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Microsporidian infection in a free-living marine nematode.

ABSTRACT: Microsporidia are unicellular fungi that are obligate endoparasites. Although nematodes are one of the most abundant and diverse animal groups, the only confirmed report of microsporidian infection was that of the "nematode killer" (Nematocida parisii). N. parisii was isolated from a wild Caenorhabditis sp. and causes an acute and lethal intestinal infection in a lab strain of Caenorhabditis elegans. We set out to characterize a microsporidian infection in a wild nematode to determine whether the infection pattern of N. parisii in the lab is typical of microsporidian infections in nematodes. We describe a novel microsporidian species named Sporanauta perivermis (marine spore of roundworms) and characterize its infection in its natural host, the free-living marine nematode Odontophora rectangula. S. perivermis is not closely related to N. parisii and differs strikingly in all aspects of infection. Examination by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed that the infection was localized in the hypodermal and muscle tissues only and did not involve the intestines. Fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) confirmed infection in the muscle and hypodermis, and surprisingly, it also revealed that the parasite infects O. rectangula eggs, suggesting a vertical mode of transmission. Our observations highlight the importance of studying parasites in their natural hosts and indicate that not all nematode-infecting microsporidia are "nematode killers"; instead, microsporidiosis can be more versatile and chronic in the wild.

SUBMITTER: Ardila-Garcia AM

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3536275 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Microsporidian infection in a free-living marine nematode.

Ardila-Garcia A M AM Fast N M NM

Eukaryotic cell 20121019 12

Microsporidia are unicellular fungi that are obligate endoparasites. Although nematodes are one of the most abundant and diverse animal groups, the only confirmed report of microsporidian infection was that of the "nematode killer" (Nematocida parisii). N. parisii was isolated from a wild Caenorhabditis sp. and causes an acute and lethal intestinal infection in a lab strain of Caenorhabditis elegans. We set out to characterize a microsporidian infection in a wild nematode to determine whether th ...[more]

PMID: 23087371

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Project description:Eukaryotes may experience oxygen deprivation under several physiological and pathological conditions. Because oxygen shortage leads to a reduction in cellular energy production, all the eukaryotes studied so far evolved ways to conserve energy via suppression of metabolism. However, the molecular physiology of animals that naturally and repeatedly experience anoxia is poorly studied. One such animal is the symbiotic marine nematode Laxus oneistus. This thrives, invariably coated by its sulfur-oxidizing bacterium Candidatus Thiosymbion oneisti, in anoxic sulfidic or hypoxic sand. Here, by applying transcriptomics and proteomics, we discovered that, irrespective of the oxygen concentration it is subjected to, this nematode is mostly and constitutively engaging in ubiquitination-mediated proteolysis, energy generation, oxidative stress response and immune response. Furthermore, by incubating L. oneistus under sulfidic anoxic or hypoxic conditions, we found that, under the first condition, the worm upregulated genes involved in ribosome biogenesis, proteolytic systems (autophagy and the ubiquitin-proteasome system), chaperones, detoxification and lectins. Degradation pathways were likely induced to recycle damaged cellular components (mitochondria) and misfolded proteins into nutrients, whereas lectins were likely expressed to promote the attachment of its anaerobic, thiotrophic symbiont. Besides, L. oneistus appeared to survive oxygen deprivation by using alternative electron carriers (rhodoquinone) and acceptors (fumarate) to rewire the electron transfer chain. On the other hand, under hypoxia, genes involved in costly processes (e.g., development, amino acid biosynthesis, feeding behaviour, mating) were upregulated. Intriguingly, the worm’s Toll-like innate immunity pathway and a number of immune effectors (e.g., Bacterial Permeability Increasing proteins, fungicides) were upregulated in the presence of oxygen. In conclusion, we hypothesize that L. oneistus survives in anoxic sulfidic sand by overexpressing degradation processes, rewiring oxidative phosphorylation and by reinforcing its coat of bacterial sulfur-oxidizers. In the presence of oxygen, instead, it appears to exploit glycolysis to eat, mate and grow. Moreover, oxygen appears to affect L. oneistus immune system in such way, as to favor specific attachment of its anaerobic partner in anoxia and to produce broad-range antimicrobials when oxygen is present.

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Microsporidian infection in a free-living marine nematode.

Publications

Microsporidian infection in a free-living marine nematode.

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