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BMC Genomics Aug 2022For over a century, scientists have studied host-pathogen interactions between the crayfish plague disease agent Aphanomyces astaci and freshwater crayfish. It has been...
BACKGROUND
For over a century, scientists have studied host-pathogen interactions between the crayfish plague disease agent Aphanomyces astaci and freshwater crayfish. It has been hypothesised that North American crayfish hosts are disease-resistant due to the long-lasting coevolution with the pathogen. Similarly, the increasing number of latent infections reported in the historically sensitive European crayfish hosts seems to indicate that similar coevolutionary processes are occurring between European crayfish and A. astaci. Our current understanding of these host-pathogen interactions is largely focused on the innate immunity processes in the crayfish haemolymph and cuticle, but the molecular basis of the observed disease-resistance and susceptibility remain unclear. To understand how coevolution is shaping the host's molecular response to the pathogen, susceptible native European noble crayfish and invasive disease-resistant marbled crayfish were challenged with two A. astaci strains of different origin: a haplogroup A strain (introduced to Europe at least 50 years ago, low virulence) and a haplogroup B strain (signal crayfish in lake Tahoe, USA, high virulence). Here, we compare the gene expression profiles of the hepatopancreas, an integrated organ of crayfish immunity and metabolism.
RESULTS
We characterised several novel innate immune-related gene groups in both crayfish species. Across all challenge groups, we detected 412 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the noble crayfish, and 257 DEGs in the marbled crayfish. In the noble crayfish, a clear immune response was detected to the haplogroup B strain, but not to the haplogroup A strain. In contrast, in the marbled crayfish we detected an immune response to the haplogroup A strain, but not to the haplogroup B strain.
CONCLUSIONS
We highlight the hepatopancreas as an important hub for the synthesis of immune molecules in the response to A. astaci. A clear distinction between the innate immune response in the marbled crayfish and the noble crayfish is the capability of the marbled crayfish to mobilise a higher variety of innate immune response effectors. With this study we outline that the type and strength of the host immune response to the pathogen is strongly influenced by the coevolutionary history of the crayfish with specific A. astaci strains.
Topics: Animals; Aphanomyces; Astacoidea; Disease Resistance; Lakes; Transcriptome
PubMed: 35989333
DOI: 10.1186/s12864-022-08571-z -
BMC Research Notes Aug 2022Crayfish plague disease, caused by the oomycete pathogen Aphanomyces astaci represents one of the greatest risks for the biodiversity of the freshwater crayfish. This...
Crayfish plague disease, caused by the oomycete pathogen Aphanomyces astaci represents one of the greatest risks for the biodiversity of the freshwater crayfish. This data article covers the de novo transcriptome assembly and annotation data of the noble crayfish and the marbled crayfish challenged with Ap. astaci. Following the controlled infection experiment (Francesconi et al. in Front Ecol Evol, 2021, https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2021.647037 ), we conducted a differential gene expression analysis described in (Boštjančić et al. in BMC Genom, 2022, https://doi.org/10.1186/s12864-022-08571-z ) DATA DESCRIPTION: In total, 25 noble crayfish and 30 marbled crayfish were selected. Hepatopancreas tissue was isolated, followed by RNA sequencing using the Illumina NovaSeq 6000 platform. Raw data was checked for quality with FastQC, adapter and quality trimming were conducted using Trimmomatic followed by de novo assembly with Trinity. Assembly quality was assessed with BUSCO, at 93.30% and 93.98% completeness for the noble crayfish and the marbled crayfish, respectively. Transcripts were annotated using the Dammit! pipeline and assigned to KEGG pathways. Respective transcriptome and raw datasets may be reused as the reference transcriptome assemblies for future expression studies.
Topics: Animals; Aphanomyces; Astacoidea; Hepatopancreas; Sequence Analysis, RNA; Transcriptome
PubMed: 35989321
DOI: 10.1186/s13104-022-06137-6 -
Biological Trace Element Research Jun 2023Elements accumulation in crayfish is proportional to the increase in bioavailability (direct contact) with the surrounding water, sediment, and feeding. Five heavy...
