1
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Jackson JA, Stewart A, Cable J. Lunar-linked biological rhythms in the immune system of freshwater three-spined stickleback. DISCOVERY IMMUNOLOGY 2024; 3:kyae007. [PMID: 38863794 PMCID: PMC11165434 DOI: 10.1093/discim/kyae007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2023] [Revised: 04/07/2024] [Accepted: 06/03/2024] [Indexed: 06/13/2024]
Abstract
Immune responses are widely accepted to be under circadian regulation via a molecular clock, with many practical consequences, but much less is known of how other biological rhythms could affect the immune system. In this study, we search for lunar rhythms (circalunar, circasemilunar, and circatidal cycles) in the immune expression of the recently marine-derived freshwater fish, the low-plate morph of the three-spined stickleback. We employed time series of immune expression (mRNA) measurements for 14 immune-associated genes, representing a variety of immunological pathways. Times series measurements were taken on fish populations in the wild, in seminatural outdoor mesocosms, and in the laboratory, according to sampling regimens originally designed to study circannual variation but with the additional potential to provide information about lunar variation. Our evidence best supported the existence of a very small endogenous tidal rhythm. This is consistent with previous suggestions of the existence of a primordial tidal endogenous clock, some elements of which may be conserved in animals evolving outside the marine environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph A Jackson
- School of Science, Engineering and Environment, University of Salford, Salford, UK
| | - Alexander Stewart
- Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford, UK
| | - Joanne Cable
- School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
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2
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Maciuszek M, Pijanowski L, Kemenade LVV, Chadzinska M. Season affects the estrogen system and the immune response of common carp. FISH PHYSIOLOGY AND BIOCHEMISTRY 2024; 50:797-812. [PMID: 38157099 PMCID: PMC11021253 DOI: 10.1007/s10695-023-01286-2] [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: 07/20/2023] [Accepted: 12/07/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024]
Abstract
The physiology of ectothermic animals, including fish, is strictly regulated by season-related external factors such as temperature or photoperiod. The immune response and the production of hormones, such as estrogens, are therefore also subject to seasonal changes. This study in common carp aimed to determine how the season affects the estrogen system and the immune response, including the antibacterial response during Aeromonas salmonicida infection. We compared the immune reaction in spring and autumn in the head kidney and liver and found that carp have higher levels of blood 17β-estradiol in autumn, while in the liver of these fish there is a higher constitutive expression of genes encoding vitellogenin, estrogen receptors and Cyp19 aromatase than in spring. Fish sampled in autumn also exhibited higher expression of immune-related genes in the liver. In contrast, in the head kidney from fish sampled in the autumn, the expression of genes encoding estrogen receptors and aromatase was lower than in spring, and a similar profile of expression was also measured in the head kidney for inos, arginases and il-10. In turn, during bacterial infection, we observed higher upregulation of the expression of inos, il-12p35, ifnγ-2, arginase 2 and il-10 in the liver of carp sampled in spring. In the liver of carp infected in spring a higher upregulation of the expression of the genes encoding CRPs was observed compared to fish infected during autumn. The opposite trend occurred in the head kidney, where the upregulation of the expression of the genes involved in the immune response was higher in fish infected in autumn than in those infected in spring. During the infection, also season-dependent changes occurred in the estrogen system. In conclusion, we demonstrated that season differentially affects the estrogenic and immune activity of the head kidney and liver. These results reinforce our previous findings that the endocrine and immune systems cooperate in maintaining homeostasis and fighting infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Magdalena Maciuszek
- Department of Evolutionary Immunology, Institute of Zoology and Biomedical Research, Faculty of Biology, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland.
| | - Lukasz Pijanowski
- Department of Evolutionary Immunology, Institute of Zoology and Biomedical Research, Faculty of Biology, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland
| | - Lidy Verburg-van Kemenade
- Cell Biology and Immunology Group, Department of Animal Sciences, Wageningen University, Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - Magdalena Chadzinska
- Department of Evolutionary Immunology, Institute of Zoology and Biomedical Research, Faculty of Biology, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland
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3
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Scharsack JP, Franke F. Temperature effects on teleost immunity in the light of climate change. JOURNAL OF FISH BIOLOGY 2022; 101:780-796. [PMID: 35833710 DOI: 10.1111/jfb.15163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2022] [Accepted: 07/11/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Temperature is an important environmental modulator of teleost immune activity. Susceptibility of teleosts to temperature variation depends on the species-specific adaptive temperature range, and the activity of the teleost immune system is generally temperature-dependent. Similar to many physiological and metabolic traits of ectotherms, temperature modulates the activity of immune traits. At low temperatures, acquired immunity of many teleost species is down-modulated, and their immuno-competence mainly depends on innate immunity. At intermediate temperatures, both innate and acquired immunity are fully active and provide optimal protection, including long-lasting immunological memory. When temperatures increase and reach the upper permissive range, teleost immunity is compromised. Moreover, temperature shifts may have negative effects on teleost immune functions, in particular if shifts occur rapidly with high amplitudes. On the contrary, short-term temperature increase may help teleost immunity to fight against pathogens transiently. A major challenge to teleosts therefore is to maintain immuno-competence throughout the temperature range they are exposed to. Climate change coincides with rising temperatures, and more frequent and more extreme temperature shifts. Both are likely to influence the immuno-competence of teleosts. Nonetheless, teleosts exist in habitats that differ substantially in temperature, ranging from below zero in the Arctic's to above 40°C in warm springs, illustrating their enormous potential to adapt to different temperature regimes. The present review seeks to discuss how changes in temperature variation, induced by climate change, might influence teleost immunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jörn Peter Scharsack
- Department for Fish Diseases, Thuenen-Institute of Fisheries Ecology, Bremerhaven, Germany
| | - Frederik Franke
- Bavarian State Institute of Forestry, Department of Biodiversity, Nature Protection & Wildlife Management, Freising, Germany
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4
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Rosa GM, Perez R, Richards LA, Richards‐Zawacki CL, Smilanich AM, Reinert LK, Rollins‐Smith LA, Wetzel DP, Voyles J. Seasonality of host immunity in a tropical disease system. Ecosphere 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.4158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Gonçalo M. Rosa
- Department of Biology University of Nevada, Reno Reno Nevada USA
- Institute of Zoology Zoological Society of London London UK
- Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa Lisbon Portugal
| | - Rachel Perez
- Department of Biology New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology Socorro New Mexico USA
| | - Lora A. Richards
- Department of Biology University of Nevada, Reno Reno Nevada USA
| | | | | | - Laura K. Reinert
- Department of Pathology Microbiology and Immunology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Nashville Tennessee USA
| | - Louise A. Rollins‐Smith
- Department of Pathology Microbiology and Immunology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Nashville Tennessee USA
| | - Daniel P. Wetzel
- Department of Biological Sciences University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh Pennsylvania USA
| | - Jamie Voyles
- Department of Biology University of Nevada, Reno Reno Nevada USA
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5
