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Journal of Biosciences 2021Laboratory experiments and fieldwork with asexually reproducing invertebrates and vertebrates clearly revealed that animal populations can produce substantial phenotypic... (Review)
Review
Laboratory experiments and fieldwork with asexually reproducing invertebrates and vertebrates clearly revealed that animal populations can produce substantial phenotypic variation despite genetic identity. This epigenetically caused phenotypic variation comes from two different sources, namely directional environmental induction and bed-hedging developmental stochasticity. Both occur together and are mediated by molecular epigenetic mechanisms like DNA methylation, histone modifications and microRNAs. These epigenetic mechanisms are also involved in insect polyphenism, phenotypic changes in early domestication, and gene expression change and chromatin rearrangement during speciation. Epigenetic variation is particularly important for asexual populations helping them to stay in the game of life when the environmental conditions change. However, it is also relevant for sexually reproducing populations, as shown for genetically impoverished invasive groups, cave animals and sessile taxa that cannot evade unfavourable environmental conditions. Experiments revealed that epigenetic marks can be transgenerationally inherited and persist for several generations. First evidence suggests that inherited epimutations with phenotypic effects may end-up in phenotype-fixing genetic mutations by accelerated mutation of methylated nucleotides. Refined concepts, suitable animal models, fast and affordable new omics techniques that require only small tissue samples, and appropriate data interpretation tools are now available enabling future investigations in ecological and evolutionary epigenetics with high accuracy.
Topics: Adaptation, Biological; Animals; Astacoidea; Biological Evolution; Domestication; Ecology; Ecosystem; Epigenesis, Genetic; Insecta; Introduced Species; Mutation
PubMed: 33737497
DOI: No ID Found -
Journal of Investigational Allergology... 2011
Topics: Adolescent; Allergens; Amino Acid Sequence; Animals; Astacoidea; Female; Ferritins; Food Hypersensitivity; Humans; Hypersensitivity, Immediate; Immunoglobulin E; Molecular Sequence Data; Molecular Weight; Peptide Fragments; Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal; Shellfish; Skin Tests; Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization
PubMed: 21721381
DOI: No ID Found -
Biochimica Et Biophysica Acta Nov 2002Recently, three proton pump inhibitors were shown to have no effect on proton excretion and little on Na uptake in tapwater-adapted (TW) crayfish, while all three... (Review)
Review
Recently, three proton pump inhibitors were shown to have no effect on proton excretion and little on Na uptake in tapwater-adapted (TW) crayfish, while all three reduced Na-H exchange in salt-depleted (SD) animals. It appeared that the exchange was mediated by the Na channel-H pump in SD crayfish but not in TW animals. An alternative, a 2Na-1H exchanger, might function in the latter. To test this, the effects of amiloride (AM) and ethylisopropyl AM (EIPA) on Na fluxes were observed. AM inhibits the Na channel but is a much weaker blocker of Na-H exchangers. In contrast, EIPA inhibits exchangers but acts weakly on the Na channel. If an exchanger functions in TW crayfish, we should expect EIPA to block Na influx in them with AM having a weaker action. The reverse should be true in SD animals. Experimental data showed that EIPA was a potent inhibitor of Na influx in TW crayfish with half-maximal inhibition at about 0.2 microM. However, AM proved to be equipotent. In SD crayfish, EIPA was as effective as in TW animals, and again AM was equally potent. The data fail to show the expected differential action. Therefore, AM and its analogues cannot be used to distinguish between the two models of Na-H exchange in crayfish.
Topics: Adaptation, Physiological; Amiloride; Animals; Astacoidea; Models, Animal; Sodium; Sodium Channels; Sodium-Hydrogen Exchangers; Vacuolar Proton-Translocating ATPases
PubMed: 12421538
DOI: 10.1016/s0005-2736(02)00585-0 -
Scientific Reports Jun 2021Despite the central role of hemocytes in crustacean immunity, the process of hemocyte differentiation and maturation remains unclear. In some decapods, it has been...
Despite the central role of hemocytes in crustacean immunity, the process of hemocyte differentiation and maturation remains unclear. In some decapods, it has been proposed that the two main types of hemocytes, granular cells (GCs) and semigranular cells (SGCs), differentiate along separate lineages. However, our current findings challenge this model. By tracking newly produced hemocytes and transplanted cells, we demonstrate that almost all the circulating hemocytes of crayfish belong to the GC lineage. SGCs and GCs may represent hemocytes of different developmental stages rather than two types of fully differentiated cells. Hemocyte precursors produced by progenitor cells differentiate in the hematopoietic tissue (HPT) for 3 ~ 4 days. Immature hemocytes are released from HPT in the form of SGCs and take 1 ~ 3 months to mature in the circulation. GCs represent the terminal stage of development. They can survive for as long as 2 months. The changes in the expression pattern of marker genes during GC differentiation support our conclusions. Further analysis of hemocyte phagocytosis indicates the existence of functionally different subpopulations. These findings may reshape our understanding of crustacean hematopoiesis and may lead to reconsideration of the roles and relationship of circulating hemocytes.
