Fish & shellfish immunology最新文献

{"title":"Paecilomyces variotii improves growth performance and modulates immunological biomarkers and gut microbiota in vaccinated Atlantic salmon pre-smolts","authors":"Dominic Duncan Mensah ,&nbsp;Byron Morales-Lange ,&nbsp;Sérgio Domingos Cardoso Rocha ,&nbsp;Margareth Øverland ,&nbsp;Purushothaman Kathiresan ,&nbsp;Jamie Marie Hooft ,&nbsp;Charles McLean Press ,&nbsp;Henning Sørum ,&nbsp;Liv Torunn Mydland","doi":"10.1016/j.fsi.2025.110223","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fsi.2025.110223","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Functional feeds, as a prophylactic strategy, are a promising alternative to address stressful production-related activities (e.g., seawater transfer, delousing) and infectious diseases in salmon farming. To understand the effect of <em>Paecilomyces variotii</em> on short-term growth performance and health responses of vaccinated Atlantic salmon pre-smolts, a control diet (D1) and three experimental diets, where <em>P. variotii</em> replaced 5 % (D2), 10 % (D3) or 20 % (D4) of crude protein, were fed to fish for 28 days in freshwater. Fish fed diets containing <em>P. variotii</em> had a significant dose-dependent linear improvement in feed conversion ratio. Also, D4 group showed a gene expression related to signal truncation and gut homeostasis, while in head kidney (HK), <em>P. variotii</em> activated and controlled immune responses through c-type lectin receptor, downstream signalling molecules (<em>myd88, tollip</em>), cytokines (<em>tnfα, il1β, ifnγ</em>), and effector molecules (<em>cath-2</em>, <em>c3, prx</em>). Moreover, an upregulation of antigen presenting cell markers (<em>mhcii</em>, <em>cd83</em>) and T cell transcriptional factors (<em>gata3</em>, <em>rorc</em>, <em>foxp3</em>) was detected in HK, suggesting that <em>P. variotii</em> could coordinate the innate and adaptive mechanisms. Interestingly, D2 increased specific IgM against <em>Vibrio anguillarum</em> in vaccinated salmon. KEGG analysis revealed that D4 induced decreased abundance of proteins related to inflammatory pathways, e.g., like salmonella infection, apoptosis and necroptosis as well as innate and adaptive signalling pathways in the HK. On the contrary, D4 induced high abundance of proteins related to these inflammatory pathways in the skin mucus (Skm). In addition, complement proteins (i.e., C1q, C4, C7) and arginine metabolism were also in high abundance in the SKm. In relation to the gut microbiota, fish fed D2 and D3 showed low abundance of key lactic acid bacteria (e.g., <em>Weisella, Leuconostoc, Lactobacillus</em>) but high abundance <em>Photobacterium</em> and <em>Ligilactobacillus</em> compared with D1 in the gut. Overall, feed inclusion of <em>P. variotii</em> improved fish growth performance and modulated health response in Atlantic salmon pre-smolts.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12127,"journal":{"name":"Fish & shellfish immunology","volume":"160 ","pages":"Article 110223"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2025-02-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143482565","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Chronic heat stress reshapes Russian sturgeon innate immune response to Aeromonas hydrophila challenge","authors":"Marcio Aversa-Marnai ,&nbsp;Alejandro Perretta ,&nbsp;Paula Céspedes ,&nbsp;Ignacio Quartiani ,&nbsp;Daniel Conijeski ,&nbsp;Mariela Bollati-Fogolin ,&nbsp;Andrea Villarino ,&nbsp;Valeria Silva-Álvarez ,&nbsp;Ana María Ferreira","doi":"10.1016/j.fsi.2025.110219","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fsi.2025.110219","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Sturgeon aquaculture faces challenges due to global warming, as chronic heat stress (CHS) jeopardises fish health and production sustainability. To tackle this issue, we analysed serum innate components and the cellular composition of the peritoneum in Russian sturgeons (<em>Acipenser gueldenstaedtii</em>) subjected to CHS and challenged with <em>Aeromonas hydrophila</em>. Russian sturgeons exposed to CHS exhibited a reduction in the serum levels of total protein and alkaline phosphatase activity, trending to a higher decrease in sturgeons exposed to both bacterial challenge and CHS. This sturgeon group showed a worsened health status, reduced growth