Project description:Amoebic Gill Disease (AGD), caused by the ectoparasite Paramoeba perurans (P. perurans) is characterised by hyperplasia of the gill epithelium and lamellar fusion and has become recognised as one of the most significant health threats in salmon farming . In this study, the gill and serum proteomes of Atlantic salmon inoculated with P. perurans, across multiple timepoints post-challenge, were analysed. The expression of proteins with established roles in innate immunity, across various timepoints, was compared with expression in naïve Atlantic salmon to elucidate the host response to gill colonisation.
Project description:Gills of teleost fish represent a vital multifunctional organ; however, they are subjected to environmental stressors, causing gill damage. Gill damage is associated with significant losses in the Atlantic salmon aquaculture industry. Gill disorders due to environmental stressors are exacerbated by global environmental changes, especially with open-net pen aquaculture (as farmed fish lack the ability to escape those events). The local and systemic response to gill damage, concurrent with several environmental insults, are not well investigated. We performed field sampling to collect gill and liver tissue after several environmental insults. Using a 44K salmonid microarray platform, we aimed to compare the transcriptomes of pristine and moderately damaged gill tissue. The gill damage-associated biomarker genes and associated qPCR assays arising from this study will be valuable in future research aimed at developing therapeutic diets to improve farmed salmon gill health.
Project description:Amoebic gill disease (AGD) is an ectoparasitic condition of some farm-reared marine fish and is caused by Neoparamoeba perurans. Tanks housing Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) were inoculated with Neoparamoeba perurans and fish were sampled at 36 days postinoculation (pi.). AGD-affected gill tissue was dissected from N. perurans infected fish, and a DNA microarray was used to compare global gene expression against tissues from AGD-naive fish. To determine whether the changes in gene expression were restricted to AGD-lesions, lesion tissue from AGD-affected fish was also compared with non-lesion gill tissue dissected from the same gill arch. Samples were assessed using a DNA microarray. Keywords: comparative gene expression, parasite-induced lesion, Neoparamoeba perurans, amoebic gill disease
Project description:Following an infection with a specific pathogen, the acquired immune system of many teleostean fish, including salmonids, is known to retain a specific memory of the infectious agent, which protects the host against subsequent infections. For example Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar), which have survived an infection with a low-virulence infectious salmon anemia virus (ISAV) isolate are less susceptible against subsequent infections with high-virulence ISAV isolates. A greater understanding of the mechanisms and immunological components involved in this acquired protection against ISAV is fundamental for the development of efficacious vaccines and treatments against this pathogen. To better understand the immunity components involved in this observed resistance, we have used an Atlantic salmon DNA microarray and RT-qPCR assays to study the global gene expression responses of preexposed Atlantic salmon (fish having survived an infection with a low-virulence ISAV isolate) during the course of a secondary infection with a high-virulence ISAV isolate
Project description:Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) is an environmentally and economically important organism and its gene content is reasonably well characterized. From a transcriptional standpoint, it is important to characterize the normal changes in gene expression over the course of early development, from fertilization through to the parr stage.S. salar samples were taken at 17 time points from 2 to 89 days post fertilization. Total RNA was extracted and cRNA was synthesized and hybridized to a new 44K oligo salmonid microarray platform. Quantified results were subjected to preliminary data analysis and submitted to NCBI’s Gene Expression Omnibus. Throughout the entire period of development, several thousand genes were found to be differentially regulated. This work represents the trancriptional characterization of a very large geneset that will be extremely valuable in further examination of the transcriptional changes in Atlantic salmon during the first few months of development. The expression profiles can help to annotate salmon genes in addition to being used as references against any number of experimental variables that developing salmonids might be subjected to.
Project description:Marine farmed Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) are repeatedly susceptible to amoebic gill disease (AGD) caused by the ectoparasite Neoparamoeba perurans over their life cycle. The parasite elicits a highly localized response within the gill epithelium mucosa resulting in multifocal mucoid patches at the site of parasite attachment. This host-pathogen response drives a complex immune reaction within the pathology of the disease, which remains poorly understood. A dual RNA-seq approach was employed using Illumina sequencing technology to investigate both the linteraction between the host and the parasite.
Project description:Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) pre-smolt optic tectum, saccus vasculosus and gill tissues were collected over a light:dark (LD, 8:16) cycle, constant light (LL) and constant dark (DD) time series at a four hour resolution Total RNA was extracted, RNA quality was assessed using BIORAD Experion, then submitted to a bespoke clock gene NanoString CodeSet