Topics: Animals; Astacoidea; Cell Differentiation; Cell Lineage; Female; Flow Cytometry; Hematopoiesis; Hemocytes; Male; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction
PubMed: 34162929
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-92473-9 -
Microbiology Spectrum Apr 2022The rice-crayfish (RC) integrated breeding model is an important and special agricultural ecosystem that provides a unique ecological environment for exploring the...
The rice-crayfish (RC) integrated breeding model is an important and special agricultural ecosystem that provides a unique ecological environment for exploring the microbial diversity, composition, and functional capacity. To date, little is known about the effect of the breeding model on microbiome assembly and breeding model-specific microbiome composition and the association of the microbiome with water quality and crayfish growth. In the present study, we assessed the taxonomic shifts in gut and water microbiomes and their associations with water quality and crayfish growth in the RC and crayfish monoculture (CM) breeding models across six time points of rice growth, including seedling (a), tillering and jointing (b), blooming (c), filling (d), fruiting (e), and rotting of rice residues (f). Dominant bacterial phyla, such as , , , and , were detected in both gut and water microbiomes across breeding models. Notably, the diversity and structure of the gut and water microbiomes significantly ( < 0.001) differed between the RC and CM models, with higher microbial diversity being noted in the RC model than in the CM model. The taxa enriched in the RC model included sp., sp., sp., sp., sp., sp., sp., and sp., some of which are potentially beneficial to animals. However, opportunistic pathogens, such as sp. and sp., were depleted in the RC model. Furthermore, in the RC model, the enriched taxa that formed complex cooccurrence networks showed a significant positive correlation with water quality and crayfish growth, whereas the depleted taxa showed a significant negative correlation with water quality and crayfish growth. These results suggest that the RC model has a better microbiome composition and that RC model-specific microbes could play important roles in improving crayfish growth and water quality. The present study comprehensively compared two different breeding models in terms of their microbiome composition and the associations of the microbiomes with crayfish growth and water quality. RC model-specific microbiome composition was identified; these microbes were found to have a positive association with water quality and crayfish growth. These results provide valuable information for guiding microbial isolation and culture and for potentially harnessing the power of the microbiome to improve crayfish production and health and water quality.
Topics: Animals; Astacoidea; Bacteria; Microbiota; Plant Breeding; Water Quality
PubMed: 35384719
DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.02204-21 -
Scientific Reports Jan 2022There is increasing evidence that personality traits may drive dispersal patterns of animals, including invasive species. We investigated, using the widespread signal...
There is increasing evidence that personality traits may drive dispersal patterns of animals, including invasive species. We investigated, using the widespread signal crayfish Pacifastacus leniusculus as a model invasive species, whether effects of personality traits on dispersal were independent of, or affected by, other factors including population density, habitat, crayfish size, sex and limb loss, along an invasion gradient. Behavioural traits (boldness, activity, exploration, willingness to climb) of 310 individually marked signal crayfish were measured at fully-established, newly-established and invasion front sites of two upland streams. After a period at liberty, recaptured crayfish were reassessed for behavioural traits (newly-established, invasion front). Dispersal distance and direction of crayfish movement, local population density, fine-scale habitat characteristics and crayfish size, sex and limb loss were also measured. Individual crayfish exhibited consistency in behavioural traits over time which formed a behavioural syndrome. Dispersal was both positively and negatively affected by personality traits, positively by local population density and negatively by refuge availability. No effect of size, sex and limb loss was recorded. Personality played a role in promoting dispersal but population density and local habitat complexity were also important determinants. Predicting biological invasion in animals is likely to require better integration of these processes.
Topics: Animal Distribution; Animals; Astacoidea; Behavior, Animal; Ecosystem; England; Introduced Species; Population Density; Rivers
PubMed: 35064119
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-04228-1 -
Scientific Reports Dec 2020Each year from April to May, high mortality rates are reported in red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) cultured in Jiangsu and other regions, in China, and this...
Each year from April to May, high mortality rates are reported in red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) cultured in Jiangsu and other regions, in China, and this phenomenon has come to be known as "Black May" disease (BMD). Therefore, in order to investigate the possible causes of this disease, this study gathered BMD-affected P. clarkii samples and performed transcriptome analysis on hepatopancreas, gill, and muscle tissues. A total of 19,995,164, 149,212,804, and 222,053,848 clean reads were respectively obtained from the gills, muscle, and hepatopancreas of BMD-affected P. clarkii, and 114,024 unigenes were identified. The number of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in gill, muscle, and hepatopancreas was 1703, 964, and 476, respectively. GO and KEGG enrichment analyses of the DEGs were then conducted. Based on KEGG pathway enrichment analysis, the most significantly differentially expressed pathways were mainly those involved with metabolism, human disease, and cellular processes. Further analysis of the significantly DEGs revealed that they were mainly related to the mitochondrial-mediated apoptosis pathway and that the expression of these DEGs was mostly down-regulated. Moreover, the expression of genes related to immune and metabolism-related pathways was also significantly down-regulated, and these significantly-inhibited pathways were the likely causes of P. clarkii death. Therefore, our results provide a basis for the identification of BMD causes.
