Zebrafish fin immune responses during high mortality infections with viral haemorrhagic septicemia rhabdovirus. A proteomic and transcriptomic approach.
BACKGROUND
Despite rhabdoviral infections being one of the best known fish diseases, the gene expression changes induced at the surface tissues after the natural route of infection (infection-by-immersion) have not been described yet. This work describes the differential infected versus non-infected expression of proteins and immune-related transcripts in fins and organs of zebrafish Danio rerio shortly after infection-by-immersion with viral haemorrhagic septicemia virus (VHSV).


RESULTS
Two-dimensional differential gel electrophoresis detected variations on the protein levels of the enzymes of the glycolytic pathway and cytoskeleton components but it detected very few immune-related proteins. Differential expression of immune-related gene transcripts estimated by quantitative polymerase chain reaction arrays and hybridization to oligo microarrays showed that while more transcripts increased in fins than in organs (spleen, head kidney and liver), more transcripts decreased in organs than in fins. Increased differential transcript levels in fins detected by both arrays corresponded to previously described infection-related genes such as complement components (c3b, c8 and c9) or class I histocompatibility antigens (mhc1) and to newly described genes such as secreted immunoglobulin domain (sid4), macrophage stimulating factor (mst1) and a cluster differentiation antigen (cd36).


CONCLUSIONS
The genes described would contribute to the knowledge of the earliest molecular events occurring in the fish surfaces at the beginning of natural rhabdoviral infections and/or might be new candidates to be tested as adjuvants for fish vaccines.
Encinas
Paloma
P
Instituto Nacional Investigaciones Agrarias, Biotecnología, Madrid, Spain.
Rodriguez-Milla
Miguel A
MA
Novoa
Beatriz
B
Estepa
Amparo
A
Figueras
Antonio
A
Coll
Julio
J
D000064:Acclimatization / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D058500:Animal Fins / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000821:virology; D000818:Animals; D015180:Electrophoresis, Gel, Two-Dimensional; D029941:Fish Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D031941:Hemorrhagic Septicemia, Viral / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology / Q000401:mortality* / Q000821:virology; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D009928:Organ Specificity / Q000235:genetics; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D040901:Proteomics; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D012209:Rhabdoviridae / Q000502:physiology*; D013997:Time Factors; D015027:Zebrafish / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology
D029941:Fish Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger