scholarly journals Why does the immune system of Atlantic cod lack MHC II?

BioEssays ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 34 (8) ◽  
pp. 648-651 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bastiaan Star ◽  
Sissel Jentoft
Keyword(s):  
2016 ◽  
Vol 90 (18) ◽  
pp. 8047-8058 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhiguo Sun ◽  
Hem Chandra Jha ◽  
Yong-gang Pei ◽  
Erle S. Robertson

ABSTRACTKaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) maintains two modes of life cycle, the latent and lytic phases. To evade the attack of the cell host's immune system, KSHV switches from the lytic to the latent phase, a phase in which only a few of viral proteins are expressed. The mechanism by which KSHV evades the attack of the immune system and establishes latency has not been fully understood. Major histocompatibility complex class II (MHC-II) molecules are key components of the immune system defense mechanism against viral infections. Here we report that HLA-DRα, a member of the MHC-II molecules, was downregulated by the replication and transcription activator (RTA) protein encoded by KSHV ORF50, an important regulator of the viral life cycle. RTA not only downregulated HLA-DRα at the protein level through direct binding and degradation through the proteasome pathway but also indirectly downregulated the protein level of HLA-DRα by enhancing the expression of MARCH8, a member of the membrane-associated RING-CH (MARCH) proteins. Our findings indicate that KSHV RTA facilitates evasion of the virus from the immune system through manipulation of HLA-DRα.IMPORTANCEKaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) has a causal role in a number of human cancers, and its persistence in infected cells is controlled by the host's immune system. The mechanism by which KSHV evades an attack by the immune system has not been well understood. This work represents studies which identify a novel mechanism by which the virus can facilitate evasion of an immune system. We now show that RTA, the replication and transcription activator encoded by KSHV (ORF50), can function as an E3 ligase to degrade HLA-DRα. It can directly bind and induce degradation of HLA-DRα through the ubiquitin-proteasome degradation pathway. In addition to the direct regulation of HLA-DRα, RTA can also indirectly downregulate the level of HLA-DRα protein by upregulating transcription of MARCH8. Increased MARCH8 results in the downregulation of HLA-DRα. Furthermore, we also demonstrate that expression of HLA-DRα was impaired in KSHVde novoinfection.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 24
Author(s):  
Ragnhild Inderberg Vestrum ◽  
Torunn Forberg ◽  
Birgit Luef ◽  
Ingrid Bakke ◽  
Per Winge ◽  
...  

The roles of host-associated bacteria have gained attention lately, and we now recognise that the microbiota is essential in processes such as digestion, development of the immune system and gut function. In this study, Atlantic cod larvae were reared under germ-free, gnotobiotic and conventional conditions. Water and fish microbiota were characterised by 16S rRNA gene analyses. The cod larvae’s transcriptional responses to the different microbial conditions were analysed by a custom Agilent 44 k oligo microarray. Gut development was assessed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Water and fish microbiota differed significantly in the conventional treatment and were dominated by different fast-growing bacteria. Our study indicates that components of the innate immune system of cod larvae are downregulated by the presence of non-pathogenic bacteria, and thus may be turned on by default in the early larval stages. We see indications of decreased nutrient uptake in the absence of bacteria. The bacteria also influence the gut morphology, reflected in shorter microvilli with higher density in the conventional larvae than in the germ-free larvae. The fact that the microbiota alters innate immune responses and gut morphology demonstrates its important role in marine larval development.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Naomi Guslund ◽  
Monica Hongrø Solbakken ◽  
Kjetill S. Jakobsen ◽  
Shuo-Wang Qiao

AbstractThe Atlantic cod’s unusual immune system, entirely lacking the Major Histocompatibility class II pathway, has prompted intriguing questions about what mechanisms are used to combat bacterial infections and how immunological memory is generated. Here, we examine the diversity of 8,180 spleen cells and peripheral blood leukocytes by single cell RNA sequencing. Unbiased transcriptional clustering revealed eleven distinct immune cell signatures. Resolution at the single cell level enabled characterisation of the major cell subsets including the cytotoxic T cells, B cells, erythrocytes, thrombocytes, neutrophils and macrophages. Further, we describe for the first time rare cell subsets which may represent dendritic cells, natural killer-like cells and a population of cytotoxic cells expressing GATA-3. We propose putative gene markers for each cluster and describe the relative proportions of each cell type in the spleen and peripheral blood leukocytes. By single cell analysis, this study provides the most detailed molecular and cellular characterization of the immune system of the Atlantic cod so far.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xingkun Jin ◽  
Bernat Morro ◽  
Ole K. Tørresen ◽  
Visila Moiche ◽  
Monica H. Solbakken ◽  
...  

