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Developmental and Comparative Immunology Jun 2023Vitellogenin (Vg) is the major precursor of the egg-yolk proteins, which mainly acts as an energy reserve molecule for providing nutrients during embryonic development....
Vitellogenin (Vg) is the major precursor of the egg-yolk proteins, which mainly acts as an energy reserve molecule for providing nutrients during embryonic development. Vg also plays an immune function in vertebrates such as fish, but there are few studies on the immune function of Vg in invertebrates. In the present study, a Vg homologue (CgVg) was identified and characterized in oyster Crassostrea gigas. There are three domains in the CgVg protein, including a Vitellogenin_N domain, a domain of unknown function 1943 (DUF1943) and a von Willebrand factor type D domain (VWD). The mRNA transcripts of CgVg were detected in all tested tissues with high expression in the gonad, hepatopancreas and haemocytes, which was 466.29-, 117.15- and 57.49-fold (p < 0.01) of that in adductor muscle, respectively. After Vibrio splendidus stimulation, the mRNA expression level of CgVg in haemocytes increased significantly at 6, 12 and 24 h, which was 1.97-, 3.58- and 1.3-fold (p < 0.01) of that in the seawater group, respectively. The immunofluorescence assay showed that positive signals of CgVg protein were mainly located at the cytoplasm of haemocytes. The recombinant protein of DUF1943 domain (rDUF1943) and VWD domain (rVWD) was able to bind lipopolysaccharide (LPS), mannose (MAN), peptidoglycan (PGN) and poly (I:C), as well as Gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus and Micrococcus luteus), Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli and V. splendidus) and fungi (Pichia pastoris). rDUF1943 exhibited stronger agglutination activity towards S. aureus, M. luteus, E. coli, V. splendidus and P. pastoris, while agglutination was only observed in the rVWD group towards P. pastoris. The rVWD inhibited the growth of E. coli, S. aureus and V. splendidus, while no antibacterial activity was detected in rDUF1943 group. Collectively, CgVg not only functioned as a pattern recognition receptor (PRR) to bind various microorganisms and PAMPs, but also as an immune effector participating in the clearance of invaders, in which DUF1943 and VWD domain were mainly responsible for agglutinating and inhibiting microorganism respectively.
Topics: Animals; Vitellogenins; Crassostrea; Staphylococcus aureus; Escherichia coli; Agglutination; RNA, Messenger; Hemocytes; Immunity, Innate
PubMed: 36921701
DOI: 10.1016/j.dci.2023.104679 -
Scientific Reports Sep 2021An isolated bacterium TBE-8, was identified as Leuconostoc mesenteroides according to the sequences of 16S rDNA and the 16S-23S rDNA intergenic spacer region. The...
An isolated bacterium TBE-8, was identified as Leuconostoc mesenteroides according to the sequences of 16S rDNA and the 16S-23S rDNA intergenic spacer region. The probiotic properties of the L. mesenteroides TBE-8 strain were characterized and revealed that TBE-8 could utilize various carbohydrates, exhibited high tolerance to sucrose's osmotic pressure and acidic conditions, and could mitigate the impact of the bee pathogen Paenibacillus larvae. In addition, we found that the TBE-8 broth increased the expression of the nutrition-related genes major royal jelly protein 1 and vitellogenin in bees by approximately 1400- and 20-fold, respectively. The expression of genes encoding two antibacterial peptides, hymenoptaecin and apidaecin, in the bee abdomen was significantly increased by 17- and 7-fold in bees fed with the TBE-8 fermented broth. Furthermore, we fed four-frame bee colonies with 50% sucrose syrup containing TBE-8 and can detect the presence of approximately 2 × 10 16S rDNA copies of TBE-8 in the guts of all bees in 24 h, and the retention of TBE-8 in the bee gut for at least 5 days. These findings indicate that the L. mesenteroides TBE-8 has high potential as a bee probiotic and could enhance the health of bee colonies.
Topics: Animals; Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides; Bees; Carbohydrate Metabolism; Disease Resistance; Glycoproteins; Insect Proteins; Leuconostoc mesenteroides; Paenibacillus larvae; Probiotics; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; Vitellogenins
PubMed: 34531482
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-97950-9 -
Animal Reproduction Science Dec 2022Oogenesis in fish is a process that involves cell proliferation, growth and maturation. In rivers blocked by hydroelectric dams, these factors can be altered and affect...