Topics: Animal Diseases; Animals; Apoptosis; Astacoidea; China; Down-Regulation; Gene Expression Profiling; Gene Ontology; Gills; Hepatopancreas; Mitochondria; Muscles; RNA-Seq; Signal Transduction; Transcriptome
PubMed: 33277587
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-78191-8 -
Cell Communication and Signaling : CCS May 2023Viruses have evolved various strategies to achieve early infection by initiating transcription of their own early genes via host transcription factors, such as NF-κb,...
Viruses have evolved various strategies to achieve early infection by initiating transcription of their own early genes via host transcription factors, such as NF-κb, STAT, and AP1. How the host copes with this immune escape has been a topic of interest. Tripartite motif (TRIM) family proteins with RING-type domains have E3 ubiquitin ligase activity and are known as host restriction factors. Trim has been reported to be associated with phagocytosis and is also believed to be involved in the activation of autophagy. Preventing the virus from entering the host cell may be the most economical way for the host to resist virus infection. The role of TRIM in the early stage of virus infection in host cells remains to be further interpreted. In the current study, a crayfish TRIM with a RING-type domain, designated as PcTrim, was significantly upregulated under white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) infection in the red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii). Recombinant PcTrim significantly inhibited WSSV replication in crayfish. RNAi targeting PcTrim or blocking PcTrim with an antibody promoted WSSV replication in crayfish. Pulldown and co-IP assays showed that PcTrim can interact with the virus protein VP26. PcTrim restricts the expression level of dynamin, which is involved in the regulation of phagocytosis, by inhibiting AP1 entry into the nucleus. AP1-RNAi effectively reduced the expression levels of dynamin and inhibited host cell endocytosis of WSSV in vivo. Our study demonstrated that PcTrim might reduce early WSSV infection by binding to VP26 and then inhibiting AP1 activation, resulting in reduced endocytosis of WSSV in crayfish hemocytes. Video Abstract.
Topics: Antibodies; Autophagy; Endocytosis; Phagocytosis; Tripartite Motif Proteins; White spot syndrome virus 1; Astacoidea; Animals
PubMed: 37158899
DOI: 10.1186/s12964-023-01059-7 -
Communications Biology Sep 2021The marbled crayfish (Procambarus virginalis) is a triploid and parthenogenetic freshwater crayfish species that has colonized diverse habitats around the world....
The marbled crayfish (Procambarus virginalis) is a triploid and parthenogenetic freshwater crayfish species that has colonized diverse habitats around the world. Previous studies suggested that the clonal marbled crayfish population descended as recently as 25 years ago from a single specimen of P. fallax, the sexually reproducing parent species. However, the genetic, phylogeographic, and mechanistic origins of the species have remained enigmatic. We have now constructed a new genome assembly for P. virginalis to support a detailed phylogeographic analysis of the diploid parent species, Procambarus fallax. Our results strongly suggest that both parental haplotypes of P. virginalis were inherited from the Everglades subpopulation of P. fallax. Comprehensive whole-genome sequencing also detected triploid specimens in the same subpopulation, which either represent evolutionarily important intermediate genotypes or independent parthenogenetic lineages arising among the sexual parent population. Our findings thus clarify the geographic origin of the marbled crayfish and identify potential mechanisms of parthenogenetic speciation.
Topics: Animals; Astacoidea; Biological Evolution; Genetic Speciation; Genome; Genotype; Parthenogenesis; Phylogeography
PubMed: 34535758
DOI: 10.1038/s42003-021-02609-w -
Journal of Invertebrate Pathology Sep 2021Invasive crayfish and the introduction of non-native diseases pose a significant risk for the conservation of endangered, white-clawed crayfish (Austropotamobius...
Invasive crayfish and the introduction of non-native diseases pose a significant risk for the conservation of endangered, white-clawed crayfish (Austropotamobius pallipes). Continued pollution of waterways is also of concern for native species and may be linked with crayfish disease dynamics. We explore whether crayfish species or environmental quality are predictors of infection presence and prevalence in native A. pallipes and invasive signal crayfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus). We use a seven-year dataset of histology records, and a field survey comparing the presence and prevalence of infectious agents in three isolated A. pallipes populations; three isolated P. leniusculus populations, and three populations where the two species had overlapped in the past. We note a lower diversity of parasites (Simpson's Index) in P. leniusculus ('Pacifastacus leniusculus Bacilliform Virus' - PlBV) (n = 1 parasite) relative to native A. pallipes (n = 4 parasites), which host Thelohania contejeani, 'Austropotamobius pallipes bacilliform virus' (ApBV), Psorospermium haeckeli and Branchiobdella astaci, at the sites studied. The infectious group present in both species was an intranuclear bacilliform virus of the hepatopancreas. The prevalence of A. astaci in A. pallipes populations was higher in more polluted water bodies, which may reflect an effect of water quality, or may be due to increased chance of transmission from nearby P. leniusculus, a species commonly found in poor quality habitats.
Topics: Animals; Astacoidea; Introduced Species; United Kingdom
PubMed: 33878331
DOI: 10.1016/j.jip.2021.107595