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Raven N, Klaassen M, Madsen T, Thomas F, Hamede R, Ujvari B. Transmissible cancer influences immune gene expression in an endangered marsupial, the Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii). Mol Ecol 2022; 31:2293-2311. [PMID: 35202488 PMCID: PMC9310804 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16408] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2020] [Accepted: 02/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Understanding the effects of wildlife diseases on populations requires insight into local environmental conditions, host defence mechanisms, host life‐history trade‐offs, pathogen population dynamics, and their interactions. The survival of Tasmanian devils (Sarcophilus harrisii) is challenged by a novel, fitness limiting pathogen, Tasmanian devil facial tumour disease (DFTD), a clonally transmissible, contagious cancer. In order to understand the devils’ capacity to respond to DFTD, it is crucial to gain information on factors influencing the devils’ immune system. By using RT‐qPCR, we investigated how DFTD infection in association with intrinsic (sex and age) and environmental (season) factors influences the expression of 10 immune genes in Tasmanian devil blood. Our study showed that the expression of immune genes (both innate and adaptive) differed across seasons, a pattern that was altered when infected with DFTD. The expression of immunogbulins IgE and IgM:IgG showed downregulation in colder months in DFTD infected animals. We also observed strong positive association between the expression of an innate immune gene, CD16, and DFTD infection. Our results demonstrate that sampling across seasons, age groups and environmental conditions are beneficial when deciphering the complex ecoevolutionary interactions of not only conventional host‐parasite systems, but also of host and diseases with high mortality rates, such as transmissible cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- N Raven
- Deakin University, Geelong, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Centre for Integrative Ecology, Waurn Ponds, Vic, 3216, Australia
| | - M Klaassen
- Deakin University, Geelong, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Centre for Integrative Ecology, Waurn Ponds, Vic, 3216, Australia
| | - T Madsen
- Deakin University, Geelong, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Centre for Integrative Ecology, Waurn Ponds, Vic, 3216, Australia
| | - F Thomas
- CREEC/CANECEV (CREES), Montpellier, France.,MIVEGEC, Université de Montpellier, CNRS, IRD, Montpellier, France
| | - R Hamede
- Deakin University, Geelong, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Centre for Integrative Ecology, Waurn Ponds, Vic, 3216, Australia.,School of Natural Sciences, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 55, Hobart, Tasmania, 7001, Australia
| | - B Ujvari
- Deakin University, Geelong, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Centre for Integrative Ecology, Waurn Ponds, Vic, 3216, Australia
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6
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Variations in Rainbow Trout Immune Responses against A. salmonicida: Evidence of an Internal Seasonal Clock in Oncorhynchus mykiss. BIOLOGY 2022; 11:biology11020174. [PMID: 35205041 PMCID: PMC8869240 DOI: 10.3390/biology11020174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2021] [Revised: 01/13/2022] [Accepted: 01/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
In poikilothermic vertebrates, seasonality influences different immunological parameters such as leukocyte numbers, phagocytic activity, and antibody titers. This phenomenon has been described in different teleost species, with immunological parameters peaking during warmer months and decreased levels during winter. In this study, the cellular immune responses of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) kept under constant photoperiod and water temperature against intraperitoneally injected Aeromonas salmonicida during the summer and winter were investigated. The kinetics of different leukocyte subpopulations from peritoneal cavity, spleen, and head kidney in response to the bacteria was measured by flow cytometry. Furthermore, the kinetics of induced A. salmonicida-specific antibodies was evaluated by ELISA. Despite maintaining the photoperiod and water temperature as constant, different cell baselines were detected in all organs analyzed. During the winter months, B- and T-cell responses were decreased, contrary to what was observed during summer months. However, the specific antibody titers were similar between the two seasons. Natural antibodies, however, were greatly increased 12 h post-injection only during the wintertime. Altogether, our results suggest a bias toward innate immune responses and potential lymphoid immunosuppression in the wintertime in trout. These seasonal differences, despite photoperiod and water temperature being kept constant, suggest an internal inter-seasonal or circannual clock controlling the immune system and physiology of this teleost fish.
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7
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Bracamonte SE, Knopf K, Monaghan MT. Encapsulation of Anguillicola crassus reduces the abundance of adult parasite stages in the European eel (Anguilla anguilla). JOURNAL OF FISH DISEASES 2021; 44:771-782. [PMID: 33270932 DOI: 10.1111/jfd.13301] [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: 08/04/2020] [Revised: 10/23/2020] [Accepted: 10/25/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Encapsulation of the parasitic nematode Anguillicola crassus Kuwahara, Niimi & Hagaki is commonly observed in its native host, the Japanese eel (Anguilla japonica Temminck & Schlegel). Encapsulation has also been described in a novel host, the European eel (A. anguilla L.), and there is evidence that encapsulation frequency has increased since the introduction of A. crassus. We examined whether encapsulation of A. crassus provides an advantage to its novel host in Lake Müggelsee, NE Germany. We provide the first evidence that encapsulation was associated with reduced abundance of adult A. crassus. This pattern was consistent in samples taken 3 months apart. There was no influence of infection on the expression of the two metabolic genes studied, but the number of capsules was negatively correlated with the expression of two mhc II genes of the adaptive immune response, suggesting a reduced activation. Interestingly, eels that encapsulated A. crassus had higher abundances of two native parasites compared with non-encapsulating eels. We propose that the response of A. anguilla to infection by A. crassus may interfere with its reaction to other co-occurring parasites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seraina E Bracamonte
- Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB), Berlin, Germany
- Berlin Center for Genomics in Biodiversity Research, Berlin, Germany
- Faculty of Life Sciences, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, CSIC, Madrid, Spain
| | - Klaus Knopf
- Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB), Berlin, Germany
- Faculty of Life Sciences, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Michael T Monaghan
- Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB), Berlin, Germany
- Berlin Center for Genomics in Biodiversity Research, Berlin, Germany
- Institut für Biologie, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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8
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Rodriguez KM, Voyles J. The amphibian complement system and chytridiomycosis. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY PART 2020; 333:706-719. [PMID: 33052039 PMCID: PMC7821119 DOI: 10.1002/jez.2419] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2020] [Revised: 08/26/2020] [Accepted: 09/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Understanding host immune function and ecoimmunology is increasingly important at a time when emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) threaten wildlife. One EID that has emerged and spread widely in recent years is chytridiomycosis, caused by the fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), which is implicated unprecedented amphibian declines around the world. The impacts of Bd have been severe for many amphibian species, but some populations have exhibited signs of persistence, and even recovery, in some regions. Many mechanisms may underpin this pattern and amphibian immune responses are likely one key component. Although we have made great strides in understanding amphibian immunity, the complement system remains poorly understood. The complement system is a nonspecific, innate immune defense that is known to enhance other immune responses. Complement activation can occur by three different biochemical pathways and result in protective mechanisms, such as inflammation, opsonization, and pathogen lysis, thereby providing protection to the host. We currently lack an understanding of complement pathway activation for chytridiomycosis, but several studies have suggested that it may be a key part of an early and robust immune response that confers host resistance. Here, we review the available research on the complement system in general as well as amphibian complement responses to Bd infection. Additionally, we propose future research directions that will increase our understanding of the amphibian complement system and other immune responses to Bd. Finally, we suggest how a deeper understanding of amphibian immunity could enhance the conservation and management of amphibian species that are threatened by chytridiomycosis.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jamie Voyles