Oogenesis in fish is a process that involves cell proliferation, growth and maturation. In rivers blocked by hydroelectric dams, these factors can be altered and affect the reproduction mechanism of the species. Regarding this scenario, the present study aimed to describe oogenesis in two cichlids native to the Amazon basin, Geophagus argyrostictus and G. altifrons, during pre- and post-dam periods of the Xingu River. Females of both Geophagus species were captured and biometric measurements were taken. Afterwards, the fish were euthanized, and the gonads were removed and subjected to histological processing for light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and immunoperoxidase staining. Oocyte diameter and zona radiata thickness were also measured. The ovaries appeared in pairs, where according to their shape, size, vascularization and cell organization, five stages were described for both species. In the post-dam period, there was a reduction in the mean diameter of the oocytes, especially type IV, and a decrease in the thickness of the zona radiata, mainly, in G. argyrostictus. In both species, there was a greater presence of oocyte atresia in the post-dam period. PCNA immunoreactivity was more intense in type I and II oocytes, while vitellogenin immunoreactivity occurred in the cytoplasm and follicular cells of oocytes III and IV. These data suggest that because of changes in the level/flow of the river, the gonads of these two species adjust to the new environment, with a decrease in mean diameter and zona radiata thickness of the oocytes, which can interfere with the reproduction of the animals.
Topics: Female; Animals; Vitellogenins; Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen; Oogenesis; Oocytes; Cichlids
PubMed: 36435051
DOI: 10.1016/j.anireprosci.2022.107150 -
Memorias Do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz 2023Culex quinquefasciatus, a cosmopolitan, domestic, and highly anthropophilic mosquito, is a vector of pathogenic arboviruses such as West Nile virus and Rift Valley...
BACKGROUND
Culex quinquefasciatus, a cosmopolitan, domestic, and highly anthropophilic mosquito, is a vector of pathogenic arboviruses such as West Nile virus and Rift Valley virus, as well as lymphatic filariasis. The current knowledge on its reproductive physiology regarding vitellogenin expression in different tissues is still limited.
OBJECTIVES
In this study, we analysed the transcriptional profiles of vitellogenin genes in the fat body and ovaries of C. quinquefasciatus females during the first gonotrophic cycle.
METHODS
C. quinquefasciatus ovaries and/or fat bodies were dissected in different times during the first gonotrophic cycle and total RNA was extracted and used for reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, quantitative real time-PCR, and in situ hybridisation.
FINDINGS
We confirmed the classical descriptions of the vitellogenic process in mosquitoes by verifying that vitellogenin genes are transcribed in the fat bodies of C. quinquefasciatus females. Using RNA in situ hybridisation approach, we showed that vitellogenin genes are also transcribed in developing ovaries, specifically by the follicle cells.
MAIN CONCLUSIONS
This is the first time that vitellogenin transcripts are observed in mosquito ovaries. Studies to determine if Vg transcripts are translated into proteins and their contribution to the reproductive success of the mosquito need to be further investigated.
Topics: Animals; Female; Culex; Vitellogenins; Ovary; Mosquito Vectors; Culicidae; RNA
PubMed: 37466532
DOI: 10.1590/0074-02760220143 -
Frontiers in Cellular and Infection... 2022The protozoan parasite spp. invades into tick oocytes and remains in the offspring. The transovarial transmission phenomenon of in ticks has been demonstrated...
The protozoan parasite spp. invades into tick oocytes and remains in the offspring. The transovarial transmission phenomenon of in ticks has been demonstrated experimentally, but the molecular mechanisms remain unclear. invasion into oocytes occurs along with the progression of oogenesis. In the present study, to find the key tick factor(s) for transmission, we focused on molecules involved in yolk protein precursor (vitellogenin, Vg) synthesis and Vg uptake, which are crucial events in tick oogenesis. With a tick- experimental model, the expression profiles of , , , , and , Vg synthesis-related genes, and Vg receptor () and autophagy-related gene 6 (), Vg uptake-related genes, were analyzed using real-time PCR using tissues collected during the preovipositional period in -infected ticks. The expression levels of () and decreased in the fat body of -infected ticks 1 day after engorgement. In the ovary, mRNA expression was significantly higher in -infected ticks than in uninfected ticks 1 and 2 days after engorgement and decreased 3 days after engorgement. expression was significantly lower in -infected ticks than in uninfected ticks 2 and 4 days after engorgement. had a lower gene expression in -infected ticks compared to uninfected ticks 2 days after engorgement. Additionally, western blot analysis using protein extracts from each collected tissue revealed that Vg-2 (HlVg-2) accumulate in the fat body and hemolymph of -infected ticks. These results suggest that Vg uptake from the hemolymph to the ovary was suppressed in the presence of . Moreover, knockdown ticks had a lower detection rate of DNA in the ovary and a significant reduction of DNA in the hemolymph compared with control ticks. Taken together, our results suggest that accumulated HlVg-2 is associated with infection or transmission in the tick body. These findings, besides previous reports on VgR, provide important information to elucidate the transovarial transmission mechanisms of pathogens in tick vectors.