and a higher mortality rate. Under tolerable temperatures, the bacterial challenge increased serum ceruloplasmin, lysozyme and serum amyloid A levels, which tended to be lower under CHS. The naive peritoneal cellular composition of the Russian sturgeon revealed a predominance of myeloid cells, with lymphoid cells present in a smaller proportion. CHS altered this distribution, increasing lymphoid while reducing myeloid cell percentages and <em>A. hydrophila</em> challenge reverted these alterations. Myeloid cells exhibiting the highest phagocytic potential were reduced by CHS, potentially compromising peritoneal bacterial clearance. Principal component analysis revealed that sturgeons' integral innate response varied according to temperature exposure, evidencing CHS's impact on the anti-bacterial response. Overall, this study provides a first picture of the peritoneal cellular composition of a chondrostean fish. Furthermore, it demonstrates the disruption caused by CHS on the sturgeon's early systemic and peritoneal responses mounted against <em>A. hydrophila</em>.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12127,"journal":{"name":"Fish & shellfish immunology","volume":"160 ","pages":"Article 110219"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2025-02-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143482561","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Comparative analysis of immunogenicity for viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus (VHSV) vaccines inactivated by different methods","authors":"Jin-Young Kim ,&nbsp;Wi-Sik Kim ,&nbsp;Su-Mi Shin ,&nbsp;Taeho Kim ,&nbsp;Sung-Ju Jung","doi":"10.1016/j.fsi.2025.110217","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fsi.2025.110217","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus (VHSV) belonging to the genus <em>Novirhabdovirus</em> and family <em>Rhabdoviridae</em> is a major viral disease that causes economic loss in the olive flounder (<em>Paralichthys olivaceus</em>). In this study, we produced formalin-, binary ethylenimine (BEI)-, β-propiolactone (BPL)-, and heat-treated, inactivated VHSV vaccines; and observed the glycoprotein changes in the inactivated VHSV vaccines and confirmed their correlation with vaccine efficacy. The control group showed a 100 % cumulative mortality rate, but the groups immunized with formalin- and BPL-inactivated VHSV vaccines had high survival rates of 80 % and 90 %, and the virus copy numbers was significantly low. Conversely, groups immunized with BEI- and heat-inactivated VHSV vaccines had low survival rates of 20 % and 30 %, and high virus copy numbers. Fish immunized with formalin- and BPL-inactivated VHSV vaccines significantly increased VHSV-specific immunoglobulin (Ig) M titers in serum, and showed significant upregulation of several immune genes (<em>Mx</em>, <em>ISG15</em>, <em>IL-10</em>, <em>IFNγ</em>, and <em>CD8α</em>) in the spleen. Upon VHSV challenge, the BPL group displayed significant upregulation of <em>IL-2</em>, <em>CD8α</em>, and <em>IgM</em> along with downregulation of <em>Mx</em>, <em>IL-10</em>, <em>IL-17A</em>, and <em>IFNγ</em> compared to the virus infected control group. When evaluating the antigenic change of VHSV glycoprotein (G) protein using 4 different VHSV G monoclonal antibodies, formalin- and BPL-inactivated VHSV conserved VHSV monomer G similar to the non-inactivated VHSV, whereas BEI- and heat-inactivated VHSV monomer G exhibited changes. These results suggest that the conserved disulfide bond-dependent G protein structure of the inactivated VHSV may induce significant immune responses in fish, resulting in high protective efficacy.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12127,"journal":{"name":"Fish & shellfish immunology","volume":"160 ","pages":"Article 110217"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2025-02-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143476471","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Augmentation of antiviral immune response induced by perturbation of CD82 under microgravity condition","authors":"Yuzhi Zhang ,&nbsp;Sijie Wang ,&nbsp;Jiawei Chen ,&nbsp;Yidan Zhou ,&nbsp;Xiaoyu Yu ,&nbsp;Ruining Peng ,&nbsp;Longfeng Lu ,&nbsp;Shun Li ,&nbsp;Zhenhao Tian ,&nbsp;Nu Zhang ,&nbsp;Hui