- Department of Biology, University of Nevada-Reno, Reno, Nevada, USA
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9
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Whiting JR, Mahmud MA, Bradley JE, MacColl ADC. Prior exposure to long-day photoperiods alters immune responses and increases susceptibility to parasitic infection in stickleback. Proc Biol Sci 2020; 287:20201017. [PMID: 32605431 PMCID: PMC7423467 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2020.1017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2020] [Accepted: 06/08/2020] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Seasonal disease and parasitic infection are common across organisms, including humans, and there is increasing evidence for intrinsic seasonal variation in immune systems. Changes are orchestrated through organisms' physiological clocks using cues such as day length. Ample research in diverse taxa has demonstrated multiple immune responses are modulated by photoperiod, but to date, there have been few experimental demonstrations that photoperiod cues alter susceptibility to infection. We investigated the interactions among photoperiod history, immunity and susceptibility in laboratory-bred three-spined stickleback (a long-day breeding fish) and its external, directly reproducing monogenean parasite Gyrodactylus gasterostei. We demonstrate that previous exposure to long-day photoperiods (PLD) increases susceptibility to infection relative to previous exposure to short days (PSD), and modifies the response to infection for the mucin gene muc2 and Treg cytokine foxp3a in skin tissues in an intermediate 12 L : 12 D photoperiod experimental trial. Expression of skin muc2 is reduced in PLD fish, and negatively associated with parasite abundance. We also observe inflammatory gene expression variation associated with natural inter-population variation in resistance, but find that photoperiod modulation of susceptibility is consistent across host populations. Thus, photoperiod modulation of the response to infection is important for host susceptibility, highlighting new mechanisms affecting seasonality of host-parasite interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- James R. Whiting
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK
- Department of Biosciences, University of Exeter, Geoffrey Pope Building, Exeter EX4 4QD, UK
| | - Muayad A. Mahmud
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK
- Scientific Research Center, Erbil Polytechnic University, Erbil, Iraq
| | - Janette E. Bradley
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK
| | - Andrew D. C. MacColl
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK
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10
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Wanelik KM, Begon M, Arriero E, Bradley JE, Friberg IM, Jackson JA, Taylor CH, Paterson S. Transcriptome-wide analysis reveals different categories of response to a standardised immune challenge in a wild rodent. Sci Rep 2020; 10:7444. [PMID: 32366957 PMCID: PMC7198573 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-64307-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2019] [Accepted: 04/14/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Individuals vary in their immune response and, as a result, some are more susceptible to infectious disease than others. Little is known about the nature of this individual variation in natural populations, or which components of immune pathways are most responsible, but defining this underlying landscape of variation is an essential first step to understanding the drivers of this variation and, ultimately, predicting the outcome of infection. We describe transcriptome-wide variation in response to a standardised immune challenge in wild field voles. We find that genes (hereafter 'markers') can be categorised into a limited number of types. For the majority of markers, the response of an individual is dependent on its baseline expression level, with significant enrichment in this category for conventional immune pathways. Another, moderately sized, category contains markers for which the responses of different individuals are also variable but independent of their baseline expression levels. This category lacks any enrichment for conventional immune pathways. We further identify markers which display particularly high individual variability in response, and could be used as markers of immune response in larger studies. Our work shows how a standardised challenge performed on a natural population can reveal the patterns of natural variation in immune response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Klara M Wanelik
- Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom.
| | - Mike Begon
- Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Elena Arriero
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom.,Department of Biodiversity, Ecology and Evolution, University Complutense of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Janette E Bradley
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Ida M Friberg
- School of Environment and Life Sciences, University of Salford, Salford, United Kingdom
| | - Joseph A Jackson
- School of Environment and Life Sciences, University of Salford, Salford, United Kingdom
| | | | - Steve Paterson
- Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom
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11
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Brusch GA, Mills AM, Walman RM, Masuda G, Byeon A, DeNardo DF, Stahlschmidt ZR. Dehydration enhances cellular and humoral immunity in a mesic snake community. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY PART 2020; 333:306-315. [PMID: 32277742 DOI: 10.1002/jez.2358] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2020] [Accepted: 03/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
The immunocompetence of a community of free-living animals can be affected by seasonality, sex, and parasite burden. However, each of these factors is often examined independently. Recent studies have also found that dehydration can enhance aspects of immunocompetence in drought-adapted species. To explore how all of these factors interact, and their effect on the immune system in mesic-adapted species, we collected blood samples from a community of free-ranging snakes in coastal South Carolina, United States, across 2 years. We specifically examined (a) how sex and seasonality influence humoral and cellular immunocompetence and parasite burden, (b) the dynamics among hydration state, parasite burden, and immunocompetence, and (c) whether mesic-adapted species also show enhanced innate immunity with dehydration. Consistent with previous work on drought-adapted species, we found that dehydration enhances multiple aspects of humoral immunity in mesic species, and we are the first to report that dehydration also enhances aspects of cellular immunocompetence. Contrary to previous results in other squamates, sex and season did not impact immunocompetence or parasite prevalence. Our results also reveal complex interactions among parasite prevalence, immunocompetence, and hydration state demonstrating that hydration state and parasitism are two ubiquitous factors that should continue to be considered in future studies examining ecoimmunological variation.
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Affiliation(s)
- George A Brusch
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona.,Centre d'Etudies Biologiques de Chizé, CNRS, Villiers en Bois, France
| | | | | | - Garrett Masuda
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of the Pacific, Stockton, California
| | - Andy Byeon
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of the Pacific, Stockton, California
| | - Dale F DeNardo
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
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12
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Becker DJ, Albery GF, Kessler MK, Lunn TJ, Falvo CA, Czirják GÁ, Martin LB, Plowright RK. Macroimmunology: The drivers and consequences of spatial patterns in wildlife immune defence. J Anim Ecol 2020; 89:972-995. [PMID: 31856309 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2019] [Accepted: 11/06/2019] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
