections of soil-transmitted helminths, which we define as establishment of adult, fecund worms, impose significant health burdens on humans, livestock and wildlife, with limited treatment success. In laboratory mice, Th1 versus Th2 immune polarisation is the major determinant of helminth infection outcome. Here we compared antigen-specific immune responses to the soil-transmitted whipworm Trichuris muris between controlled laboratory and wild free-ranging populations of house mice (Mus musculus domesticus). Wild mice harbouring chronic, low-level infections produced lower levels of cytokines in response to Trichuris antigen than laboratory-housed C57BL/6 mice. Wild mouse effector/memory CD4+ T cell phenotype reflected the antigen-specific cytokine response across the Th1/Th2 spectrum. Increasing egg shedding was associated with body condition loss. However, local Trichuris-specific Th1/Th2 balance was positively associated with worm burden only in older wild mice. Thus, although the fundamental relationships between the CD4+ T helper cell response and resistance to T. muris infection are similar in both laboratory and wild M. m. domesticus, there are quantitative differences and age-specific effects that are analogous to human immune responses. These context-dependent immune responses demonstrate the fundamental importance of understanding the differences between model and natural systems for translating mechanistic models to 'real world' immune function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iris Mair
- Lydia Becker Institute of Immunology and Inflammation, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
- Manchester Environmental Research Institute, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Jonathan Fenn
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Andrew Wolfenden
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Ann E. Lowe
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Alex Bennett
- Lydia Becker Institute of Immunology and Inflammation, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Andrew Muir
- Lydia Becker Institute of Immunology and Inflammation, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Jacob Thompson
- Lydia Becker Institute of Immunology and Inflammation, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Olive Dieumerci
- Lydia Becker Institute of Immunology and Inflammation, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Larisa Logunova
- Lydia Becker Institute of Immunology and Inflammation, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Susanne Shultz
- School of Natural Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Janette E. Bradley
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Kathryn J. Else
- Lydia Becker Institute of Immunology and Inflammation, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
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Downie AE, Oyesola O, Barre RS, Caudron Q, Chen YH, Dennis EJ, Garnier R, Kiwanuka K, Menezes A, Navarrete DJ, Mondragón-Palomino O, Saunders JB, Tokita CK, Zaldana K, Cadwell K, Loke P, Graham AL. Spatiotemporal-social association predicts immunological similarity in rewilded mice. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eadh8310. [PMID: 38134275 PMCID: PMC10745690 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adh8310] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2023] [Accepted: 11/21/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023]
Abstract
Environmental influences on immune phenotypes are well-documented, but our understanding of which elements of the environment affect immune systems, and how, remains vague. Behaviors, including socializing with others, are central to an individual's interaction with its environment. We therefore tracked behavior of rewilded laboratory mice of three inbred strains in outdoor enclosures and examined contributions of behavior, including associations measured from spatiotemporal co-occurrences, to immune phenotypes. We found extensive variation in individual and social behavior among and within mouse strains upon rewilding. In addition, we found that the more associated two individuals were, the more similar their immune phenotypes were. Spatiotemporal association was particularly predictive of similar memory T and B cell profiles and was more influential than sibling relationships or shared infection status. These results highlight the importance of shared spatiotemporal activity patterns and/or social networks for immune phenotype and suggest potential immunological correlates of social life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander E. Downie
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Oyebola Oyesola
- Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Ramya S. Barre
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, University of Texas Health Sciences Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA
| | - Quentin Caudron
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Ying-Han Chen
- Kimmel Center for Biology and Medicine at the Skirball Institute, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Emily J. Dennis
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA 20147, USA
| | - Romain Garnier
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Kasalina Kiwanuka
- Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Arthur Menezes
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Daniel J. Navarrete
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Octavio Mondragón-Palomino
- Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Jesse B. Saunders
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Christopher K. Tokita
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Kimberly Zaldana
- Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
- Department of Microbiology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Ken Cadwell
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Department of Systems Pharmacology and Translational Therapeutics, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - P’ng Loke
- Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Andrea L. Graham
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
- Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe, NM 87501, USA
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3
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Born-Torrijos A, Riekenberg P, van der Meer MTJ, Nachev M, Sures B, Thieltges DW. Parasite effects on host's trophic and isotopic niches. Trends Parasitol 2023; 39:749-759. [PMID: 37451950 DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2023.06.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2023] [Revised: 06/09/2023] [Accepted: 06/09/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023]
Abstract
Wild animals are usually infected with parasites that can alter their hosts' trophic niches in food webs as can be seen from stable isotope analyses of infected versus uninfected individuals. The mechanisms influencing these effects of parasites on host isotopic values are not fully understood. Here, we develop a conceptual model to describe how the alteration of the resource intake or the internal resource use of hosts by parasites can lead to differences of trophic and isotopic niches of infected versus uninfected individuals and ultimately alter resource flows through food webs. We therefore highlight that stable isotope studies inferring trophic positions of wild organisms in food webs would benefit from routine identification of their infection status.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Born-Torrijos
- Department of Coastal Systems, NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, PO Box 59, 1790 AB Den Burg, Texel, The Netherlands.