Yang","doi":"10.1016/j.fsi.2025.110216","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fsi.2025.110216","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Exposure to microgravity has become the primary factor threatening astronauts’ health. Immunity is dysregulated rapidly following spaceflight, and reactivation of latent virus has been observed. However, systematic studies and molecular mechanisms of the adverse impact of microgravity on the antiviral immune response are still elusive. As a member of the Tetraspanins family, CD82 participates in the biological process between the cell and the trafficking of cellular transmembrane proteins that interact with many viruses. Herein, we established a ground-based zebrafish model of microgravity to research the embryogenesis processes under space microgravity. In this study, we cloned and validated the open reading frame (ORF) sequence of CD82 homolog and explored the expression profile of CD82 homolog in various zebrafish tissues. Overexpression of zebrafish CD82a increased host IFN1 and vig1 transcription during the spring viremia of carp virus (SVCV) infection. Furthermore, a significant down-regulation of gene expression, including IFN1 and vig1, caused by knockdown of CD82a was observed. Additionally, the knockdown of CD82a significantly upregulated the SVCV replication in the EPC cells. Accordingly, CD82a positively induced the cellular antiviral responses triggered by the SVCV. Moreover, the mRNA level of CD82 homolog was upregulated in vivo and <em>in vitro</em> under simulated microgravity. Collectively, our studies further implied that the high expression of CD82a could modulate innate antiviral immunity in an IFN-independent manner during microgravity conditions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12127,"journal":{"name":"Fish & shellfish immunology","volume":"160 ","pages":"Article 110216"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2025-02-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143474436","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Di-butyl phthalate induces apoptosis in Ctenopharyngodon idellus kidney cells through oxidative stress injury","authors":"Zijiang Yang ,&nbsp;Beining Wu ,&nbsp;Qiyi Chen ,&nbsp;Jiarui Pan ,&nbsp;Zongying Wang ,&nbsp;Wei Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.fsi.2025.110207","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fsi.2025.110207","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Di-butyl phthalate (DBP) is a major type of phthalate (PAE) contaminant widely used as a plasticizer. Its environmental presence poses threat to humans and aquatic organisms. In this study, Ctenopharyngodon <em>idellus</em> kidney (CIK) cell model was exposed to 100 μM DBP to investigate its effects. Apoptosis was assessed using acridine orange/ethidium bromide staining, flow cytometry, and fluorescein isothiocyanate/propidium iodide labeling. DBP exposure increased the percentage of apoptotic cells. Activities of antioxidant enzymes, superoxide dismutase, total antioxidant activity, glutathione peroxidase, and catalase were inhibited by DBP, whereas the levels of peroxide products were increased. Heat shock proteins were upregulated as a defense mechanism against DBP-induced stress. Further analysis revealed that the Pi3k/Akt pathway, which regulates physical processes to protect cell function, was suppressed by DBP exposure. Reverse transcription-quantitative PCR and western blotting revealed that DBP inhibited Pi3k/Akt signaling while apoptosis gene expression was increased. Notably, these effects of heat shock proteins and Pi3k/Akt, were reversed by N-acetylcysteine. In conclusion, DBP accelerates apoptosis of CIK cells by inhibiting the Pi3k/Akt pathway and anti-oxidative enzyme activities, promoting reactive oxygen species accumulation and enhancing peroxide product generation. These findings highlight the cytotoxic effects of DBP and underscore the need for further research. Our results provide a foundation for further study.