A relationship between antimicrobial peptide gene expression and capacity of a selected shrimp line to survive a Vibrio infection.
Understanding of antimicrobial defence mechanisms of penaeid shrimp should help in the design of efficient strategies for the management and disease control in aquaculture. In this study, we have specifically analysed the expression in circulating hemocytes of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) encoding genes, such as PEN2 and PEN3, ALF, crustin, lysozyme and a putative cysteine-rich peptide. We evidenced a relationship between the level of expression of some AMPs and the successful response of the shrimp, Litopenaeus stylirostris, to circumvent a pathogenic Vibrio penaeicida infection. Additionally, significant differences in some AMP transcript amounts are evidenced between control, non-selected shrimp line and the third generation breeding of shrimp selected for their survival to natural V. penaeicida infections. On the basis of these results, it will now be of great interest to determine if these AMPs are directly involved in the resistance of shrimp to infection or if they only reflect other acquired defence mechanisms which can confer a resistance.
de Lorgeril
Julien
J
Ifremer, CNRS, Université de Montpellier II, UMR 5119 Ecosystèmes Lagunaires, Place Eugène Bataillon, CC80, 34095 Montpellier Cedex 5, France.
Gueguen
Yannick
Y
Goarant
Cyrille
C
Goyard
Emmanuel
E
Mugnier
Chantal
C
Fievet
Julie
J
Piquemal
David
D
Bachère
Evelyne
E
D000818:Animals; D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006434:Hemocytes; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D009113:Muramidase / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D033561:Penaeidae / Q000235:genetics* / Q000382:microbiology*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D016019:Survival Analysis; D014735:Vibrio Infections / Q000235:genetics*
D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D009113:Muramidase