| | - Philip Riekenberg
- Department of Marine Microbiology and Biogeochemistry, NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, PO Box 59, 1790 AB Den Burg, Texel, The Netherlands
| | - Marcel T J van der Meer
- Department of Marine Microbiology and Biogeochemistry, NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, PO Box 59, 1790 AB Den Burg, Texel, The Netherlands
| | - Milen Nachev
- Department of Aquatic Ecology and Centre for Water and Environmental Research, University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstr. 5, 45141 Essen, Germany
| | - Bernd Sures
- Department of Aquatic Ecology and Centre for Water and Environmental Research, University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstr. 5, 45141 Essen, Germany; Research Center One Health Ruhr, Research Alliance Ruhr, University Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstr. 5, 45141 Essen, Germany
| | - David W Thieltges
- Department of Coastal Systems, NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, PO Box 59, 1790 AB Den Burg, Texel, The Netherlands; Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life-Sciences, GELIFES, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands
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Martinez A, Calhoun AC, Sadd BM. Investigating the influence of diet diversity on infection outcomes in a bumble bee ( Bombus impatiens) and microsporidian ( Nosema bombi) host-pathogen system. FRONTIERS IN INSECT SCIENCE 2023; 3:1207058. [PMID: 38469464 PMCID: PMC10926413 DOI: 10.3389/finsc.2023.1207058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2023] [Accepted: 08/01/2023] [Indexed: 03/13/2024]
Abstract
Diet can have an array of both direct and indirect effects on an organism's health and fitness, which can influence the outcomes of host-pathogen interactions. Land use changes, which could impact diet quantity and quality, have imposed foraging stress on important natural and agricultural pollinators. Diet related stress could exacerbate existing negative impacts of pathogen infection. Accounting for most of its nutritional intake in terms of protein and many micronutrients, pollen can influence bee health through changes in immunity, infection, and various aspects of individual and colony fitness. We investigate how adult pollen consumption, pollen type, and pollen diversity influence bumble bee Bombus impatiens survival and infection outcomes for a microsporidian pathogen Nosema (Vairimorpha) bombi. Experimental pathogen exposures of larvae occurred in microcolonies and newly emerged adult workers were given one of three predominantly monofloral, polyfloral, or no pollen diets. Workers were assessed for size, pollen consumption, infection 8-days following adult-eclosion, survival, and the presence of extracellular microsporidian spores at death. Pollen diet treatment, specifically absence of pollen, and infection independently reduced survival, but we saw no effects of pollen, pollen type, or pollen diet diversity on infection outcomes. The latter suggests infection outcomes were likely already set, prior to differential diets. Although infection outcomes were not altered by pollen diet in our study, it highlights both pathogen infection and pollen availability as important for bumble bee health, and these factors may interact at different stages of bumble bee development, at the colony level, or under different dietary regimes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Ben M. Sadd
- School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, IL, United States
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5
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Downie AE, Oyesola O, Barre RS, Caudron Q, Chen YH, Dennis EJ, Garnier R, Kiwanuka K, Menezes A, Navarrete DJ, Mondragón-Palomino O, Saunders JB, Tokita CK, Zaldana K, Cadwell K, Loke P, Graham AL. Social association predicts immunological similarity in rewilded mice. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.03.15.532825. [PMID: 36993264 PMCID: PMC10055139 DOI: 10.1101/2023.03.15.532825] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Environmental influences on immune phenotypes are well-documented, but our understanding of which elements of the environment affect immune systems, and how, remains vague. Behaviors, including socializing with others, are central to an individual's interaction with its environment. We tracked behavior of rewilded laboratory mice of three inbred strains in outdoor enclosures and examined contributions of behavior, including social associations, to immune phenotypes. We found that the more associated two individuals were, the more similar their immune phenotypes were. Social association was particularly predictive of similar memory T and B cell profiles and was more influential than sibling relationships or worm infection status. These results highlight the importance of social networks for immune phenotype and reveal important immunological correlates of social life.
