Keratinocytes drive the epithelial hyperplasia key to sea lice resistance in coho salmon.

• Published in: BMC Biology
• Main Authors: Salisbury, S J, Daniels, R Ruiz, Monaghan, S J, Bron, J E, Villamayor, P R, Gervais, O, Fast, M D, Sveen, L, Houston, R D, Robinson, N, Robledo, D
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: BioMed Central 2024
• Subjects: Aquaculture; Cell type; Disease; Immunity; Parasite; Salmon; Sea lice; Skin; Wound healing; snRNAseq; Atlantic salmon; Salmo salar
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12915-024-01952-8; https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39075472

Salmonid species have followed markedly divergent evolutionary trajectories in their interactions with sea lice. While sea lice parasitism poses significant economic, environmental, and animal welfare challenges for Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) aquaculture, coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) exhibit near-complete resistance to sea lice, achieved through a potent epithelial hyperplasia response leading to rapid louse detachment. The molecular mechanisms underlying these divergent responses to sea lice are unknown.