Project description:In this study we used Illumina RNA-seq to identify genes expressed by A. veronii in mid-log phase growth in a rich medium and within the digestive tract of the medicinal leech. Our results shed light on the physiology of A. veronii during colonization of the leech gut. A comparison of Illumina RNA-seq of A. veronii in vivo versus in vitro.
Project description:In this study we used Illumina RNA-seq to identify genes expressed by A. veronii in mid-log phase growth in a rich medium and within the digestive tract of the medicinal leech. Our results shed light on the physiology of A. veronii during colonization of the leech gut.
Project description:Here, we report the use of Illumina RNA-Seq for investigating the physiology of the digestive-tract microbiome within the medicinal leech, Hirudo verbana. About 12 million cDNA reads were mapped against the genomes of the two dominant members of this simple microbiome. Results suggested that the most abundant, yet uncultured Rikenella-like bacterium forages host mucin glycans and ferments the carbohydrates to acetate that is secreted into the environment. The second dominant symbiont, Aeromonas veronii, appears to utilize the acetate secreted by Rikenella as a carbon and energy source, possibly linking the physiologies of the dominant symbionts. This study demonstrates how RNA-seq can be used to reveal the physiology of a naturally occurring microbiome.
Project description:The bacterium Aeromonas veronii is a co-pathogenic species that can negatively impact the health of both humans and aquatic animals. In this study, we used single-cell transcriptome analysis (scRNA-seq) to investigate the effects of infection with A. veronii on head kidney cells and the regulation of gene expression in the dark sleeper (Odontobutis potamophila). scRNA-seq was used to assess the effects of infection with A. veronii in O. potamophila B cells, endothelial cells, macrophages, and granulocytes, and differential enrichment analysis of gene expression in B cells and granulocytes was performed. The analyses revealed a significant increase in neutrophils and decrease in eosinophils in granulocytes infected with A. veronii. Activation of neutrophils enhanced ribosome biogenesis by up-regulating the expression of rps12 and rpl12 to fight against invading pathogens. Crucial pro-inflammatory mediators il1b, ighv1-4, and the major histocompatibility class II genes mhc2a and mhc2dab, which are involved in virulence processes, were up-regulated, suggesting that A. veronii activates an immune response that presents antigens and activates immunoglobulin receptors in B cells. These cellular immune responses triggered by infection with A. veronii enriched the available scRNA-seq data for teleosts, and these results are important for understanding the evolution of cellular immune defense and functional differentiation of head kidney cells.