The prevalence and intensity of parasites in wild hosts varies across space and is a key determinant of infection risk in humans, domestic animals and threatened wildlife. Because the immune system serves as the primary barrier to infection, replication and transmission following exposure, we here consider the environmental drivers of immunity. Spatial variation in parasite pressure, abiotic and biotic conditions, and anthropogenic factors can all shape immunity across spatial scales. Identifying the most important spatial drivers of immunity could help pre-empt infectious disease risks, especially in the context of how large-scale factors such as urbanization affect defence by changing environmental conditions. We provide a synthesis of how to apply macroecological approaches to the study of ecoimmunology (i.e. macroimmunology). We first review spatial factors that could generate spatial variation in defence, highlighting the need for large-scale studies that can differentiate competing environmental predictors of immunity and detailing contexts where this approach might be favoured over small-scale experimental studies. We next conduct a systematic review of the literature to assess the frequency of spatial studies and to classify them according to taxa, immune measures, spatial replication and extent, and statistical methods. We review 210 ecoimmunology studies sampling multiple host populations. We show that whereas spatial approaches are relatively common, spatial replication is generally low and unlikely to provide sufficient environmental variation or power to differentiate competing spatial hypotheses. We also highlight statistical biases in macroimmunology, in that few studies characterize and account for spatial dependence statistically, potentially affecting inferences for the relationships between environmental conditions and immune defence. We use these findings to describe tools from geostatistics and spatial modelling that can improve inference about the associations between environmental and immunological variation. In particular, we emphasize exploratory tools that can guide spatial sampling and highlight the need for greater use of mixed-effects models that account for spatial variability while also allowing researchers to account for both individual- and habitat-level covariates. We finally discuss future research priorities for macroimmunology, including focusing on latitudinal gradients, range expansions and urbanization as being especially amenable to large-scale spatial approaches. Methodologically, we highlight critical opportunities posed by assessing spatial variation in host tolerance, using metagenomics to quantify spatial variation in parasite pressure, coupling large-scale field studies with small-scale field experiments and longitudinal approaches, and applying statistical tools from macroecology and meta-analysis to identify generalizable spatial patterns. Such work will facilitate scaling ecoimmunology from individual- to habitat-level insights about the drivers of immune defence and help predict where environmental change may most alter infectious disease risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel J Becker
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA.,Center for the Ecology of Infectious Disease, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - Gregory F Albery
- Department of Biology, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA
| | | | - Tamika J Lunn
- Environmental Futures Research Institute, Griffith University, Nathan, Queensland, Australia
| | - Caylee A Falvo
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA
| | - Gábor Á Czirják
- Department of Wildlife Diseases, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Berlin, Germany
| | - Lynn B Martin
- Department of Global and Planetary Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - Raina K Plowright
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA
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13
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Ellison A, Zamudio K, Lips K, Muletz‐Wolz C. Temperature‐mediated shifts in salamander transcriptomic responses to the amphibian‐killing fungus. Mol Ecol 2020; 29:325-343. [DOI: 10.1111/mec.15327] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2019] [Revised: 11/04/2019] [Accepted: 12/03/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Amy Ellison
- School of Natural Sciences Bangor University Bangor UK
| | - Kelly Zamudio
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology Cornell University Ithaca NY USA
| | - Karen Lips
- Department of Biology University of Maryland College Park MD USA
| | - Carly Muletz‐Wolz
- Department of Biology University of Maryland College Park MD USA
- Center for Conservation Genomics Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute National Zoological Park Washington DC USA
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14
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Masud N, Synnott R, Hablützel PI, Friberg IM, Cable J, Jackson JA. Not going with the flow: Locomotor activity does not constrain immunity in a wild fish. Ecol Evol 2019; 9:12089-12098. [PMID: 31832146 PMCID: PMC6854097 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.5658] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2019] [Revised: 08/20/2019] [Accepted: 08/26/2019] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Immunity is a central component of fitness in wild animals, but its determinants are poorly understood. In particular, the importance of locomotory activity as a constraint on immunity is unresolved. Using a piscine model (Gasterosteus aculeatus), we combined a 25-month observational time series for a wild lotic habitat with an open flume experiment to determine the influence of locomotor activity (countercurrent swimming) on natural variation in immune function. To maximize the detectability of effects in our flume experiment, we set flow velocity and duration (10 cm/s for 48 hr) just below the point at which exhaustion would ensue. Following this treatment, we measured expression in a set of immune-associated genes and infectious disease resistance through a standard challenge with an ecologically relevant monogenean infection (Gyrodactylus gasterostei). In the wild, there was a strong association of water flow with the expression of immune-associated genes, but this association became modest and more complex when adjusted for thermal effects. Our flume experiment, although statistically well-powered and based on a scenario near the limits of swimming performance in stickleback, detected no countercurrent swimming effect on immune-associated gene expression or infection resistance. The field association between flow rate and immune expression could thus be due to an indirect effect, and we tentatively advance hypotheses to explain this. This study clarifies the drivers of immune investment in wild vertebrates; although locomotor activity, within the normal natural range, may not directly influence immunocompetence, it may still correlate with other variables that do.
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Affiliation(s)
- Numair Masud
- School of BiosciencesCardiff UniversityCardiffUK
| | - Rebecca Synnott
- School of Environment and Life SciencesUniversity of SalfordSalfordUK
| | - Pascal I. Hablützel
- IBERSAberystwyth UniversityAberystwythUK
- Flanders Marine InstituteOostendeBelgium
- Laboratory of Biodiversity and Evolutionary GenomicsBiology DepartmentUniversity of LeuvenLeuvenBelgium
| | - Ida M. Friberg
- School of Environment and Life SciencesUniversity of SalfordSalfordUK
| | - Joanne Cable
- School of BiosciencesCardiff UniversityCardiffUK
| | - Joseph A. Jackson
- School of Environment and Life SciencesUniversity of SalfordSalfordUK
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15
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Gassen J, Proffitt Leyva RP, Mengelkoch S, White JD, Peterman JL, Prokosch ML, Bradshaw HK, Eimerbrink MJ, Corrigan EK, Cheek DJ, Boehm GW, Hill SE. Day length predicts investment in human immune function: Shorter days yield greater investment. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2019; 107:141-147. [PMID: 31128570 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2019.05.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2018] [Revised: 05/07/2019] [Accepted: 05/09/2019] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Winter is characterized by stressful conditions which compromise health and render animals more vulnerable to infection and illness than during other times of the year. Organisms are hypothesized to adapt to these seasonal stressors by increasing investment in immune function in response to diminished photoperiod duration. Here, we examined this hypothesis in a sample of healthy human participants. Using several functional immune assays in vitro, as well as by utilizing measures of in vivo proinflammatory cytokine levels, we predicted that shorter day length would be associated with greater investment in immunological function. Results revealed that shorter days predicted significant upregulation of several facets of immune function, including natural killer cell cytotoxicity, peripheral blood mononuclear cell proliferation (in response to, and in the absence of stimulation), and plasma levels of interleukin-6, as well as lower rates of Staphylococcus aureus growth in serum ex vivo. Further, consistent with the hypothesis that these trade-offs would be offset by decreased investment in mating effort, shorter day length also predicted lower levels of total testosterone in men. These results suggest that ambient photoperiod may be a powerful regulator of human immunological activity, providing some of the first evidence of seasonal changes in multiple facets of human immune function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey Gassen
- Texas Christian University, Department of Psychology, 2955 S University Dr, Fort Worth, TX 76109, United States.
