Exploration of Molecular Mechanisms of Immunity in the Pacific Oyster ( Crassostrea gigas ) in Response to Vibrio alginolyticus Invasion

Over the years, oysters have faced recurring mass mortality issues during the summer breeding season, with Vibrio infection emerging as a significant contributing factor. Tubules of gill filaments were confirmed to be in the hematopoietic position in Crassostrea gigas , which produce hemocytes with...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Animals
Main Authors: Enshuo Zhang, Zan Li, Luyao Dong, Yanwei Feng, Guohua Sun, Xiaohui Xu, Zhongping Wang, Cuiju Cui, Weijun Wang, Jianmin Yang
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024
Subjects:
bivalve
pathogen infection
gill
RNA sequencing
protein–protein interaction networks
hub genes
Veterinary medicine
SF600-1100
Zoology
QL1-991
Crassostrea gigas
Pacific oyster
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14111707
https://doaj.org/article/5aa40d990c1245869eb0920ef47380e9
Description
Summary:Over the years, oysters have faced recurring mass mortality issues during the summer breeding season, with Vibrio infection emerging as a significant contributing factor. Tubules of gill filaments were confirmed to be in the hematopoietic position in Crassostrea gigas , which produce hemocytes with immune defense capabilities. Additionally, the epithelial cells of oyster gills produce immune effectors to defend against pathogens. In light of this, we performed a transcriptome analysis of gill tissues obtained from C. gigas infected with Vibrio alginolyticus for 12 h and 48 h. Through this analysis, we identified 1024 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) at 12 h post-injection and 1079 DEGs at 48 h post-injection. Enrichment analysis of these DEGs revealed a significant association with immune-related Gene Ontology (GO) terms and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways. To further investigate the immune response, we constructed a protein–protein interaction (PPI) network using the DEGs enriched in immune-associated KEGG pathways. This network provided insights into the interactions and relationships among these genes, shedding light on the underlying mechanisms of the innate immune defense mechanism in oyster gills. To ensure the accuracy of our findings, we validated 16 key genes using quantitative RT-PCR. Overall, this study represents the first exploration of the innate immune defense mechanism in oyster gills using a PPI network approach. The findings provide valuable insights for future research on oyster pathogen control and the development of oysters with enhanced antimicrobial resistance.

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