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Affiliation(s)
- A. E. Downie
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University; Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - O. Oyesola
- Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health; Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - R. S. Barre
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University; Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, University of Texas Health Sciences Center at San Antonio; San Antonio, TX 78229, USA
| | - Q. Caudron
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University; Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Y.-H. Chen
- Kimmel Center for Biology and Medicine at the Skirball Institute, New York University Grossman School of Medicine; New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - E. J. Dennis
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute; Ashburn, VA 20147, USA
| | - R. Garnier
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University; Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - K. Kiwanuka
- Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health; Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - A. Menezes
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University; Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - D. J. Navarrete
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University; Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, Stanford University; Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - O. Mondragón-Palomino
- Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health; Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - J. B. Saunders
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University; Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - C. K. Tokita
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University; Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - K. Zaldana
- Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health; Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
- Department of Microbiology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine; New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - K. Cadwell
- Kimmel Center for Biology and Medicine at the Skirball Institute, New York University Grossman School of Medicine; New York, NY 10016, USA
- Department of Microbiology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine; New York, NY 10016, USA
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Medicine, New York University Grossman School of Medicine; New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - P. Loke
- Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health; Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - A. L. Graham
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University; Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
- Santa Fe Institute; Santa Fe, NM 87501, USA
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6
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Hasan N, Hasani NAH, Omar E, Sham FR, Fuad SBSA, Karim MKA, Ibahim MJ. A single targeted gamma-ray irradiation induced an acute modulation of immune cells and related cytokines in EMT6 mouse-bearing tumour model. Cancer Biomark 2023; 38:61-75. [PMID: 37522193 DOI: 10.3233/cbm-220268] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/01/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND A complicated interplay between radiation doses, tumour microenvironment (TME), and host immune system is linked to the active participation of immune response. OBJECTIVE The effects of single targeted 2 Gy and 8 Gy gamma-ray irradiations on the immune cell population (lymphocytes, B-cells, T-cells, neutrophils, eosinophils, and macrophages) in EMT6 mouse-bearing tumour models was investigated. METHODS The effects of both irradiation doses in early (96 hours) and acute phase (5 to 11 days) post-irradiation on immune parameters were monitored in blood circulation and TME using flow cytometry. Simultaneously, selected cytokines related to immune cells within the TME were measured using multiplex ELISA. RESULTS A temporary reduction in systemic total white blood count (TWBC) resulted from an early phase (96 hours) of gamma-ray irradiation at 2 Gy and 8 Gy compared to sham control group. No difference was obtained in the acute phase. Neutrophils dominated among other immune cells in TME in sham control group. Eosinophils in TME was significantly increased after 8 Gy treatment in acute phase compared to sham control (p< 0.005). Furthermore, the increment of tumour necrosis (TNF)-α, eotaxin and interleukin (IL)-7 (p< 0.05) in both treatment groups and phases were associated with anti-tumour activities within TME by gamma-ray irradiation. CONCLUSION The temporary changes in immune cell populations within systemic circulation and TME induced by different doses of gamma-ray irradiation correlated with suppression of several pro-tumorigenic cytokines in mouse-bearing EMT6 tumour models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nurhaslina Hasan
- Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Sungai Buloh, Selangor, Malaysia
- Faculty of Dentistry, University Teknologi MARA, Sungai Buloh, Selangor, Malaysia
| | | | - Effat Omar
- Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Sungai Buloh, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Fatihah Ronny Sham
- Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Sungai Buloh, Selangor, Malaysia
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Mair I, Wolfenden A, Lowe AE, Bennett A, Muir A, Smith H, Fenn J, Bradley JE, Else KJ. A lesson from the wild: The natural state of eosinophils is Ly6G hi. Immunology 2021; 164:766-776. [PMID: 34486729 PMCID: PMC8561109 DOI: 10.1111/imm.13413] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2021] [Revised: 08/29/2021] [Accepted: 09/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