| | - Randi P Proffitt Leyva
- Texas Christian University, Department of Psychology, 2955 S University Dr, Fort Worth, TX 76109, United States
| | - Summer Mengelkoch
- Texas Christian University, Department of Psychology, 2955 S University Dr, Fort Worth, TX 76109, United States
| | - Jordon D White
- Texas Christian University, Department of Psychology, 2955 S University Dr, Fort Worth, TX 76109, United States
| | - Julia L Peterman
- Texas Christian University, Department of Psychology, 2955 S University Dr, Fort Worth, TX 76109, United States
| | - Marjorie L Prokosch
- Texas Christian University, Department of Psychology, 2955 S University Dr, Fort Worth, TX 76109, United States
| | - Hannah K Bradshaw
- Texas Christian University, Department of Psychology, 2955 S University Dr, Fort Worth, TX 76109, United States
| | - Micah J Eimerbrink
- Texas Christian University, Department of Psychology, 2955 S University Dr, Fort Worth, TX 76109, United States
| | - Emily K Corrigan
- Texas Christian University, Department of Psychology, 2955 S University Dr, Fort Worth, TX 76109, United States
| | - Dennis J Cheek
- Texas Christian University, Harris College of Nursing and Health Sciences, 2800 W Bowie St, Fort Worth, TX 76109, United States
| | - Gary W Boehm
- Texas Christian University, Department of Psychology, 2955 S University Dr, Fort Worth, TX 76109, United States
| | - Sarah E Hill
- Texas Christian University, Department of Psychology, 2955 S University Dr, Fort Worth, TX 76109, United States
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16
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Friberg IM, Taylor JD, Jackson JA. Diet in the Driving Seat: Natural Diet-Immunity-Microbiome Interactions in Wild Fish. Front Immunol 2019; 10:243. [PMID: 30837993 PMCID: PMC6389695 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2019.00243] [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: 07/25/2018] [Accepted: 01/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Natural interactions between the diet, microbiome, and immunity are largely unstudied. Here we employ wild three-spined sticklebacks as a model, combining field observations with complementary experimental manipulations of diet designed to mimic seasonal variation in the wild. We clearly demonstrate that season-specific diets are a powerful causal driver of major systemic immunophenotypic variation. This effect occurred largely independently of the bulk composition of the bacterial microbiome (which was also driven by season and diet) and of host condition, demonstrating neither of these, per se, constrain immune allocation in healthy individuals. Nonetheless, through observations in multiple anatomical compartments, differentially exposed to the direct effects of food and immunity, we found evidence of immune-driven control of bacterial community composition in mucus layers. This points to the interactive nature of the host-microbiome relationship, and is the first time, to our knowledge, that this causal chain (diet → immunity → microbiome) has been demonstrated in wild vertebrates. Microbiome effects on immunity were not excluded and, importantly, we identified outgrowth of potentially pathogenic bacteria (especially mycolic-acid producing corynebacteria) as a consequence of the more animal-protein-rich summertime diet. This may provide part of the ultimate explanation (and possibly a proximal cue) for the dramatic immune re-adjustments that we saw in response to diet change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ida M Friberg
- School of Environment and Life Sciences, University of Salford, Salford, United Kingdom
| | - Joe D Taylor
- School of Environment and Life Sciences, University of Salford, Salford, United Kingdom
| | - Joseph A Jackson
- School of Environment and Life Sciences, University of Salford, Salford, United Kingdom
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17
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Marchand A, Tebby C, Beaudouin R, Hani YMI, Porcher JM, Turies C, Bado-Nilles A. Modelling the effect of season, sex, and body size on the three-spined stickleback, Gasterosteus aculeatus, cellular innate immunomarkers: A proposition of laboratory reference ranges. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2019; 648:337-349. [PMID: 30121033 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.07.381] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2018] [Revised: 07/19/2018] [Accepted: 07/26/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Innate immunomarkers reflect both environmental contamination and fish health status, providing useful information in environmental risk assessment studies. Nevertheless, the lack of knowledge about the effect of confounding factors can lead to data misinterpretation and false diagnoses. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of three confounding factors (season, sex and body size) on three-spined stickleback innate immunomarkers in laboratory conditions. Results shown strong seasonal variations in stickleback innate immunomarkers, with higher immune capacities in late winter-early spring and a disturbance during the spawning period in late spring-summer. Sex and body size had a season dependant effect on almost all tested immunomarkers. Reference ranges were established in laboratory-controlled conditions (i.e. laboratory reference ranges) and compared with data obtained from in vivo chemical expositions. The predictive power of the statistical model depended on the immunomarker, but the control data of the in vivo experiments, realized in same laboratory conditions, were globally well include in the laboratory reference ranges. Moreover, some statistical effects of the in vivo exposures were correlated with an augmentation of values outside the reference ranges, indicating a possible harmful effect for the organisms. As confounding factors influence is a major limit to integrate immunomarkers in biomonitoring programs, modelling their influence on studied parameter may help to better evaluated environmental contaminations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adrien Marchand
- Institut National de l'Environnement Industriel et des Risques (INERIS), UMR-I 02 SEBIO, Parc Technologique Alata, BP 2, 60550 Verneuil-en-Halatte, France; Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne (URCA), UMR-I 02 SEBIO, Moulin de la Housse, B.P. 1039, 51687 Reims, France
| | - Cleo Tebby
- INERIS, Unit of Models for Ecotoxicology and Toxicology (METO), Parc Technologique Alata, BP 2, 60550 Verneuil-en-Halatte, France
| | - Rémy Beaudouin
- Institut National de l'Environnement Industriel et des Risques (INERIS), UMR-I 02 SEBIO, Parc Technologique Alata, BP 2, 60550 Verneuil-en-Halatte, France; INERIS, Unit of Models for Ecotoxicology and Toxicology (METO), Parc Technologique Alata, BP 2, 60550 Verneuil-en-Halatte, France
| | - Younes M I Hani
- Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne (URCA), UMR-I 02 SEBIO, Moulin de la Housse, B.P. 1039, 51687 Reims, France
| | - Jean-Marc Porcher
- Institut National de l'Environnement Industriel et des Risques (INERIS), UMR-I 02 SEBIO, Parc Technologique Alata, BP 2, 60550 Verneuil-en-Halatte, France
| | - Cyril Turies
- Institut National de l'Environnement Industriel et des Risques (INERIS), UMR-I 02 SEBIO, Parc Technologique Alata, BP 2, 60550 Verneuil-en-Halatte, France
| | - Anne Bado-Nilles
- Institut National de l'Environnement Industriel et des Risques (INERIS), UMR-I 02 SEBIO, Parc Technologique Alata, BP 2, 60550 Verneuil-en-Halatte, France.
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18
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Löhrich T, Behringer V, Wittig RM, Deschner T, Leendertz FH. The Use of Neopterin as a Noninvasive Marker in Monitoring Diseases in Wild Chimpanzees. ECOHEALTH 2018; 15:792-803. [PMID: 30117002 DOI: 10.1007/s10393-018-1357-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2017] [Revised: 07/04/2018] [Accepted: 07/05/2018] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Pathogen analysis in wild great apes is both time- and resource-consuming. Therefore, we examined the potential use of urinary neopterin, a sensitive marker of cell-mediated immune system activation, as a disease marker and unspecific screening tool to facilitate informed pathogen analysis in great ape health monitoring. To test this, urinary neopterin was correlated to other disease markers such as sickness behaviors, fever, and urine parameters. Seasonal variation in urinary neopterin levels was investigated as well. The study encompassed noninvasively collected longitudinal data of young wild chimpanzees from the Taï National Park, Côte d´Ivoire. Relationships between disease markers were examined using a linear mixed model and a case study approach. Seasonal variation in urinary neopterin was tested using a linear mixed model. While the linear mixed model found no obvious relationship between urinary neopterin levels and other disease markers, the case study approach revealed a pattern resembling those found in humans. Urinary neopterin levels indicated seasonal immune system activation peaking in times of low ambient temperatures. We suggest the use of urinary neopterin as an unspecific screening tool in great ape health monitoring to identify relevant samples, individuals, and time periods for selective pathogen analysis and zoonotic risk assessment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Therese Löhrich
- Epidemiology of Highly Pathogenic Microorganisms, Robert Koch Institute, Seestraße 10, 13353, Berlin, Germany
- Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
- Institute of Microbiology and Epizootics, Free University, 14163, Berlin, Germany
| | - Verena Behringer
- Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Roman M Wittig
- Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
- Taï Chimpanzee Project, Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques, Abidjan 01, Côte d'Ivoire
| | - Tobias Deschner
- Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Fabian H Leendertz
- Epidemiology of Highly Pathogenic Microorganisms, Robert Koch Institute, Seestraße 10, 13353, Berlin, Germany.
