Host-microbiota interactions shed light on mortality events in the striped venus clam Chamelea gallina

• Published in: Molecular Ecology
• Main Authors: Milan, Massimo, Smits, Morgan, Dalla Rovere, Giulia, Iori, Silvia, Zampieri, Angela, Carraro, Lisa, Martino, Camillo, Papetti, Chiara, Ianni, Andrea, Ferri, Nicola, Iannaccone, Marco, Patarnello, Tomaso, Brunetta, Romina, Ciofi, Claudio, Grotta, Lisa, Arcangeli, Giuseppe, Bargelloni, Luca, Cardazzo, Barbara, Martino, Giuseppe
• Other Authors: Università degli Studi di Padova = University of Padua (Unipd), Laboratoire des Sciences de l'Environnement Marin (LEMAR) (LEMAR), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut Français de Recherche pour l'Exploitation de la Mer (IFREMER)-Université de Brest (UBO)-Institut Universitaire Européen de la Mer (IUEM), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université de Brest (UBO)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université de Brest (UBO)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Università degli Studi di Perugia = University of Perugia (UNIPG), Facoltà di Bioscienze e tecnologie agro-alimentari e ambientali - Faculty of Bioscience and Agro-Food and Environmental Technology Teramo, Università degli Studi di Teramo (UniTE), Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie (IZSVe), Università degli Studi di Firenze = University of Florence (UniFI)
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2019
• Subjects: ACL; oncorhynchus-mykiss; rainbow-trout; bivalve; crassostrea-gigas; pacific oysters; mass mortality; transcriptomics; vibrio-splendidus; adriatic sea; damselae subsp damselae; haliotis-diversicolor-supertexta; host-microbiota interactions; immune-response; molluscs; pollutant-pathogen interactions; ssp damselae; [SDE.BE]Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology; Pacific; Venus; Crassostrea gigas
• Online Access: https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-02873898; https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.15227

WOS:000487521600001 Mass mortalities due to disease outbreaks have recently affected a number of major taxa in marine ecosystems. Climate- and pollution-induced stress may compromise host immune defenses, increasing the risk of opportunistic diseases. Despite growing evidence that mass mortality events affecting marine species worldwide are strongly influenced by the interplay of numerous environmental factors, the reductionist approaches most frequently used to investigate these factors hindered the interpretation of these multifactorial pathologies. In this study, we propose a broader approach based on the combination of RNA-sequencing and 16S microbiota analyses to decipher the factors underlying mass mortality in the striped venus clam, Chamelea gallina, along the Adriatic coast. On one hand, gene expression profiling and functional analyses of microbial communities showed the over-expression of several genes and molecular pathways involved in xenobiotic metabolism, suggesting potential chemical contamination in mortality sites. On the other hand, the down-regulation of several genes involved in immune and stress response, and the over-representation of opportunistic pathogens such as Vibrio and Photobacterium spp. indicates that these microbial species may take advantage of compromised host immune pathways and defense mechanisms that are potentially affected by chemical exposure, resulting in periodic mortality events. We propose the application of our approach to interpret and anticipate the risks inherent in the combined effects of pollutants and microbes on marine animals in today's rapidly changing environment.