With a long history of promoting pathological inflammation, eosinophils are now emerging as important regulatory cells. Yet, findings from controlled laboratory experiments so far lack translation to animals, including humans, in their natural environment. In order to appreciate the breadth of eosinophil phenotype under non‐laboratory, uncontrolled conditions, we exploit a free‐living population of the model organism Mus musculus domesticus. Eosinophils were present at significantly higher proportions in the spleen and bone marrow of wild mice compared with laboratory mice. Strikingly, the majority of eosinophils of wild mice exhibited a unique Ly6Ghi phenotype seldom described in laboratory literature. Ly6G expression correlated with activation status in spleen and bone marrow, but not peritoneal exudate cells, and is therefore likely not an activation marker per se. Intermediate Ly6G expression was transiently induced in a small proportion of eosinophils from C57BL/6 laboratory mice during acute infection with the whipworm Trichuris muris, but not during low‐dose chronic infection, which better represents parasite exposure in the wild. We conclude that the natural state of the eosinophil is not adequately reflected in the standard laboratory mouse, which compromises our attempts to dissect their functional relevance. Our findings emphasize the importance of studying the immune system in its natural context – alongside more mechanistic laboratory experiments – in order to capture the entirety of immune phenotypes and functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iris Mair
- Lydia Becker Institute of Immunology and Inflammation, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Andrew Wolfenden
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Ann E Lowe
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Alex Bennett
- Lydia Becker Institute of Immunology and Inflammation, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Andrew Muir
- Lydia Becker Institute of Immunology and Inflammation, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Hannah Smith
- Lydia Becker Institute of Immunology and Inflammation, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Jonathan Fenn
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | | | - Kathryn J Else
- Lydia Becker Institute of Immunology and Inflammation, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
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Mair I, McNeilly TN, Corripio-Miyar Y, Forman R, Else KJ. Embracing nature's complexity: Immunoparasitology in the wild. Semin Immunol 2021; 53:101525. [PMID: 34785137 PMCID: PMC8713030 DOI: 10.1016/j.smim.2021.101525] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2021] [Revised: 11/01/2021] [Accepted: 11/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
A wealth of research is dedicated to understanding how resistance against parasites is conferred and how parasite-driven pathology is regulated. This research is in part driven by the hope to better treatments for parasitic diseases of humans and livestock, and in part by immunologists who use parasitic infections as biomedical tools to evoke physiological immune responses. Much of the current mechanistic knowledge has been discovered in laboratory studies using model organisms, especially the laboratory mouse. However, wildlife are also hosts to a range of parasites. Through the study of host-parasite interactions in these non-laboratory systems we can gain a deeper understanding of parasite immunology in a more natural, complex environment. With a focus on helminth parasites, we here explore the insights gained into parasite-induced immune responses through (for immunologists) non-conventional experimental systems, and how current core findings from laboratory studies are reflected in these more natural conditions. The quality of the immune response is undoubtedly a central player in susceptibility versus resistance, as many laboratory studies have shown. Yet, in the wild, parasite infections tend to be chronic diseases. Whilst reading our review, we encourage the reader to consider the following questions which may (only) be answered by studying naturally occurring parasites in the wild: a) what type of immune responses are mounted against parasites in different hosts in the wild, and how do they vary within an individual over time, between individuals of the same species and between species? b) can we use wild or semi-wild study systems to understand the evolutionary drivers for tolerance versus resistance towards a parasite? c) what determines the ability of the host to cope with an infection and is there a link with the type of immune response mounted? d) can we modulate environmental factors to manipulate a wild animal's immune response to parasitic infections, with translation potential for humans, wildlife, and livestock? and e) in context of this special issue, what lessons for Type 2 immunity can we glean from studying animals in their natural environments? Further, we aim to integrate some of the knowledge gained in semi-wild and wild settings with knowledge gained from traditional laboratory-based research, and to raise awareness for the opportunities (and challenges) that come with integrating a multitude of naturally-occurring variables into immunoparasitological research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iris Mair
- Lydia Becker Institute of Immunology and Inflammation, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Oxford Road Manchester, M13 9PT, UK.
| | - Tom N McNeilly
- Disease Control Department, Moredun Research Institute, Midlothian, EH26 0PZ, Scotland, UK
| | - Yolanda Corripio-Miyar
- Disease Control Department, Moredun Research Institute, Midlothian, EH26 0PZ, Scotland, UK
| | - Ruth Forman
- Lydia Becker Institute of Immunology and Inflammation, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Oxford Road Manchester, M13 9PT, UK
| | - Kathryn J Else
- Lydia Becker Institute of Immunology and Inflammation, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Oxford Road Manchester, M13 9PT, UK.
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9
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Graham AL. Naturalizing mouse models for immunology. Nat Immunol 2021; 22:111-117. [PMID: 33495644 DOI: 10.1038/s41590-020-00857-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2020] [Accepted: 12/07/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Laboratory mice have provided invaluable insight into mammalian immune systems. Yet the immune phenotypes of mice bred and maintained in conventional laboratory conditions often differ from the immune phenotypes of wild mammals. Recent work to naturalize the environmental experience of inbred laboratory mice-to take them where the wild things are (to borrow a phrase from Maurice Sendak), via approaches such as construction of exposure histories, provision of fecal transplants or surrogate mothering by wild mice, and rewilding-is poised to expand understanding, complementing genetic and phylogenetic research on how natural selection has shaped mammalian immune systems while improving the translational potential of mouse research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea L Graham
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA.