Topics: Animals; Babesia; DNA; Fat Body; Female; Hemolymph; Ixodidae; Vitellogenins
PubMed: 35800383
DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2022.908142 -
Journal of Experimental Zoology. Part... Jan 2023Eusociality has been commonly observed in distinct animal lineages. The reproductive division of labor is a particular feature, achieved by the coordination between...
Eusociality has been commonly observed in distinct animal lineages. The reproductive division of labor is a particular feature, achieved by the coordination between fertile and sterile castes within the same nest. The sociogenomic approach in social hymenopteran insects indicates that vitellogenin (Vg) has undergone neo-functionalization in sterile castes. Here, to know whether Vgs have distinct roles in nonreproductive castes in termites, we investigated the unique characteristics of Vgs in the rhinotermitid termite Reticulitermes speratus. The four Vgs were identified from R. speratus (RsVg1-4), and RsVg3 sequences were newly identified using the RACE method. Molecular phylogenetic analysis supported the monophyly of the four termite Vgs. Moreover, the termites Vg1-3 and Vg4 were positioned in two different clades. The dN/dS ratios indicated that the branch leading to the common ancestor of termite Vg4 was under weak purifying selection. Expression analyses among castes (reproductives, workers, and soldiers) and females (nymphs, winged alates, and queens) showed that RsVg1-3 was highly expressed in fertile queens. In contrast, RsVg4 was highly expressed in workers and female nonreproductives (nymphs and winged adults). Localization of RsVg4 messenger RNA was confirmed in the fat body of worker heads and abdomens. These results suggest that Vg genes are functionalized after gene duplication during termite eusocial transition and that Vg4 is involved in nonreproductive roles in termites.
Topics: Female; Animals; Isoptera; Vitellogenins; Phylogeny; Nymph; Reproduction
PubMed: 35485990
DOI: 10.1002/jez.b.23141 -
Molecular Biology Reports Aug 2022Vitellogenin (Vtg) is the precursor of major yolk protein and plays a crucial role in the maturation of oocytes and the production of eggs in oviparous animals....
BACKGROUND
Vitellogenin (Vtg) is the precursor of major yolk protein and plays a crucial role in the maturation of oocytes and the production of eggs in oviparous animals. Vitellogenin receptor (VtgR) mediates the transport of Vtg explicitly to oocytes in the membrane. In a previous study, we found that miR-34 can regulate the expression of some eyestalk genes and affect reproduction in mud crab Scylla paramamosain, one of the most important economic crabs on the coasts of southern China.
METHODS AND RESULTS
In this study, firstly, we found that miR-34 can target at 3'-UTR of Vtg and VtgR genes by using bioinformatic tools and predicted miR-34 might depress the expression of Vtg and VtgR. Secondly, the relative luciferase activity of HEK293T cells co-transfected with miRNA mimic and pmir-RB-REPORTTM-Vtg/VtgR-3'UTR was significantly lower than those of cells co-transfected with mimic NC and pmir-RB-REPORTTM-Vtg/VtgR-3'UTR. Finally, in vivo experiments showed that agomiR-34 could repress the expression of Vtg and VtgR genes, while Antigomir-34 could promote the expression of these two genes.
CONCLUSIONS
These results confirm our hypothesis and previous published results that miR-34 may indirectly regulate ovarian development by binding to the 3'-UTR of Vtg and VtgR genes and inhibiting their expression.
Topics: 3' Untranslated Regions; Animals; Brachyura; Egg Proteins; HEK293 Cells; Humans; MicroRNAs; Receptors, Cell Surface; Vitellogenins
PubMed: 35715603
DOI: 10.1007/s11033-022-07530-x -
Proceedings. Biological Sciences Jun 2015Complex social behaviour in Hymenoptera has been hypothesized to evolve by co-opting reproductive pathways (the ovarian ground plan hypothesis, OGPH) and gene networks...
