Microbial environment affects innate immunity in two closely related earthworm species Eisenia andrei and Eisenia fetida.
Survival of earthworms in the environment depends on their ability to recognize and eliminate potential pathogens. This work is aimed to compare the innate defense mechanisms of two closely related earthworm species, Eisenia andrei and Eisenia fetida, that inhabit substantially different ecological niches. While E. andrei lives in a compost and manure, E. fetida can be found in the litter layer in forests. Therefore, the influence of environment-specific microbiota on the immune response of both species was followed. Firstly, a reliable method to discern between E. andrei and E. fetida based on species-specific primers for cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) and stringent PCR conditions was developed. Secondly, to analyze the immunological profile in both earthworm species, the activity and expression of lysozyme, pattern recognition protein CCF, and antimicrobial proteins with hemolytic function, fetidin and lysenins, have been assessed. Whereas, CCF and lysozyme showed only slight differences in the expression and activity, fetidin/lysenins expression as well as the hemolytic activity was considerably higher in E. andrei as compared to E. fetida. The expression of fetidin/lysenins in E. fetida was not affected upon the challenge with compost microbiota, suggesting more substantial changes in the regulation of the gene expression. Genomic DNA analyses revealed significantly higher level of fetidin/lysenins (determined using universal primer pairs) in E. andrei compared to E. fetida. It can be hypothesized that E. andrei colonizing compost as a new habitat acquired an evolutionary selection advantage resulting in a higher expression of antimicrobial proteins.
Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Immunology, Institute of Microbiology of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, v. v. i., Prague, Czech Republic.
Jiří
J
Dvořák
Veronika
V
Mančíková
Václav
V
Pižl
Dana
D
Elhottová
Marcela
M
Silerová
Radka
R
Roubalová
František
F
Skanta
Petra
P
Procházková
Martin
M
Bilej
D000818:Animals; D001419:Bacteria / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D001483:Base Sequence; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D017753:Ecosystem; D003576:Electron Transport Complex IV / Q000235:genetics; D015870:Gene Expression; D006461:Hemolysis / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D007113:Immunity, Innate / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D008372:Manure / Q000382:microbiology / Q000469:parasitology; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009113:Muramidase / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D009835:Oligochaeta / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D011506:Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid; D012988:Soil Microbiology; D013045:Species Specificity; D014118:Toxins, Biological / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology
D008372:Manure; D011506:Proteins; D014118:Toxins, Biological; C103929:fetidin; C107040:lysenin; D003576:Electron Transport Complex IV; D009113:Muramidase