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12127,"journal":{"name":"Fish & shellfish immunology","volume":"160 ","pages":"Article 110207"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2025-02-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143463929","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"MiR-483 targeting integrin β4 regulates the stability of intestinal barrier in turbot (Scophthalmus maximus) during pathogen infection","authors":"Yanmin Wang,&nbsp;Yuping Liu,&nbsp;Yiping Liu,&nbsp;Chao Li,&nbsp;Ting Xue","doi":"10.1016/j.fsi.2025.110209","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fsi.2025.110209","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The hemidesmosome, critical for epithelial cell adhesion to the basement membrane, relies on integrin beta 4 (<em>itgb4</em>) as a central component. Mutations of <em>Itgb4</em> caused intestinal epithelial cell exfoliation in mammals, highlighting its essential role in maintaining epithelial integrity. However, the distribution and function of <em>itgb4</em> in fish intestines remain poorly understood. Fish intestines, unlike those of terrestrial animals, are constantly exposed to environmental pathogens such as <em>Vibrio anguillarum</em>, <em>Edwardsiella piscicida</em>, and <em>Aeromonas salmonicida</em>, which can cause significant intestinal epithelial cell exfoliation and compromise mucosal barrier function. Investigating the role of <em>itgb4</em> in this context is crucial for developing strategies to prevent intestinal pathogen infections in aquaculture. This study analyzed the distribution, function, and expression of <em>itgb4</em> during pathogenic infection in the intestines of <em>Scophthalmus maximus</em> (turbot). Results revealed that Itgb4 protein is predominantly localized in intestinal epithelial cells, particularly at the cell membrane, and its expression significantly decreased during early stages of pathogenic bacterial infection. Interfering with <em>itgb4</em> led to severe exfoliation of intestinal epithelial cells, accompanied by the downregulation of adhesion-related proteins and upregulation of immune-related genes. In turbot intestinal cells, <em>itgb4</em> interference increased cell migration, underscoring its critical role in maintaining stable cell adhesion. Furthermore, <em>itgb4</em> knockdown in zebrafish weakened intestinal epithelial cell adhesion and altered skin epithelial morphology, demonstrating its broader role in epithelial integrity. Importantly, we identified miR-483 as a key regulator of <em>itgb4</em> during pathogenic infection. miR-483 exhibited an expression pattern opposite to that of <em>itgb4</em>. Both <em>in vitro</em> and <em>in vivo</em> experiments confirmed its role in regulating intestinal epithelial cell exfoliation by targeting <em>itgb4</em>. This study reveals the critical role of <em>itgb4</em> in maintaining fish intestinal epithelial adhesion and its regulation by miR-483, offering new insights for improving mucosal barrier function and disease resistance in aquaculture. These findings highlight <em>itgb4</em> as a potential therapeutic target to enhance disease resistance in economically important fish species.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12127,"journal":{"name":"Fish & shellfish immunology","volume":"160 ","pages":"Article 110209"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2025-02-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143463928","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Establishment of the Tgf2-based anti-hemorrhagic disease system THVS and analysis of its disease resistance effects in Gobiocypris rarus","authors":"Ziquan Yang ,&nbsp;Zaozao Guo ,&nbsp;Bo Qin ,&nbsp;Huimei Zhang ,&nbsp;Jie Chen ,&nbsp;Guodong Zheng ,&nbsp;Shuming Zou","doi":"10.1016/j.fsi.2025.110206","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fsi.2025.110206","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Grass carp reovirus (GCRV) belongs to the family of reoviridae, which mainly causes hemorrhagic disease in grass carp, with high morbidity and mortality rate, which seriously affects the efficiency of grass carp aquaculture, and at present, there is no effective treatment and new varieties of disease-resistant species. Capsid-targeted viral inactivation (CTVI) is a potent antiviral strategy based on the formation of fusion proteins between viral coat proteins and exogenous proteins, whereby the fusion proteins are integrated into the virus upon viral invasion and assembly, and the exogenous proteins directly disrupt and degrade the viral DNA/RNA to provide antiviral efficacy. The aim of this paper was to explore the potential application of CTVI in rare minnow infested with