title: The immunological capacity in the larvae of Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas.
abstract: As the immune system has not fully developed during early developmental stages, bivalve larvae are more susceptible for pathogens, which frequently leads to the significant mortality in hatcheries. In the present study, the development of immune system and its response against bacteria challenge were investigated in order to characterize the repertoire of immunological capacity of Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas during the ontogenesis. The phagocytosis was firstly observed in the early D-veliger larvae (17 hpf), especially in their velum site, which indicated the appearance of functional hemocytes during early D-veliger larvae stage. The whole-mount immunofluorescence assay of three pattern recognition receptors (integrin β-1, caspase-3 and C-type lectin 3) and one immune effector gene (IL17-5) was performed in blastula, early D-veliger and umbo larvae, suggested that velum and digestive gland were the potential sites of immune system in the larvae. The lowest activities of antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase and catalase) and hydrolytic enzyme (lysozyme), as well as descended expression levels of 12 immune genes at the transition between embryogenesis and planktonic, indicated that the larvae at hatching (9 hpf) were in hypo-immunity. While the ascending activities of enzymes and expression levels of seven immune genes during the trochophore stage (15 hpf) suggested the initiation of immune system. The steadily increasing trend of all the 12 candidate genes at the early umbo larvae (120 h) hinted that the immune system was well developed at this stage. After bacterial challenge, some immune recognition (TLR4) and immune effector (IL17-5 and defh2) genes were activated in blastula stage (4 hpf), and other immune genes were up regulated in D-veliger larvae, indicating that the zygotic immune system could respond earlier against the bacterial challenge during its development. These results indicated that the cellular and humoral immune components appeared at trochophore stage, and the cellular immune system was activated with its occurrence, while the humoral immune system executed until the early umbo larval stage. The immune system emerged earlier to aid larvae in defending bacterial challenge during the early stages of oyster development.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
authors.forename: Xiaorui
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China.
authors.forename: Hao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
authors.forename: Lusheng
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Xin
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
authors.forename: Jiachao
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
authors.forename: Zhihao
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Jia
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China.
authors.forename: Lingling
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China; Key Laboratory of Mariculture & Stock Enhancement in North China's Sea, Ministry of Agriculture, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian 116023, China. Electronic address: lshsong@ms.qdio.ac.cn.
authors.forename: Linsheng
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Song
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D049896:Crassostrea / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D007107:Immune System / Q000254:growth & development / Q000276:immunology; D007814:Larva / Q000254:growth & development / Q000276:immunology; D051192:Receptors, Pattern Recognition / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D014733:Vibrio / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D051192:Receptors, Pattern Recognition
keywords: Hatching; Immune system; Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas; Phagocytosis; Trochophore stage; Umbo larvae