title: Role of microRNAs in the immunity process of the flat oyster Ostrea edulis against bonamiosis.
abstract: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small (∼22nt) non-coding regulatory single strand RNA molecules that reduce stability and/or translation of sequence-complementary target. miRNAs are a key component of gene regulatory networks and have been involved in a wide variety of biological processes, such as signal transduction, cell proliferation and apoptosis. Many miRNAs are broadly conserved among the animal lineages and even between invertebrates and vertebrates. The European flat oyster Ostrea edulis is highly susceptible to infection with Bonamia ostreae, an intracellular parasite able to survive and proliferate within oyster haemocytes. Mollusc haemocytes play a key role in the immune response of molluscs as main cellular effectors. The roles of miRNAs in the immune response of O. edulis to bonamiosis were analysed using a commercial microarray platform (miRCURY LNA™ v2, Exiqon) for miRNAs. Expression of miRNAs in haemocytes from oysters with different bonamiosis intensity was compared. Differential expression was detected in 63 and 76 miRNAs when comparing heavily-affected with non-affected oysters and with lightly-affected ones, respectively. Among them, 19 miRNAs are known to be linked to immune response, being responsible of proliferation and activation of macrophages, inflammation, apoptosis and/or oxidative damage, which is consistent with the modulation of their expression in oyster haemocytes due to bonamiosis.
authors.affiliation: Centro de Investigacións Mariñas, Consellería do Mar, Xunta de Galicia, Aptdo 13, 36620 Vilanova de Arousa, Spain. Electronic address: laurathc@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Martín-Gómez
authors.affiliation: Centro de Investigacións Mariñas, Consellería do Mar, Xunta de Galicia, Aptdo 13, 36620 Vilanova de Arousa, Spain.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Villalba
authors.affiliation: Central Microarray Facility, NKI (The Netherlands Cancer Institute), Plesmanlaan 121, 1066 CX Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Ron H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Kerkhoven
authors.affiliation: Fundación CETMAR - Centro Tecnológico del Mar, Eduardo Cabello s/n., 36208 Vigo, Spain.
authors.forename: Elvira
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Abollo
mesh_terms: D000820:Animal Diseases / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology* / Q000469:parasitology; D000818:Animals; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D041602:Haplosporida / Q000276:immunology*; D006434:Hemocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000235:genetics*; D010125:Ostreidae / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology* / Q000469:parasitology; D025941:Protein Interaction Mapping; D060066:Protein Interaction Maps; D015398:Signal Transduction
chemical_list: D035683:MicroRNAs
keywords: Bonamia; Innate immunity; MicroRNA; Microarray; Non-coding RNAs; Ostrea edulis