Complex social behaviour in Hymenoptera has been hypothesized to evolve by co-opting reproductive pathways (the ovarian ground plan hypothesis, OGPH) and gene networks (the reproductive ground plan hypothesis, RGPH). In support of these hypotheses, in eusocial Hymenoptera where there is reproductive division of labour, the yolk precursor protein vitellogenin (Vg) influences the expression of worker social behaviour. We suggest that co-opting genes involved in reproduction may occur more generally than just in the evolution of eusociality; i.e. underlie earlier stages of social evolution such as the evolution of parental care, given that reproduction and parental care rarely overlap. We therefore examined vitellogenin (vg) gene expression associated with parental care in the subsocial beetle Nicrophorus vespilloides. We found a significant reduction in the expression of vg and its receptor, vgr, in head tissue during active parental care, and confirmed that the receptor is expressed in the brains of both sexes. Ours is the first study to show that vgr is expressed in the brain of a non-eusocial insect. Given the association between behaviour and gene expression in both sexes, and the presence of vitellogenin receptors in the brain, we suggest that Vg was co-opted early in the evolution of sociality to have a regulatory function. This extends the association of Vg in parenting to subsocial species and outside of the Hymenoptera, and supports the hypothesis that the OGPH is general and that heterochrony in gene expression is important in the evolution of social behaviour and precedes subsequent evolutionary specialization of social roles.
Topics: Animals; Coleoptera; Egg Proteins; Gene Expression Regulation; Receptors, Cell Surface; Reproduction; Vitellogenins
PubMed: 26041345
DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2015.0787 -
Comptes Rendus Biologies Mar 2017In the last years, the hormonal balance is threatened by the interferences of substances with hormone-like action (endocrine disruptor chemicals, EDCs) that may harm... (Review)
Review
In the last years, the hormonal balance is threatened by the interferences of substances with hormone-like action (endocrine disruptor chemicals, EDCs) that may harm animal reproduction. Most EDCs are resistant to environmental degradation and are considered ubiquitous contaminants. EDCs may have synthetic or natural origins. Pesticides used in intensive agriculture contain large amounts of chemicals with estrogenic properties, such as the alkylphenol nonylphenol (NP). Besides, animal feeding operations are important sources of natural estrogen metabolites introduced into the environment through manure application in organic farming. In both cases, EDCs can reach animals, including humans particularly at risk due to their position in the food chain. This is the reason for which it is important to use terrestrial vertebrates as sentinels in soil biomonitoring programmes. Today, the most validated biomarker of estrogenic exposure is the expression in male liver of the vitellogenin (VTG), an estrogen-dependent glycolipophosphoprotein naturally expressed only in the liver of oviparous females during the reproductive season. This report summarizes the data available on the EDC-dependent expression and the synthesis of VTG in male vertebrates, highlighting our latest studies that demonstrate the ability of testis and epididymis of the lacertid Podarcis sicula to synthesize VTG following estrogenic exposure. These findings provide, for the first time, evidence on an extrahepatic expression and synthesis of VTG in a terrestrial vertebrate and lay the groundwork for a new value of the VTG as a biomarker of environmental contamination. In addition, the results open a new scenario on the role of VTG in cells other than oocytes.
Topics: Animals; Estrogens; Humans; Male; Vertebrates; Vitellogenins
PubMed: 28242272
DOI: 10.1016/j.crvi.2017.01.005 -
International Journal of Biological... 2019Hyperproteinemia is a severe metabolic disease characterized by abnormally elevated plasma protein concentrations (PPC). However, there is currently no reliable animal...
Hyperproteinemia is a severe metabolic disease characterized by abnormally elevated plasma protein concentrations (PPC). However, there is currently no reliable animal model for PPC, and the pathological mechanism of hyperproteinemia thus remains unclear. In this study, we evaluated the effects of hyperproteinemia on reproductive development in an invertebrate silkworm model with a controllable PPC and no primary disease effects. High PPC inhibited the synthesis of vitellogenin and 30K protein essential for female ovarian development in the fat body of metabolic tissues, and inhibited their transport through the hemolymph to the ovary. High PPC also induced programmed cell death in testis and ovary cells, slowed the development of germ cells, and significantly reduced the reproductive coefficient. Furthermore, the intensities and mechanisms of high-PPC-induced reproductive toxicity differed between sexes in this silkworm model.
Topics: Animals; Apoptosis; Blood Proteins; Bombyx; Fat Body; Female; Hemolymph; Invertebrates; Male; Ovary; Reproduction; Testis; Vitellogenins
PubMed: 31592097
DOI: 10.7150/ijbs.33310