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19
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Whiting JR, Magalhaes IS, Singkam AR, Robertson S, D'Agostino D, Bradley JE, MacColl ADC. A genetics-based approach confirms immune associations with life history across multiple populations of an aquatic vertebrate (Gasterosteus aculeatus). Mol Ecol 2018; 27:3174-3191. [PMID: 29924437 PMCID: PMC6221044 DOI: 10.1111/mec.14772] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2017] [Revised: 05/10/2018] [Accepted: 05/10/2018] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Understanding how wild immune variation covaries with other traits can reveal how costs and trade‐offs shape immune evolution in the wild. Divergent life history strategies may increase or alleviate immune costs, helping shape immune variation in a consistent, testable way. Contrasting hypotheses suggest that shorter life histories may alleviate costs by offsetting them against increased mortality, or increase the effect of costs if immune responses are traded off against development or reproduction. We investigated the evolutionary relationship between life history and immune responses within an island radiation of three‐spined stickleback, with discrete populations of varying life histories and parasitism. We sampled two short‐lived, two long‐lived and an anadromous population using qPCR to quantify current immune profile and RAD‐seq data to study the distribution of immune variants within our assay genes and across the genome. Short‐lived populations exhibited significantly increased expression of all assay genes, which was accompanied by a strong association with population‐level variation in local alleles and divergence in a gene that may be involved in complement pathways. In addition, divergence around the eda gene in anadromous fish is likely associated with increased inflammation. A wider analysis of 15 populations across the island revealed that immune genes across the genome show evidence of having diverged alongside life history strategies. Parasitism and reproductive investment were also important sources of variation for expression, highlighting the caution required when assaying immune responses in the wild. These results provide strong, gene‐based support for current hypotheses linking life history and immune variation across multiple populations of a vertebrate model.
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Affiliation(s)
- James R Whiting
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, UK.,School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Falmer, Brighton, UK
| | - Isabel S Magalhaes
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, UK.,Department of Life Sciences, Whitelands College, University of Roehampton, London, UK
| | - Abdul R Singkam
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, UK.,Pendidikan Biologi JPMIPA FKIP, University of Bengkulu, Bengkulu, Indonesia
| | - Shaun Robertson
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, UK.,Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Daniele D'Agostino
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, UK
| | - Janette E Bradley
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, UK
| | - Andrew D C MacColl
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, UK
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20
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Ammar AY, El Nahas AF, Mahmoud S, Barakat ME, Hassan AM. Characterization of type IV antifreeze gene in Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) and influence of cold and hot weather on its expression and some immune-related genes. FISH PHYSIOLOGY AND BIOCHEMISTRY 2018; 44:515-525. [PMID: 29234908 DOI: 10.1007/s10695-017-0450-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2017] [Accepted: 11/22/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
The aim of this work is to study the effect of the thermal stress of ambient temperature during winter and summer on the expression of type IV antifreeze gene (ANF IV) in different tissues of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) as well as some immune-related genes. At first, genomic ANF IV gene was characterized from one fish; 124 amino acids were identified with 92.7% similarity with that on the gene bank. Expression of ANF IV and immune-related genes were done twice, once at the end of December (winter sample, temperature 14 °C) and the other at August (summer sample, temperature 36 °C). Assessment of ANF IV gene expression in different organs of fish was done; splenic mRNA was used for assessment of immune-related gene transcripts (CXCl2 chemokine, cc-chemokine, INF-3A, and MHC IIβ). Winter expression analysis of AFP IV in O. niloticus revealed significant upregulation of mRNA transcript levels in the intestine, gills, skin, spleen, liver, and brain with 324.03-, 170.06-, 107.63-, 97.61-, 94.35-, and 27.85-folds, respectively. Furthermore, upregulation in the gene was observed in some organs during summer: in the liver, gills, skin, intestine, and brain with lower levels compared with winter. The level of expression of immune-related genes in winter is significantly higher than summer in all assessed genes. Cc-chemokine gene expression was the most affected in both winter and summer. Variable expression profile of ANF IV in different organs and in different seasons together with its amino acid similarity of N-terminal and C-terminal with apolipoprotein (lipid binder) and form of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) suggests a different role for this protein which may be related to lipid metabolism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Asmma Y Ammar
- Biotechnology department, Animal Health Research Institute, Kafr El Sheikh, Egypt
| | - Abeer F El Nahas
- Animal Husbandry and Animal Wealth Department, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Alexandria University, Edfina, Behera, 22758, Egypt.
| | - Shawky Mahmoud
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kafer El Sheikh University, Kafr El Sheikh, Egypt
| | - Mohamed E Barakat
- Biotechnology Department, Animal Health Research Institute, Kafer El Sheik, Egypt
| | - Asmaa M Hassan
- Biotechnology department, Animal Health Research Institute, Kafr El Sheikh, Egypt
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21
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Stewart A, Hablützel PI, Watson HV, Brown M, Friberg IM, Cable J, Jackson JA. Physical Cues Controlling Seasonal Immune Allocation in a Natural Piscine Model. Front Immunol 2018; 9:582. [PMID: 29623078 PMCID: PMC5874293 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2018.00582] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2017] [Accepted: 03/08/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Seasonal patterns in immunity are frequently observed in vertebrates but are poorly understood. Here, we focused on a natural piscine model, the three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus), and asked how seasonal immune allocation is driven by physical variables (time, light, and heat). Using functionally-relevant gene expression metrics as a reporter of seasonal immune allocation, we synchronously sampled fish monthly from the wild (two habitats), and from semi-natural outdoors mesocosms (stocked from one of the wild habitats). This was repeated across two annual cycles, with continuous within-habitat monitoring of environmental temperature and implementing a manipulation of temperature in the mesocosms. We also conducted a long-term laboratory experiment, subjecting acclimated wild fish to natural and accelerated (×2) photoperiodic change at 7 and 15°C. The laboratory experiment demonstrated that immune allocation was independent of photoperiod and only a very modest effect, at most, was controlled by a tentative endogenous circannual rhythm. On the other hand, experimentally-determined thermal effects were able to quantitatively predict much of the summer–winter fluctuation observed in the field and mesocosms. Importantly, however, temperature was insufficient to fully predict, and occasionally was a poor predictor of, natural patterns. Thermal effects can thus be overridden by other (unidentified) natural environmental variation and do not take the form of an unavoidable constraint due to cold-blooded physiology. This is consistent with a context-dependent strategic control of immunity in response to temperature variation, and points to the existence of temperature-sensitive regulatory circuits that might be conserved in other vertebrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Stewart
- School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom.,Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford, United Kingdom
| | - Pascal I Hablützel
- IBERS, Aberystwyth University, Aberystwyth, United Kingdom.,Flanders Marine Institute, Oostende, Belgium.,Laboratory of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Genomics, Biology Department, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Hayley V Watson
- IBERS, Aberystwyth University, Aberystwyth, United Kingdom.,School of Environmental Sciences, University of Hull, Hull, United Kingdom
| | - Martha Brown
- IBERS, Aberystwyth University, Aberystwyth, United Kingdom
| | - Ida M Friberg
- School of Environment and Life Sciences, University of Salford, Salford, United Kingdom
| | - Joanne Cable
- School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Joseph A Jackson
- School of Environment and Life Sciences, University of Salford, Salford, United Kingdom
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22
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Transcriptomic analysis of changes in gene expression of immune proteins of gill tissue in response to low environmental temperature in fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas). COMPARATIVE BIOCHEMISTRY AND PHYSIOLOGY D-GENOMICS & PROTEOMICS 2018; 25:109-117. [PMID: 29414190 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbd.2017.11.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2017] [Revised: 11/07/2017] [Accepted: 11/20/2017] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
In the face of ongoing climate change, it is imperative to understand better the effects of temperature on immune function in freshwater teleosts. It is unclear whether previously observed changes were caused by temperature per se. We studied changes in the gill transcriptome of fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas) at low temperature to understand better the effects of temperature on immune function. De novo assembly of the transcriptome using Trinity software resulted in 73,378 assembled contigs. Annotation using the Trinotate package yielded 58,952 Blastx hits (accessions). Expression of 194 unique mRNA transcripts changed in gill tissue of fathead minnows acclimatized to 5° compared to controls at 22 °C. At 5 °C mRNAs coding for proteins involved in innate immune responses were up-regulated. Those included proteins that block early-stage viral replication and macrophage activation. Expression of mRNAs coding for pro-inflammatory molecules and mucus secretion were also enhanced. Messenger RNAs coding for proteins associated with adaptive immune responses were down-regulated at 5 °C. Those included antigen-presenting proteins and proteins involved in immunoglobin production. Messenger RNAs coding for proteins that stimulate the cell cycle were also down-regulated at 5 °C. Histological comparison revealed that gills of cold acclimated fish had fewer mucus cells but cells contained larger mucus droplets. We conclude that decreased temperature modifies the immune systems of freshwater teleosts, leading to genome-wide upregulation of innate immunity and down regulation of adaptive immunity. Such acclimation likely evolved as an adaptive strategy against seasonal changes in infectious insults.