GCRV, to provide a theoretical basis for the breeding of new varieties of grass carp resistant to hemorrhagic disease. We used heat shock protein 70 (<em>HSP70</em>) as promoter, combined with <em>Tgf2</em> transposon, assembled GCRV outer capsid protein VP3 and <em>Staphylococcus aureus nucleases</em> (SN) to form a fusion protein VP3-SN, constructed a <em>Tgf2</em>-based anti-hemorrhagic disease system (THVS) and a transgenic model of rare minnow, and investigated the apoptotic and immune responses of transgenic rare minnow in resistance to GCRV infection by HE and TUNEL staining, CAT and NO detection, and qPCR. Apoptosis, inflammation and immune responses in transgenic rare minnow against GCRV infection. The results showed that the transgenic rare minnow would limit GCRV amplification during GCRV infection, further affect oxidative stress and reduce the expression of <em>TLR4</em>-<em>MYD8</em>8-NF<em>-kB</em> pathway, apoptosis-related genes (<em>BCL2</em>, <em>Caspae3</em>) and inflammation-related genes (<em>IL-1β</em>, <em>TNFα</em>), showing strong GCRV resistance. This experiment provides a theoretical basis and rationale for breeding new grass carp varieties resistant to hemorrhagic disease.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12127,"journal":{"name":"Fish & shellfish immunology","volume":"160 ","pages":"Article 110206"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2025-02-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143455007","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Proteomics analysis of extracellular vesicles during Vibrio anguillarum infection in lumpfish (Cyclopterus lumpus)","authors":"V.I. Machimbirike ,&nbsp;O. Onireti ,&nbsp;J. Chukwu-Osazuwa ,&nbsp;T. Cao ,&nbsp;I. Vasquez ,&nbsp;M.L. Rise ,&nbsp;S. Kumar ,&nbsp;J. Santander","doi":"10.1016/j.fsi.2025.110205","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fsi.2025.110205","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Lumpfish (<em>Cyclopterus lumpus</em>) is a native fish of the North Atlantic Ocean used as sea lice biocontrol in Atlantic salmon farms. Lumpfish also has been used as model for marine infectious diseases and immunity. Lumpfish is susceptible to <em>Vibrio anguillarum</em> infection, and upon infection, lumpfish immunity is activated to preclude the disease progression. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) play an important role in early immune cellular communication. Lumpfish EVs and their potential role in immunity have not been explored. Herein, EVs where isolated from serum of naïve lumpfish and from lumpfish infected with <em>V. anguillarum</em> at 5 and 10 days post infection (dpi). EVs characteristics were studied by electron microscopy and nanoparticle tracking, and protein cargo was analysed by Western blot and proteomic analysis. The isolated EVs showed a spherical shape ranging from ∼30 nm to 300 nm in diameter, but at 5 dpi the size variation was higher. A total of 395 proteins were identified. Upregulated proteins were linked to complement pathway/innate immunity, heme/iron binding, defense response to bacterium, apoptotic signaling pathway, and actin binding. Downregulated proteins were associated with ribonucleoprotein/ribosomal protein, transport and translation elongation factor activity, acute phase, protein phosphorylation and apoptotic process. Upon infection <em>V. anguillarum</em> infection, lumpfish EVs cargo was modified, from transporting metabolic proteins to proteins related to immunity. Characterization of peripheral lumpfish EVs protein profile during <em>V. anguillarum</em> infection provided with potential biomarkers repertoire that could be utilised in the development of novel tools to diagnose and control of <em>V. anguillarum</em> infection in finfish aquaculture.