Elements accumulation in crayfish is proportional to the increase in bioavailability (direct contact) with the surrounding water, sediment, and feeding. Five heavy metals (Cu, Cr, Mn, Ni, and Ag) and lithium (Li) were analyzed in the sediment, water, and crayfish tissues. Elements (heavy metals and lithium) concentrations in sediment, water, and crayfish tissues showed significant differences between the two sampling stations (El-Qanatir and El-Rahawi drain). However, the levels of elements in crayfish tissues were arranged in declining order as hepatopancreas > gills > exoskeleton > muscles for Cu and Cr; hepatopancreas > exoskeleton > gills > muscles for Ni and Ag; and exoskeleton > gills > hepatopancreas > muscles for Li and Mn. The human health hazard evaluation of heavy metals and lithium exposure via edible tissue consumption was assessed for both children and adult consumers. The target hazard quotient THQ values of crayfish edible tissues (less than 1) will not impose any health implications for consumers who ingest edible tissues in sufficient quantities. Furthermore, the hazard index (HI) values reported for children and adult consumers were lower than one, indicating non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic hazards, suggesting that crayfish edible tissues are safe for human ingestion. This evidence also found that Procambarus clarkii could be a good bio-indicator organism for monitoring potentially metals in aquatic systems.
Topics: Child; Adult; Animals; Humans; Astacoidea; Rivers; Bioaccumulation; Egypt; Lithium; Environmental Monitoring; Water Pollutants, Chemical; Metals, Heavy; Water; Risk Assessment
PubMed: 35982260
DOI: 10.1007/s12011-022-03380-7 -
Parasitology Sep 2022Human autochthonous infections with the trematode are increasingly being reported in North America, but the true prevalence and geographic distribution are unknown.... (Review)
Review
Human autochthonous infections with the trematode are increasingly being reported in North America, but the true prevalence and geographic distribution are unknown. Ingestion of raw crayfish is reported in most human cases, typically in the context of alcohol intoxication. Risk of infection varies depending on what part of the crayfish is ingested as metacercariae of (>50% mature to adults) localize to the heart and pericardium of the crayfish. Reported human cases have manifested primarily in otherwise healthy young adults presenting with severe eosinophilic pneumonia, pleuritis, systemic symptoms, dermatologic lesions and cerebral involvement. However, it is likely that many infections go unreported due to lack of awareness, mild illness or the absence of rapid commercially available diagnostic tests. Promising advances have been made related to novel diagnostic targets. Conservation of these antigen targets among at least four species could make these antigens viable for diagnostic testing of specifically as well as other species, but additional studies and funding investments are required. Public and physician awareness may have improved due to targeted education campaigns, but ongoing activities to raise awareness are needed, particularly in areas where cases have not been frequently reported to date.
Topics: Animals; Astacoidea; Humans; Metacercariae; North America; Paragonimiasis; Paragonimus
PubMed: 35965058
DOI: 10.1017/S0031182021001359 -
Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety Sep 2022Red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) has increasingly become a high-value freshwater product in China. During the intensive cultivation, excessive ammonia exposure...
Red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) has increasingly become a high-value freshwater product in China. During the intensive cultivation, excessive ammonia exposure is an important lethal factor of crayfish. We investigated the toxic effects and mechanisms of ammonia on crayfish at two different developmental stages. A preliminary ammonia stress test showed a 96-h LC of 135.10 mg/L and 299.61 mg/L for Stage_1 crayfish (8.47 ± 1.68 g) and Stage_2 crayfish (18.33 ± 2.41 g), respectively. During a prolonged ammonia exposure (up to 96 h), serum acid phosphatase and alkaline phosphatase showed a time-dependent decrease. Histological assessment indicated the degree of hepatopancreatic injury, which was mainly characterized as tubule lumen dilatation, degenerated tubule, vacuolization and dissolved hepatic epithelial cell, increased with exposure time. Enhanced malondialdehyde level and reduced antioxidant capacity of hepatopancreas were also observed. The mRNA expression and activity of catalase and superoxide dismutase showed an initial up-regulation within 24 h, and then gradually down-regulated with the exposure time. In the post-treatment recovery period, the Stage_2 crayfish exerted a stronger antioxidant and detoxification capacity than that of the Stage_1 crayfish, and thus quickly recovered from the ammonia exposure. Our findings provide a further understanding of the adverse effects of ammonia stress and suggest guidelines for water quality management during crayfish farming.
Topics: Ammonia; Animals; Antioxidants; Astacoidea; Hepatopancreas; Oxidative Stress
PubMed: 35872490
DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2022.113895 -
Frontiers in Cellular and Infection... 2022As a common conditional pathogenic bacterium in nature, has posed a threat to crayfish culture and may infect humans through consumption. However, the pathogenic...
