Hemocytin facilitates host immune responses against Nosema bombycis

Invertebrates lack an adaptive immune response and thus are reliant on their innate immune response for eliminating invading pathogens. The innate immune responses of silkworms against the pathogen Nosema bombycis include: hemocyte aggregation, melanization, antimicrobial peptides, etc. In our current study, we discovered that a silkworm hemostasis-related protein, hemocytin, is up-regulated after Nosema bombycis infection. This novel finding lead to our hypothesis that hemocytin participates in immune responses against N. bombycis. We investigated this hypothesis by analyzing the adhesive effects of hemocytin to invading N. bombycis, and the hemocytin-mediated hemocyte aggregation and hemolymph melanization. We showed that hemocytin can adhere to the surface of N. bombycis, which facilitates the agglutination of N. bombycis and hemocytes as well as the subsequent melanization. Moreover, when we utilize RNAi technology to decrease in vivo hemocytin expression, we found that the proliferation of N. bombycis within the host significantly increased. These results support our hypothesis that hemocytin exerts pro-inflammatory effects by facilitating pathogen agglutination, along with hemocyte aggregation and melanization, to combat N. bombycis. Our study is the first to determine a function of hemocytin in innate immunity against N. bombycis. Moreover, our findings are of great importance to provide potential targets for developing novel strategy against microsporidia infection.

A humoral factor, hemolymph proteinase 8, elicits a cellular defense response of nodule formation in Bombyx mori larvae in association with recognition by C-type lectins

Previously, we found that nodule formation, a cellular defense response in insects, is regulated by humoral factors called C-type lectins in the hemolymph. To elucidate the factors that elicit nodule formation following the recognition of microorganisms by C-type lectins, a reproducible quantitative in vitro assay system was constructed. Then, using this system, the inhibitory activities of antisera raised against hemolymph proteases (HPs), serine protease homologues (SPHs), and pathogen-associated molecular pattern (PAMP)-recognition proteins were assessed. Among the antisera raised against HP and SPH, only that against HP8, a terminal proteinase that activates Spätzle, consistently inhibited in-vitro nodule-like aggregate formation in all three tested microorganisms, Micrococcus luteus, Escherichia coli, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Antisera raised against C-type lectins, BmLBP, and BmMBP also inhibited nodule-like aggregate formation, while those against β-glucan recognition proteins and peptidoglycan recognition protein-S1 did not. Microorganisms pretreated with hemolymph, which contains HP8 and C-type lectins, also induced nodule-like aggregate formation, indicating that nodulation factors are present on microbial cells. Furthermore, antisera raised against HP8, BmLBP, and BmMBP showed inhibitory activities in the in vivo nodule formation system using Bombyx mori larvae. Thus, two humoral factors in the hemolymph of B. mori larvae, BmHP8 and C-type lectins, were found to play significant roles in eliciting the cellular defense response of nodule formation.

Serotonin- and eicosanoid-dependent rapid hemocyte aggregation in the hemolymph is the first step in nodule formation in Bombyx mori larvae

Nodule formation is a well-known process in cellular immunity of insects. However, few studies have investigated the role of hemocytes in rapid aggregation before tissue adhesion. In addition, since nodule formation is usually elicited by injecting large quantities of microbes, it remains unclear whether nodule formation is a natural response. The present study addressed these issues. A small number of nodules adhered to the dorsal vessels 1 min after Saccharomyces cerevisiae injection, while numerous aggregates of hemocytes and S. cerevisiae cells were observed in the hemolymph. The aggregate number decreased sharply after 5 min, corresponding to a rapid increase in the number of nodules. This suggests that aggregates formed in the hemolymph in response to S. cerevisiae injection eventually attached to the tissues. Nodules were induced using conditions that do not occur in nature, i.e., injection of nearly 2,000,000 S. cerevisiae cells. However, many aggregates contained only one S. cerevisiae cell, suggesting that aggregate formation can begin with the invasion of a single cell and that nodule formation is not an unnatural response. Biosynthesis inhibitors of serotonin (5-HT) and eicosanoids inhibited aggregate and nodule formation. In addition, injection of 5-HT and prostaglandin E2 induced hemocyte aggregation within 1 min in the hemolymph, along with hemocytin release. This suggested that 5-HT and eicosanoids induce rapid aggregation in response to invading microorganisms.

Role of hemocytin from Litopenaeus vannamei in immune response against microsporidian, Enterocytozoon hepatopenaei

Hemocytin, a multidomain hemostasis-related protein, is a homologous protein of hemolectin in Drosophila melanogaster and von Willebrand factor (vWF) in humans. The vWF type D (VWD) domain in hemocytin is thought to be a major mediator of hemocyte aggregation and the prophenoloxidase (proPO) activation system. Here, we report for the first time the role of hemocytin from Litopenaeus vannamei (LvHCT) against Enterocytozoon hepatopenaei (EHP), the pathogenic microsporidian causing hepatopancreatic microsporidiosis in Pacific white shrimp (L. vannamei). The LvHCT gene contains 58,366 base pairs consisting of 84 exons encoding for 4267 amino acids. Multiple sequence alignment and phylogenetic analysis revealed that LvHCT was clustered with crustacean hemocytins. Gene expression analysis by quantitative real-time RT-PCR showed that LvHCT in hemocytes was significantly upregulated at 9 and 11 days post-EHP cohabitation, which was consistent with EHP copy numbers in the infected shrimp. To further investigate the biological function of LvHCT in EHP infection, a recombinant protein containing an LvHCT-specific VWD domain (rLvVWD) was expressed in Escherichia coli. In vitro agglutination assays showed that rLvVWD was functionally representative of LvHCT and induced aggregation of pathogens, including Gram-negative and -positive bacteria, fungi, and EHP spore. LvHCT suppression resulted in higher EHP copy numbers and proliferation due to the lack of hemocytin-mediated EHP spore aggregation in LvHCT-silenced shrimp. Moreover, immune-related genes in the proPO-activating cascade and Toll, IMD and JAK/STAT signaling pathways were upregulated to eliminate the over-controlled EHP in LvHCT-silenced shrimp. Furthermore, the impaired phenoloxidase activity due to LvLGBP suppression was recovered after rLvVWD injection, suggesting that LvHCT may be directly involved in phenoloxidase activation. In conclusion, a novel LvHCT is involved in shrimp immunity against EHP via EHP spore aggregation and possible activation of the proPO-activating cascade.