Immune response of the Antarctic sea urchin Sterechinus neumayeri: cellular, molecular and physiological approach.

• Main Authors: Gonzalez-Aravena, Marcelo, Perez-Troncoso, Carolina, Urtubia, Rocio, Branco, Paola, Machado Cunha da Silva, José Roberto, Mercado, Luis, De Lorgeril, Julien, Bethke, Jorn, Paschke, Kurt
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Universidad de Costa Rica 2016
• Subjects: Erizo de mar; Antártida; Sterechinus neumayeri; coelomocytes; fagocitosis; expresión genética; Sea urchin; Antarctica; phagocytosis; gene expression; Antarctic; Antarctic Peninsula; Consecuencia; Erizo; The Antarctic; Antarc*; Antártica
• Online Access: https://revistas.ucr.ac.cr/index.php/rbt/article/view/23165; https://doi.org/10.15517/rbt.v63i2.23165

In the Antarctic marine environment, the water temperature is usually between 2 and - 1.9 °C. Consequently, some Antarctic species have lost the capacity to adapt to sudden changes in temperature. The study of the immune response in Antarctic sea urchin (Sterechinus neumayeri) could help us understand the future impacts of global warming on endemic animals in the Antarctic Peninsula. In this study, the Antarctic sea urchins were challenged with lipopolysaccharides and Vibrio alginolitycus. The cellular response was evaluated by the number of coelomocytes and phagocytosis. A significant increase was observed in red sphere cells and total coelomocytes in animals exposed to LPS. A significant rise in phagocytosis in animals stimulated by LPS was also evidenced. Moreover, the gene expression of three immune related genes was measured by qPCR, showing a rapid increase in their expression levels. By contrast, these immune genes showed a depression in their expression by a thermal effect at 5 and 10 °C. In addition, during bacterial injection, the oxygen consumption was higher in challenged animals. Our results showed that the immune response in the Antarctic sea urchin may be affected by acute thermal stress and that this immune response has a metabolic cost. En el medio ambiente de la Antártica la temperatura del agua es de entre 2 y - 1.9 °C. Por consecuencia ciertas especies han perdido la capacidad de adaptarse a los cambios repentinos de la temperatura del agua. El estudio de la respuesta inmune del erizo antártico (Sterechinus neumayeri) podría ayudar a comprender los futuros impactos en los animales endémicos del cambio climático en la Península Antártica. En este estudio nosotros hemos evaluado la respuesta inmunitaria de S. neumayeri respecto de estimulaciones con bacterias (Lipopolisacáridos y Vibrio alginolitycus) asi como durante el estrés térmico a 5 y 10 °C. La respuesta del erizo fue evaluada en relación al número de celomocitos circulantes, capacidad fagocítica de estos y por el análisis de la ...