As a common conditional pathogenic bacterium in nature, has posed a threat to crayfish culture and may infect humans through consumption. However, the pathogenic mechanism of in crayfish remains unknown, which poses difficulties for the prevention and control of the bacterium. In this study, the effects of on the digestive organs, intestine and hepatopancreas, of crayfish were investigated by high-throughput sequencing technology combined with histological analysis and flow cytometry. The findings suggested that caused disruption of the intestinal microbiota, leading to intestinal inflammation and disrupting intestinal integrity. Meanwhile, infection stimulates bile acid biosynthesis in the intestinal microbiota. Transcriptomic results showed significant upregulation of hepatopancreatic lipid degradation pathway and cytochrome P450-related pathways. Follow-up experiments confirmed a decrease in intracellular lipids and an increase in ROS and apoptosis. All the results indicated the disruption of intestinal-liver axis homeostasis due to disturbed intestinal microbiota may as a potential basis for pathopoiesis in crayfish. These results provide new insights into the pathogenic molecular mechanisms of in the infection of crayfish.
Topics: Animals; Astacoidea; Citrobacter freundii; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Homeostasis; Humans; Liver
PubMed: 35865811
DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2022.940576 -
Genomics Jul 2022Procambarus clarkii is an important economic species in China, and exhibit heat and cold tolerance in the main culture regions. To understand the mechanisms, we analyzed...
Procambarus clarkii is an important economic species in China, and exhibit heat and cold tolerance in the main culture regions. To understand the mechanisms, we analyzed the hepatopancreas transcriptome of P. clarkii treated at 10 °C, 25 °C, and 30 °C, then 2092 DEGs and 6929 DEGs were found in 30 °C stress group and 10 °C stress group, respectively. KEGG pathway enrichment results showed that immune pathway is the main stress pathway for 10 °C treatment and metabolic pathway is the main response pathway for 30 °C treatment, which implies low temperature stress induces the damage of the immune system and increases the susceptibility of bacteria while the body response to high temperature stress through metabolic adjustment. In addition, flow cytometry proved that both high and low temperature stress caused different degrees of apoptosis of hemocytes, and dynamic transcription heat map analysis also identified the differential expression of HSPs family genes and apoptosis pathway genes under different heat stresses. This indicates that preventing damaged protein misfolding and accelerating cell apoptosis are necessary mechanisms for P. clarkii to cope with high and low temperature stress. Our research has deepened our understanding of the complex molecular mechanisms of P. clarkii in response to acute temperature stress, and provided a potential strategy for aquatic animals to relieve environmental duress.
Topics: Animals; Astacoidea; Gene Expression Profiling; Hepatopancreas; Temperature; Transcriptome
PubMed: 35718088
DOI: 10.1016/j.ygeno.2022.110415 -
Euro Surveillance : Bulletin Europeen... Jun 2022In autumn 2019, the Public Health Agency of Sweden identified a cluster of Newport cases by whole genome sequencing (WGS). Cases' distribution in place and time...
In autumn 2019, the Public Health Agency of Sweden identified a cluster of Newport cases by whole genome sequencing (WGS). Cases' distribution in place and time indicated a nation-wide ongoing outbreak. An investigation was initiated to identify the source and prevent further cases. We conducted a case-case study based on notified salmonellosis cases and a trawling questionnaire, comparing 20 outbreak cases and 139 control cases. Food exposures were compared by adjusted odds ratios (aOR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) using logistic regression. Implicated foods were sampled. Outbreak cases were more likely to have consumed crayfish (aOR = 26; 95% CI: 6.3-105). One specific brand of imported frozen, pre-cooked whole crayfish in dill brine was identified as the source. Newport was later detected in different batches from retail and in one sample from border control. Isolates from food samples clustered with the human outbreak strain by WGS. Although the retailer made a complete recall, two more cases were identified long afterwards. This investigation demonstrated the successful use of a case-case study and targeted microbiological testing to identify the source. The immediate action taken by the retailer was important to confirm the source and stop the outbreak.
Topics: Anethum graveolens; Animals; Astacoidea; Disease Outbreaks; Humans; Salmonella; Salts; Sweden
PubMed: 35656829
DOI: 10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2022.27.22.2100918 -
Journal of Virology Jun 2022The pathogenesis of white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) is largely unclear. In this study, we found that actin nucleation and clathrin-mediated endocytosis were recruited...