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12127,"journal":{"name":"Fish & shellfish immunology","volume":"160 ","pages":"Article 110205"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2025-02-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143455008","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evolutionary and functional insights into Fibrinogen-related protein (FREP) dynamics in sea cucumbers","authors":"Shuo Li ,&nbsp;Chen Li ,&nbsp;Shenglei Han ,&nbsp;Kaiyu Chen ,&nbsp;Weijing Li ,&nbsp;Shuhong Jiang ,&nbsp;Duan Liao ,&nbsp;Changwei Shao ,&nbsp;Chenghua Li","doi":"10.1016/j.fsi.2025.110204","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fsi.2025.110204","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Fibrinogen-related protein (FREP) gene family is a cornerstone of immune defense in metazoans, yet its evolution and functional specialization in invertebrates, particularly sea cucumbers, remain underexplored. By analyzing genomic data from 1004 species, this study reveals a significant and lineage-specific expansion of FREP genes in sea cucumbers. These genes are categorized into single-domain FREPs (sFREPs) and multi-domain FREPs (mFREPs), with the latter containing unique TIL domains associated with immune defense. Comparative analyses show that chromosomal rearrangements and gene duplications have driven FREP diversification, while transcriptomic profiling highlights tissue-specific expression and immune activation of TIL-containing mFREPs. These findings illuminate the adaptive evolution of FREPs and their pivotal role in pathogen recognition, emphasizing chromosomal dynamics and domain architecture in shaping invertebrate immunity. This study provides a foundation for deeper insights into the molecular basis of immune adaptation in sea cucumbers and other invertebrates.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12127,"journal":{"name":"Fish & shellfish immunology","volume":"160 ","pages":"Article 110204"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2025-02-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143437912","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Functional studies and synchrotron FTIR biochemical signatures reveal the potential of protein nanoparticles as a VHS virus vaccine","authors":"Rosemary Thwaite ,&nbsp;Núria Benseny-Cases ,&nbsp;Mauricio Rojas-Peña ,&nbsp;Verónica Chico ,&nbsp;Maria Carreras ,&nbsp;Sara Puente-Marin ,&nbsp;Antonio Villaverde ,&nbsp;Luis Perez ,&nbsp;Maria del Mar Ortega-Villaizan ,&nbsp;Manel Sabés ,&nbsp;Nerea Roher","doi":"10.1016/j.fsi.2025.110202","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fsi.2025.110202","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>As an innovative strategy towards new biomaterials for fish vaccine development, we have generated the C-terminal half of the viral haemorrhagic septicaemia virus (VHSV) G protein as nanostructured bacterial inclusion bodies (IBs). IBs offer a slow release of biologically active, native and native-like proteins from a protective scaffold based on a nontoxic amyloid network. These nanoscale materials are an attractive type of vaccine design for aquaculture, being cheap, scalable and stable <em>in vivo</em> without the need for encapsulation, unlike soluble proteins. The bacterial remnants carried in IBs, such as lipopolysaccharide, are safe for fish and act as immunostimulants. Here we tested VHSV-G fragment-based protein nanoparticles in a range of scenarios to ascertain cellular uptake, metabolic changes and immunogenicity. Trout (<em>Oncorhynchus mykiss</em>) macrophages, in the first line of defence against infections, uptake the particles, resulting in impacts on global cell biochemical signatures measured by synchrotron FTIR. These changes were similar to those observed using inactivated VHSV virus. In a trout VHSV infection model, fish immunized with the developed nanoparticles raised specific anti-VHSV IgM antibodies, detected by ELISA. Among these, neutralizing antibodies were present, shown by a viral neutralization assay in <em>Epithelioma Papulosum Cyprini</em> (EPC) carp cell line. Further, the anti-VHSV IgM antibody titre increased significantly in the vaccinated group post VHSV infection, compared to sham-vaccinated fish. We therefore show that viral proteins, nanostructured as IBs, can elicit specific, functional anti-viral antibodies in fish and also can mimic <em>in vitro</em> the metabolic signatures associated to viral stimuli. All together, these data demonstrate the potential of this strategy for vaccine development.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12127,"journal":{"name":"Fish & shellfish immunology","volume":"160 ","pages":"Article 110202"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2025-02-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143440347","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}