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10
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Young S, Fenn J, Arriero E, Lowe A, Poulin B, MacColl AD, Bradley JE. Relationships between immune gene expression and circulating cytokine levels in wild house mice. Ecol Evol 2020; 10:13860-13871. [PMID: 33391686 PMCID: PMC7771139 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.6976] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2020] [Revised: 08/28/2020] [Accepted: 10/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Quantitative PCR (qPCR) has been commonly used to measure gene expression in a number of research contexts, but the measured RNA concentrations do not always represent the concentrations of active proteins which they encode. This can be due to transcriptional regulation or post-translational modifications, or localization of immune environments, as can occur during infection. However, in studies using free-living non-model species, such as in ecoimmunological research, qPCR may be the only available option to measure a parameter of interest, and so understanding the quantitative link between gene expression and associated effector protein levels is vital.Here, we use qPCR to measure concentrations of RNA from mesenteric lymph node (MLN) and spleen tissue, and multiplex ELISA of blood serum to measure circulating cytokine concentrations in a wild population of a model species, Mus musculus domesticus.Few significant correlations were found between gene expression levels and circulating cytokines of the same immune genes or proteins, or related functional groups. Where significant correlations were observed, these were most frequently within the measured tissue (i.e., the expression levels of genes measured from spleen tissue were more likely to correlate with each other rather than with genes measured from MLN tissue, or with cytokine concentrations measured from blood).Potential reasons for discrepancies between measures including differences in decay rates and transcriptional regulation networks are discussed. We highlight the relative usefulness of different measures under different research questions and consider what might be inferred from immune assays.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stuart Young
- School of Life SciencesUniversity of NottinghamNottinghamUK
- North of England Zoological SocietyChesterUK
| | - Jonathan Fenn
- School of Life SciencesUniversity of NottinghamNottinghamUK
| | - Elena Arriero
- School of Life SciencesUniversity of NottinghamNottinghamUK
- Department of Biodiversity, Ecology and EvolutionUniversity Complutense of MadridMadridSpain
| | - Ann Lowe
- School of Life SciencesUniversity of NottinghamNottinghamUK
| | - Benoit Poulin
- School of Life SciencesUniversity of NottinghamNottinghamUK
- Leicester Biomedical Research CentreUniversity Hospitals of Leicester NHS TrustGeneral HospitalLeicesterUK
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Durso AM, Smith GD, Hudson SB, French SS. Stoichiometric and stable isotope ratios of wild lizards in an urban landscape vary with reproduction, physiology, space and time. CONSERVATION PHYSIOLOGY 2020; 8:coaa001. [PMID: 32082575 PMCID: PMC7019090 DOI: 10.1093/conphys/coaa001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2018] [Revised: 12/13/2019] [Accepted: 01/08/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Spatial and temporal variation in stoichiometric and stable isotope ratios of animals contains ecological information that we are just beginning to understand. In both field and lab studies, stoichiometric or isotopic ratios are related to physiological mechanisms underlying nutrition or stress. Conservation and ecosystem ecology may be informed by isotopic data that can be rapidly and non-lethally collected from wild animals, especially where human activity leaves an isotopic signature (e.g. via introduction of chemical fertilizers, ornamental or other non-native plants or organic detritus). We examined spatial and temporal variation in stoichiometric and stable isotope ratios of the toes of Uta stansburiana (side-blotched lizards) living in urban and rural areas in and around St. George, Utah. We found substantial spatial and temporal variation as well as context-dependent co-variation with reproductive physiological parameters, although certain key predictions such as the relationship between δ15N and body condition were not supported. We suggest that landscape change through urbanization can have profound effects on wild animal physiology and that stoichiometric and stable isotope ratios can provide unique insights into the mechanisms underlying these processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew M Durso
- Department of Biology and the Ecology Center, Utah State University, 5305 Old Main Hill, Logan UT 84321 USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida Gulf Coast University, 10501 FGCU Blvd S, Fort Myers, FL 33965 USA
| | - Geoffrey D Smith
- Department of Biology and the Ecology Center, Utah State University, 5305 Old Main Hill, Logan UT 84321 USA
- Biological Sciences Department, Dixie State University, 225 S. University Avenue, St. George, UT 84770 USA
| | - Spencer B Hudson
- Department of Biology and the Ecology Center, Utah State University, 5305 Old Main Hill, Logan UT 84321 USA
| | - Susannah S French
- Department of Biology and the Ecology Center, Utah State University, 5305 Old Main Hill, Logan UT 84321 USA
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