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23
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Stewart A, Hablützel PI, Brown M, Watson HV, Parker-Norman S, Tober AV, Thomason AG, Friberg IM, Cable J, Jackson JA. Half the story: Thermal effects on within-host infectious disease progression in a warming climate. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2018; 24:371-386. [PMID: 28746785 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.13842] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2017] [Accepted: 07/12/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Immune defense is temperature dependent in cold-blooded vertebrates (CBVs) and thus directly impacted by global warming. We examined whether immunity and within-host infectious disease progression are altered in CBVs under realistic climate warming in a seasonal mid-latitude setting. Going further, we also examined how large thermal effects are in relation to the effects of other environmental variation in such a setting (critical to our ability to project infectious disease dynamics from thermal relationships alone). We employed the three-spined stickleback and three ecologically relevant parasite infections as a "wild" model. To generate a realistic climatic warming scenario we used naturalistic outdoors mesocosms with precise temperature control. We also conducted laboratory experiments to estimate thermal effects on immunity and within-host infectious disease progression under controlled conditions. As experimental readouts we measured disease progression for the parasites and expression in 14 immune-associated genes (providing insight into immunophenotypic responses). Our mesocosm experiment demonstrated significant perturbation due to modest warming (+2°C), altering the magnitude and phenology of disease. Our laboratory experiments demonstrated substantial thermal effects. Prevailing thermal effects were more important than lagged thermal effects and disease progression increased or decreased in severity with increasing temperature in an infection-specific way. Combining laboratory-determined thermal effects with our mesocosm data, we used inverse modeling to partition seasonal variation in Saprolegnia disease progression into a thermal effect and a latent immunocompetence effect (driven by nonthermal environmental variation and correlating with immune gene expression). The immunocompetence effect was large, accounting for at least as much variation in Saprolegnia disease as the thermal effect. This suggests that managers of CBV populations in variable environments may not be able to reliably project infectious disease risk from thermal data alone. Nevertheless, such projections would be improved by primarily considering prevailing thermal effects in the case of within-host disease and by incorporating validated measures of immunocompetence.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Pascal I Hablützel
- IBERS, Aberystwyth University, Aberystwyth, UK
- Flanders Marine Institute, Oostende, Belgium
- Laboratory of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Genomics, Biology Department, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | | | - Hayley V Watson
- IBERS, Aberystwyth University, Aberystwyth, UK
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of Hull, Hull, UK
| | | | - Anya V Tober
- School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Anna G Thomason
- School of Environment and Life Sciences, University of Salford, Salford, UK
| | - Ida M Friberg
- School of Environment and Life Sciences, University of Salford, Salford, UK
| | - Joanne Cable
- School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Joseph A Jackson
- School of Environment and Life Sciences, University of Salford, Salford, UK
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24
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Jacobson G, Muncaster S, Mensink K, Forlenza M, Elliot N, Broomfield G, Signal B, Bird S. Omics and cytokine discovery in fish: Presenting the Yellowtail kingfish (Seriola lalandi) as a case study. DEVELOPMENTAL AND COMPARATIVE IMMUNOLOGY 2017; 75:63-76. [PMID: 28416435 DOI: 10.1016/j.dci.2017.04.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2017] [Revised: 04/01/2017] [Accepted: 04/01/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
A continued programme of research is essential to overcome production bottlenecks in any aquacultured fish species. Since the introduction of genetic and molecular techniques, the quality of immune research undertaken in fish has greatly improved. Thousands of species specific cytokine genes have been discovered, which can be used to conduct more sensitive studies to understand how fish physiology is affected by aquaculture environments or disease. Newly available transcriptomic technologies, make it increasingly easier to study the immunogenetics of farmed species for which little data exists. This paper reviews how the application of transcriptomic procedures such as RNA Sequencing (RNA-Seq) can advance fish research. As a case study, we present some preliminary findings using RNA-Seq to identify cytokine related genes in Seriola lalandi. These will allow in-depth investigations to understand the immune responses of these fish in response to environmental change or disease and help in the development of therapeutic approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregory Jacobson
- Molecular Genetics, Department of Biological Sciences, School of Science and Engineering, University of Waikato, Private Bag 3105, Hamilton 3240, New Zealand
| | - Simon Muncaster
- School Applied Science, Bay of Plenty Polytechnic, 70 Windermere Dr, Poike, Tauranga 3112, New Zealand
| | - Koen Mensink
- Cell Biology and Immunology Group, Department of Animal Sciences, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Maria Forlenza
- Cell Biology and Immunology Group, Department of Animal Sciences, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Nick Elliot
- Molecular Genetics, Department of Biological Sciences, School of Science and Engineering, University of Waikato, Private Bag 3105, Hamilton 3240, New Zealand
| | - Grant Broomfield
- Molecular Genetics, Department of Biological Sciences, School of Science and Engineering, University of Waikato, Private Bag 3105, Hamilton 3240, New Zealand
| | - Beth Signal
- Molecular Genetics, Department of Biological Sciences, School of Science and Engineering, University of Waikato, Private Bag 3105, Hamilton 3240, New Zealand
| | - Steve Bird
- Molecular Genetics, Department of Biological Sciences, School of Science and Engineering, University of Waikato, Private Bag 3105, Hamilton 3240, New Zealand.
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Hook, Line and Infection: A Guide to Culturing Parasites, Establishing Infections and Assessing Immune Responses in the Three-Spined Stickleback. ADVANCES IN PARASITOLOGY 2017; 98:39-109. [PMID: 28942772 DOI: 10.1016/bs.apar.2017.07.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) is a model organism with an extremely well-characterized ecology, evolutionary history, behavioural repertoire and parasitology that is coupled with published genomic data. These small temperate zone fish therefore provide an ideal experimental system to study common diseases of coldwater fish, including those of aquacultural importance. However, detailed information on the culture of stickleback parasites, the establishment and maintenance of infections and the quantification of host responses is scattered between primary and grey literature resources, some of which is not readily accessible. Our aim is to lay out a framework of techniques based on our experience to inform new and established laboratories about culture techniques and recent advances in the field. Here, essential knowledge on the biology, capture and laboratory maintenance of sticklebacks, and their commonly studied parasites is drawn together, highlighting recent advances in our understanding of the associated immune responses. In compiling this guide on the maintenance of sticklebacks and a range of common, taxonomically diverse parasites in the laboratory, we aim to engage a broader interdisciplinary community to consider this highly tractable model when addressing pressing questions in evolution, infection and aquaculture.
