Project description:Vibrio parahaemolyticus is a Gram-negative bacterium commonly found in marine and estuarine environments. Acute hepatopancreatic necrosis disease (AHPND) caused by this bacterium is an ongoing problem among shrimp farming industries. V. parahaemolyticus proteins PirA and PirB have been determined to be major virulence factors that induce AHPND. In this study, Pacific white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) were challenged with recombinant PirA and PirB by a reverse gavage method and then at 30 m, 1, 2, 4, and 6 h time points, the hepatopancreas of five individual shrimp were removed and placed into RNA later. We conducted RNA sequencing of the hepatopancreas samples from a no PirA/B control (n = 5) and PirA/B-treated shrimp at the different time intervals (n=5). We evaluated the different gene expression patterns between the time groups to the control with a focus on identifying differences in innate immune function.
Project description:With the increasing global demand for high-quality protein resources, improving the feed utilization rate and growth rate of aquaculture animals is the main way to solve the shortage of high-quality animal protein for humans. Improving the growth rate of Macrobrachium rosenbergii, the world's second most-produced freshwater prawn, is of particular importance for increasing the supply of high-quality protein to humans. In this study, we found that growth traits, such as body weight and weight gain of M. rosenbergii, were associated with gut microbes by applying 16s sequencing technology, as well as associated with hepatopancreatic and gonadal transcriptomes. By comparing the relative abundance of gut microbes between the male (high weight gain, HiWG) and female (low weight gain, LoWG) animals, we have shown that at the phyla, family and genera level, the abundance of microbes existed significantly difference between both groups. At the genera level, the abundance of Candidatus Hepatoplasma and unidentified Chloroplast lower in the LoWG animals than in the HiWG animals, and Lactobacillus and Ligilactobacillus have opposed trend. The abundance of Candidatus Hepatoplasma and unclassfied Chloroplast was associated with the growth traits in the HiWG group, as well as with the expression of glutathione peroxidase and collagen, which were highly expressed in the hepatopancreas and gonads of HiWG group animals and significantly associated with protein digestion, absorption and metabolism of M. rosenbergii and might promote growth and development. These associations were not detected in the female LoWG group.
Project description:Profiles of gene expression in hepatopancreas isolated from shrimp experimentally infected with White Spot Syndrome Virus were compared to those of un-infected controls Keywords: response to viral disease Two groups of eight shrimp were compared in terms of hepatopancreas gene expression, 40 hours after challenge with White Spot Syndrome Virus
Project description:Acute hepatopancreatic necrosis disease (AHPND) is a shrimp farming disease, caused by a pathogenic Vibrio parahaemolyticus carrying a plasmid encoding Vp_PirAB-like toxin (VpAHPND). Whiteleg shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei were fed food pellets containing formalin-killed VpAHPND (FKC-VpAHPND) to select for toxin resistance. To identify genes associated with Vp_PirAB-like toxin resistance, total RNA was sequenced to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the stomach and hepatopancreas among surviving shrimp (sur-FKC), AHPND-infected shrimp (Vp-inf) and normal shrimp (control). From a total of 79,591 genes, 194 and 224 DEGs were identified in the stomach and hepatopancreas transcriptomes, respectfully. The expressions of DEGs were validated by qPCR of ten genes. Only one gene, a gene homologous to L vannamei anti-lipopolysaccharide factor AV-R isoform (LvALF AV-R), was expressed significantly more strongly in sur-FKC than in the other groups. The association of LvALF AV-R expression and toxin resistance was affirmed from the surviving shrimp in a second-trial of FKC-VpAHPND feeding. These results suggest that LvALF AV-R may be involved in shrimp defense mechanisms against Vp_PirAB-like toxin virulence.