The pathogenesis of white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) is largely unclear. In this study, we found that actin nucleation and clathrin-mediated endocytosis were recruited for internalization of WSSV into crayfish hematopoietic tissue (Hpt) cells. This internalization was followed by intracellular transport of the invading virions via endocytic vesicles and endosomes. After envelope fusion within endosomes, the penetrated nucleocapsids were transported along microtubules toward the periphery of the nuclear pores. Furthermore, the nuclear transporter Importin α1/β1, via binding of ARM repeat domain within Importin α1 to the nuclear localization sequences (NLSs) of viral cargoes and binding of Importin β1 to the nucleoporins Nup35/62 with the action of Ran for docking to nuclear pores, was hijacked for both targeting of the incoming nucleocapsids toward the nuclear pores and import of the expressed viral structural proteins containing NLS into the cell nucleus. Intriguingly, dysfunction of Importin α1/β1 resulted in significant accumulation of incoming nucleocapsids on the periphery of the Hpt cell nucleus, leading to substantially decreased introduction of the viral genome into the nucleus and remarkably reduced nuclear import of expressed viral structural proteins with NLS; both of these effects were accompanied by significantly inhibited viral propagation. Accordingly, the survival rate of crayfish post-WSSV challenge was significantly increased after dysfunction of Importin α1/β1, also showing significantly reduced viral propagation, and was induced either by gene silencing or by pharmacological blockade via dietary administration of ivermectin . Collectively, our findings improve our understanding of WSSV pathogenesis and support future antiviral designing against WSSV. As one of the largest animal DNA viruses, white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) has been causing severe economical loss in aquaculture due to the limited knowledge on WSSV pathogenesis for an antiviral strategy. We demonstrate that the actin cytoskeleton, endocytic vesicles, endosomes, and microtubules are hijacked for WSSV invasion; importantly, the nuclear transporter Importin α1/β1 together with Ran were recruited, via binding of Importin β1 to the nucleoporins Nup35/62, for both the nuclear pore targeting of the incoming nucleocapsids and the nuclear import of expressed viral structural proteins containing the nuclear localization sequences (NLSs). This is the first report that NLSs from both viral structure proteins and host factor are elaborately recruited together to facilitate WSSV infection. Our findings provide a novel explanation for WSSV pathogenesis involving systemic hijacking of host factors, which can be used for antiviral targeting against WSSV disease, such as the blockade of Importin α1/β1 with ivermectin.
Topics: Active Transport, Cell Nucleus; Animals; Antiviral Agents; Astacoidea; Cytoskeleton; Ivermectin; Microtubules; Nuclear Pore Complex Proteins; Viral Structural Proteins; Virus Replication; White spot syndrome virus 1
PubMed: 35638850
DOI: 10.1128/jvi.02205-21 -
Journal of Food Protection Oct 2022Studies of red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) outside of the United States confirm the presence of a variety of zoonotic pathogens, but it is unknown whether these...
ABSTRACT
Studies of red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) outside of the United States confirm the presence of a variety of zoonotic pathogens, but it is unknown whether these same pathogens occur in P. clarkii in the United States. The U.S. commercial crayfish industry generates $200 million yearly, underscoring the need to evaluate this consumer commodity. The study objectives were to evaluate specific zoonotic pathogens present on P. clarkii from Alabama and Louisiana, states in the southeastern United States, and to determine the effectiveness of traditional food preparation methods to reduce pathogens. Experiment A evaluated the presence of Escherichia coli, Salmonella, Staphylococcus aureus, and Vibrio spp. in crayfish and environmental samples over a 2-month collection period (May to June 2021). Crayfish sampling consisted of swabbing the cephalothorax region; 15 samples were tested for E. coli, Salmonella, and S. aureus, and an additional 15 samples for Vibrio spp. Additionally, crayfish shipping materials were sampled. In experiment B, 92 crayfish were evaluated for Paragonimus kellicotti. Experiment C compared live and boiled crayfish for the presence of Vibrio spp. In experiments A and B, all 60 (100%) crayfish samples and 13 (81.25%) of 16 environmental samples showed growth characteristic of Vibrio spp. Three (5%) of 60 samples showed E. coli growth, with no statistical difference (P = 0.5536) between farms. P. kellicotti, Salmonella, and S. aureus were not recovered from any samples. In experiment C, all 10 (100%) of the live preboiled crayfish samples showed characteristic growth, whereas 1 (10%) of 10 samples of crayfish boiled in unseasoned water showed Vibrio growth (P < 0.0001). These results confirm that Vibrio spp. and E. coli may be present on U.S. commercial crayfish and that care should be taken when handling any materials that come into contact with live crayfish because they can potentially be contaminated.
Topics: Animals; Astacoidea; Escherichia coli; Furunculosis; Paragonimus; Staphylococcus aureus; Vibrio
PubMed: 35588153
DOI: 10.4315/JFP-22-035