AbstractThe genome sequencing of Atlantic cod revealed an immune system absent of specific cell surface toll-like receptors (TLRs), major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II, invariant chain (CD74) and the CD4 (cluster of differentiation 4) receptor. Despite the loss of these major components considered as critical to vertebrate innate and adaptive immune systems the cod system is fully functional, however the underlying mechanisms of the immune response in cod remain largely unknown. In this study, ex vivo cod macrophages were challenged with various bacterial and viral microbe-associated molecular patterns (MAMP) to identify major response pathways. Cytosolic MAMP-PRR pathways based upon the NOD-like receptors (NLRs) and RIG-I-like receptors (RLRs) were identified as the critical response pathways. Our analyses suggest that internalization of exogenous ligands through scavenger receptors drives both pathways activating transcription factors like NF-kB (Nuclear factor-kappa B) and interferon regulatory factors (IRFs). Further, ligand-dependent differential expression of a unique TLR25 isoform and multiple NLR paralogues suggests (sub)neofunctionalisation toward specific immune defensive strategies. Our results further demonstrate that the unique immune system of the Atlantic cod provides an unprecedented opportunity to explore the evolutionary history of PRR-based signalling in vertebrate immunity.


2017 ◽  
Vol 61 (2) ◽  
pp. 217-221
Author(s):  
Leszek Krakowski ◽  
Przemysław Bartoszek ◽  
Izabela Krakowska ◽  
Anna Stachurska ◽  
Tomasz Piech ◽  
...  

AbstractIntroduction: Pregnancy is a physiological state in which the immune system undergoes certain changes. On the one hand, by depleting cell defence mechanisms, it favours development and maintenance of the pregnancy. At the same time cells of the immune system ensure resistance to many risk factors, including infectious agents.Material and Methods: The study was carried out on 24 Polish Konik breed mares which were divided into two equal groups. The first group (group I) included mares living in the reserve. The second group (group II) comprised mares maintained under conventional conditions in the stables. The blood samples were collected for the first time in the perinatal period, i.e. 2 weeks before parturition (trial 0), then within the first 24 h after delivery, and then on 7th and 21st day after foaling. Flow cytometric analysis of lymphocyte expressing TCD4+, TCD8+, CD2+, and MHC class II antigens was performed.Results: Before the delivery, in group I there was a significantly higher CD4:CD8 ratio compared to group II (P ≤0.05). Similarly, significantly increased CD4:CD8 ratio in group I was noted within 24 h after parturition (P ≤0.001) and it was also observed on 7th day (P ≤0.03) and 21st day after foaling (P ≤0.02). In the first 24 h after parturition, a significant decline of lymphocytes CD8+ (P ≤0.02) was noted. No significant differences in terms of lymphocytes CD2+ and CD3+ were observed. Expression of MHC-II molecules before and after the parturition was higher in group I compared to group II; however, the difference between the groups was not significant.Conclusion: The results obtained indicate that mares living in the reserve display higher activity of cell defence mechanisms.


2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ole K. Tørresen ◽  
Marine S. O. Brieuc ◽  
Monica H. Solbakken ◽  
Elin Sørhus ◽  
Alexander J. Nederbragt ◽  
...  

AbstractBackgroundIncreased availability of genome assemblies for non-model organisms has resulted in invaluable biological and genomic insight into numerous vertebrates including teleosts. The sequencing and assembly of the Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) genome and the genomes of many of its relatives (Gadiformes) demonstrated a shared loss 100 million years ago of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) II genes. The recent publication of an improved version of the Atlantic cod genome assembly reported an extreme density of tandem repeats compared to other vertebrate genome assemblies. Highly contiguous genome assemblies are needed to further investigate the unusual immune system of the Gadiformes, and the high density of tandem repeats in this group.ResultsHere, we have sequenced and assembled the genome of haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus) - a relative of Atlantic cod - using a combination of PacBio and Illumina reads. Comparative analyses uncover that the haddock genome contains an even higher density of tandem repeats outside and within protein coding sequences than Atlantic cod. Further, both species show an elevated number of tandem repeats in genes mainly involved in signal transduction compared to other teleosts. An in-depth characterization of the immune gene repertoire demonstrates a substantial expansion of MCHI in Atlantic cod compared to haddock. In contrast, the Toll-like receptors show a similar pattern of gene losses and expansions. For another gene family associated with the innate immune system, the NOD-like receptors (NLRs), we find a large expansion common to all teleosts, with possible lineage-specific expansions in zebrafish, stickleback and the codfishes.ConclusionsThe generation of a highly contiguous genome assembly of haddock revealed that the high density of short tandem repeats as well as expanded immune gene families is not unique to Atlantic cod – but most likely a feature common to all codfishes. A shared expansion of NLR genes in teleosts suggests that the NLRs have a more substantial role in the innate immunity of teleosts than other vertebrates. Moreover, we find that high copy number genes combined with variable genome assembly qualities may impede complete characterization, i.e. the number of NLRs might be underestimates in the different teleost species.


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