Project description:The cultivated Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas has suffered for decades large scale summer mortality phenomenon resulting from the interaction between the environment parameters, the oyster physiological and/or genetic status and the presence of pathogenic microorganisms including Vibrio species. To obtain a general picture of the molecular mechanisms implicated in C. gigas immune responsiveness to circumvent Vibrio infections, we have developed the first deep sequencing study of the transcriptome of hemocytes, the immunocompetent cells. Using Digital Gene Expression (DGE), we generated a transcript catalog of up-regulated genes from oysters surviving infection with virulent Vibrio strains (Vibrio splendidus LGP32 and V. aestuarianus LPi 02/41) compared to an avirulent one, V. tasmaniensis LMG 20012(T). For that an original experimental infection protocol was developed in which only animals that were able to survive infections were considered for the DGE approach. We report the identification of cellular and immune functions that characterize the oyster capability to survive pathogenic Vibrio infections. Functional annotations highlight genes related to signal transduction of immune response, cell adhesion and communication as well as cellular processes and defence mechanisms of phagocytosis, actin cytosqueleton reorganization, cell trafficking and autophagy, but also antioxidant and anti-apoptotic reactions. In addition, quantitative PCR analysis reveals the first identification of pathogen-specific signatures in oyster gene regulation, which opens the way for in depth molecular studies of oyster-pathogen interaction and pathogenesis. This work is a prerequisite for the identification of those physiological traits controlling oyster capacity to survive a Vibrio infection and, subsequently, for a better understanding of the phenomenon of summer mortality.
Project description:The cultivated Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas has suffered for decades large scale summer mortality phenomenon resulting from the interaction between the environment parameters, the oyster physiological and/or genetic status and the presence of pathogenic microorganisms including Vibrio species. To obtain a general picture of the molecular mechanisms implicated in C. gigas immune responsiveness to circumvent Vibrio infections, we have developed the first deep sequencing study of the transcriptome of hemocytes, the immunocompetent cells. Using Digital Gene Expression (DGE), we generated a transcript catalog of up-regulated genes from oysters surviving infection with virulent Vibrio strains (Vibrio splendidus LGP32 and V. aestuarianus LPi 02/41) compared to an avirulent one, V. tasmaniensis LMG 20012(T). For that an original experimental infection protocol was developed in which only animals that were able to survive infections were considered for the DGE approach. We report the identification of cellular and immune functions that characterize the oyster capability to survive pathogenic Vibrio infections. Functional annotations highlight genes related to signal transduction of immune response, cell adhesion and communication as well as cellular processes and defence mechanisms of phagocytosis, actin cytosqueleton reorganization, cell trafficking and autophagy, but also antioxidant and anti-apoptotic reactions. In addition, quantitative PCR analysis reveals the first identification of pathogen-specific signatures in oyster gene regulation, which opens the way for in depth molecular studies of oyster-pathogen interaction and pathogenesis. This work is a prerequisite for the identification of those physiological traits controlling oyster capacity to survive a Vibrio infection and, subsequently, for a better understanding of the phenomenon of summer mortality. 4 Samples.
Project description:Vibrio species distribute ubiquitously in marine and coastal environments, with implications for severe infectious diseases in human and marine animals. However, precisely what defensive strategies the host employ against Vibrio pathogens with distinct virulence remain poorly understood. Being an ecologically relevant host, the oyster Crassostrea hongkongensis serves as an excellent model for elucidating mechanisms underlying host-Vibrio interactions. In this study, we generated one mutant Vibrio alginolyticus strains (V. alginolyticus△VSCC) with attenuated virulence by knocking out the VSCC encoding gene, one of the core components of type III secretion systems (T3SSs), based on the evidence that V. alginolyticus△VSCC infection leads to a marked reduction in the apoptotic rate of hemocyte hosts, compared to V. alginolyticusWT control. In comparative proteomics, it was revealed that distinct immune responses were elicited upon encounter with V. alginolyticus strains of different virulence. Quite strikingly, the peroxisomal and apoptotic pathways are activated by V. alginolyticusWT infection, whereas phagocytosis and cell adhesion were enhanced in V. alginolyticus△VSCC infection. Collectively, we conclude that adaptation in host immune responses is determined in part by pathogen virulence, which safeguards elimination of invading bacteria in efficient and timely manners.
Project description:These experiments were performed to show a serogroup conversion of Vibrio cholerae from O1 to O139. For this purpose, V. cholerae O1 El Tor (A1552) was grown on crab shell fragments to induce natural competence for transformation. Purified DNA (4 ug each) from strain MO10, an O139 serogroup strain, was added after 24h and the cells were further grown for 24h. After detachment from the crab shell fragments, bacteria were poured into soft-agar and overlaid onto LB plates. Mukerjeee's El Tor phage V (a gift of Dr. M.S. Islam) was dropped onto the surface of the bacteria containing soft-agar. The plaques formed by killing non-transformed A1552 cells possessed resistant clones which were picked and further selected for opaque morphotype and agglutination by O139-specific antiserum. Four clones were selected from each independent experiment and analyzed by microarray hybridization (BioPrime. Array CGH Genomic Labeling from Invitrogen). Two microarray replicates were done per clone. Strain Names: ApO139#2 / ApO139#4 / ApO139#6 / ApO139#8 are four clones analyzed after the first experiment; AIIpO139#3 / AIIpO139#4 / AIIpO139#5 / AIIpO139#6 are four clones analyzed after the second independent experiment. Two MA replicates for each clone were done. CGHs of A1552 versus MO10 are provided as control.