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Maher IE, Higgins DP. Altered Immune Cytokine Expression Associated with KoRV B Infection and Season in Captive Koalas. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0163780. [PMID: 27706211 PMCID: PMC5051944 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0163780] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2016] [Accepted: 09/14/2016] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) populations are increasingly vulnerable and one of the main threats is chlamydial infection. Koala retrovirus (KoRV) has been proposed as an underlying cause of the koala’s susceptibility to infection with Chlamydia and high rates of lymphoid neoplasia; however, the regionally ubiquitous, endogenous nature of this virus suggests that KoRV A infection is not sufficient for immune suppression to occur. A recently discovered exogenous variant of KoRV, KoRV B, has several structural elements that cause increased pathogenicity in related retroviruses and was associated with lymphoid neoplasia in one study. The present study assesses whether KoRV B infection is associated with alterations in immune function. Cytokine gene expression by mitogen stimulated lymphocytes of KoRV B positive (n = 5–6) and negative (n = 6–7) captive koalas was evaluated by qPCR four times (April 2014-February 2015) to control for seasonal variation. Key immune genes in the Th1 pathway (IFNγ, TNFα), Th2 pathway (IL 10, IL4, IL6) and Th17 pathway (IL17A), along with CD4:CD8 ratio, were assessed. KoRV B positive koalas showed significantly increased up-regulation of IL17A and IL10 in three out of four sampling periods and IFNγ, IL6, IL4 and TNFα in two out of four. IL17A is an immune marker for chlamydial pathogenesis in the koala; increased expression of IL17A in KoRV B positive koalas, and concurrent immune dysregulation, may explain the differences in susceptibility to chlamydial infection and severity of disease seen between individuals and populations. There was also marked seasonal variation in up-regulation for most of the cytokines and the CD4:CD8 ratio. The up-regulation in both Th1 and Th2 cytokines mirrors changes associated with immune dysregulation in humans and felids as a result of retroviral infections. This is the first report of altered immune expression in koalas infected by an exogenous variant of KoRV and also the first report of seasonal variation in cytokine up-regulation and CD4:CD8 ratio in marsupials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iona E. Maher
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Science, the University of Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Damien P. Higgins
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Science, the University of Sydney, NSW, Australia
- * E-mail:
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Schulze TT, Ali JM, Bartlett ML, McFarland MM, Clement EJ, Won HI, Sanford AG, Monzingo EB, Martens MC, Hemsley RM, Kumar S, Gouin N, Kolok AS, Davis PH. De novo Assembly and Analysis of the Chilean Pencil Catfish Trichomycterus areolatus Transcriptome. J Genomics 2016; 4:29-41. [PMID: 27672404 PMCID: PMC5033730 DOI: 10.7150/jgen.16885] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Trichomycterus areolatus is an endemic species of pencil catfish that inhabits the riffles and rapids of many freshwater ecosystems of Chile. Despite its unique adaptation to Chile's high gradient watersheds and therefore potential application in the investigation of ecosystem integrity and environmental contamination, relatively little is known regarding the molecular biology of this environmental sentinel. Here, we detail the assembly of the Trichomycterus areolatus transcriptome, a molecular resource for the study of this organism and its molecular response to the environment. RNA-Seq reads were obtained by next-generation sequencing with an Illumina® platform and processed using PRINSEQ. The transcriptome assembly was performed using TRINITY assembler. Transcriptome validation was performed by functional characterization with KOG, KEGG, and GO analyses. Additionally, differential expression analysis highlights sex-specific expression patterns, and a list of endocrine and oxidative stress related transcripts are included.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas T Schulze
- Department of Biology, University of Nebraska at Omaha, Omaha, Nebraska 68182, USA
| | - Jonathan M Ali
- Department of Environmental, Agricultural and Occupational Health, University of Nebraska - Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 68198-6805, United States
| | - Maggie L Bartlett
- Department of Biology, University of Nebraska at Omaha, Omaha, Nebraska 68182, USA
| | - Madalyn M McFarland
- Department of Biology, University of Nebraska at Omaha, Omaha, Nebraska 68182, USA
| | - Emalie J Clement
- Department of Biology, University of Nebraska at Omaha, Omaha, Nebraska 68182, USA
| | - Harim I Won
- Department of Biology, University of Nebraska at Omaha, Omaha, Nebraska 68182, USA
| | - Austin G Sanford
- Department of Biology, University of Nebraska at Omaha, Omaha, Nebraska 68182, USA
| | - Elyssa B Monzingo
- Department of Biology, University of Nebraska at Omaha, Omaha, Nebraska 68182, USA
| | - Matthew C Martens
- Department of Biology, University of Nebraska at Omaha, Omaha, Nebraska 68182, USA
| | - Ryan M Hemsley
- Department of Biology, University of Nebraska at Omaha, Omaha, Nebraska 68182, USA
| | - Sidharta Kumar
- Department of Biology, University of Nebraska at Omaha, Omaha, Nebraska 68182, USA
| | - Nicolas Gouin
- Departamento de Biología, Universidad de La Serena, La Serena, Chile;; Centro de Estudios Avanzados en Zonas Aridas, La Serena, Chile;; Instituto de Investigación Multidisciplinar en Ciencia y Tecnología, Universidad de La Serena, La Serena, Chile
| | - Alan S Kolok
- Department of Biology, University of Nebraska at Omaha, Omaha, Nebraska 68182, USA;; Center for Environmental Health and Toxicology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska 68198, USA
| | - Paul H Davis
- Department of Biology, University of Nebraska at Omaha, Omaha, Nebraska 68182, USA
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Hablützel PI, Brown M, Friberg IM, Jackson JA. Changing expression of vertebrate immunity genes in an anthropogenic environment: a controlled experiment. BMC Evol Biol 2016; 16:175. [PMID: 27586387 PMCID: PMC5009682 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-016-0751-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2016] [Accepted: 08/23/2016] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The effect of anthropogenic environments on the function of the vertebrate immune system is a problem of general importance. For example, it relates to the increasing rates of immunologically-based disease in modern human populations and to the desirability of identifying optimal immune function in domesticated animals. Despite this importance, our present understanding is compromised by a deficit of experimental studies that make adequately matched comparisons between wild and captive vertebrates. Results We transferred post-larval fishes (three-spined sticklebacks), collected in the wild, to an anthropogenic (captive) environment. We then monitored, over 11 months, how the systemic expression of immunity genes changed in comparison to cohort-matched wild individuals in the originator population (total n = 299). We found that a range of innate (lyz, defbl2, il1r-like, tbk1) and adaptive (cd8a, igmh) immunity genes were up-regulated in captivity, accompanied by an increase in expression of the antioxidant enzyme, gpx4a. For some genes previously known to show seasonality in the wild, this appeared to be reduced in captive fishes. Captive fishes tended to express immunity genes, including igzh, foxp3b, lyz, defbl2, and il1r-like, more variably. Furthermore, although gene co-expression patterns (analyzed through gene-by-gene correlations and mutual information theory based networks) shared common structure in wild and captive fishes, there was also significant divergence. For one gene in particular, defbl2, high expression was associated with adverse health outcomes in captive fishes. Conclusion Taken together, these results demonstrate widespread regulatory changes in the immune system in captive populations, and that the expression of immunity genes is more constrained in the wild. An increase in constitutive systemic immune activity, such as we observed here, may alter the risk of immunopathology and contribute to variance in health in vertebrate populations exposed to anthropogenic environments. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12862-016-0751-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Martha Brown
- IBERS, Aberystwyth University, Aberystwyth, SY23 3DA, UK
| | - Ida M Friberg
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Salford, Salford, M5 4WT, UK
| | - Joseph A Jackson
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Salford, Salford, M5 4WT, UK.
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