Earthworms are not endowed with adaptive immunity and they are rely on the tools of innate immunity. Cells of the innate immune system utilize pattern recognition receptors, such as Toll-like receptors, to detect the pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs). The first earthworm TLR was isolated from Eisenia andrei earthworms (EaTLR), which belongs to the single cysteine cluster TLR (sccTLR). Here, we identified a new multiple cysteine cluster TLR (mccTLR) in E. andrei earthworms. Phylogenetic DNA analysis revealed that it has no variability within one earthworm as well as in the population. By screening of the tissue expression profile, the TLR was expressed primarily in earthworm seminal vesicles and receptacles suggesting a connection to sperm cells. Seminal vesicles are often heavily infected by gregarine parasites. As a sign of immune response, a strong melanization reaction is visible around parasites. Stimulation experiments with profilin from related parasite Toxoplasma gondii, led to the upregulation of mccEaTLR in the earthworm seminal vesicles. Also, profilin activated prophenoloxidase cascade, the efficient mechanism of innate immunity. However, its involvement in the NF-κB signaling was not proven. Further, we provide evidence that the antibiotics metronidazole and griseofulvin destroyed the developing spermatocytes. The observed decrease in the mccEaTLR mRNA levels after the antibiotic treatment of parasites is caused by the decline of sperm cells numbers rather than by diminution of the parasites. Since earthworms with extensively reduced parasite load had a similar amount of mccEaTLR mRNA, presumably, earthworm sperm cells have a certain level of mccEaTLR expressed as a standard, which can be augmented by particular antigenic stimulation. Also, mccEaTLR was expressed mainly in the early stages of earthworm development and presumably is primarily involved in early embryonic development. Expression of mccEaTLR in seminal vesicles correlates with the expression of endothelial monocyte-activation polypeptide II. High-throughput sequencing of gregarine DNA from seminal vesicles of individual earthworms resulted in great diversity of the observed genotypes. Phylogenetically, all observed OTUs belong to the clade of earthworm gregarines suggesting host specificity. Overall, mccEaTLR is supposed to play a function role in early embryonic development and potentially it participates in immune response against parasites.
- MeSH
- cystein MeSH
- cytokiny imunologie MeSH
- embryonální vývoj imunologie MeSH
- fylogeneze MeSH
- messenger RNA imunologie MeSH
- nádorové proteiny imunologie MeSH
- NF-kappa B imunologie MeSH
- Oligochaeta imunologie MeSH
- přirozená imunita imunologie MeSH
- proteiny vázající RNA imunologie MeSH
- receptory rozpoznávající vzory imunologie MeSH
- signální transdukce imunologie MeSH
- toll-like receptory imunologie MeSH
- Toxoplasma imunologie MeSH
- upregulace imunologie MeSH
- zvířata MeSH
- Check Tag
- zvířata MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
Vermicomposting is a process of degradation of biowaste which involves complex interactions between earthworms and microorganisms. This process lacks a thermophilic stage and thus, the possible presence of pathogens poses a potential health hazard. To assess the contribution of earthworms during the selective reduction of various pathogens, apple pomace substrate was artificially inoculated with Escherichia coli, Salmonella spp., thermotolerant coliform bacteria, and Enterococci. The artificial bacterial load did not influence the weight, reproduction, or intestinal enzymatic activity of the earthworms, but it caused reversible histological changes to the epithelial layer and chloragogen tissue of their intestines. The reduction of pathogenic Enterococci and E. coli from the substrate was accelerated by earthworms (63-fold, 77-fold, and 840-fold for Enterococci and 6-fold, 36-fold, and 7-fold for E. coli inoculated substrates after 2, 4, and 6 weeks, respectively). Moreover, the rapid elimination of Salmonella spp. was supported by the upregulated expression of two pattern recognition receptors which bind lipopolysaccharide, coelomic cytolytic factor, and lipopolysaccharide-binding protein. Further, the microbiomes of the intestine and the composting substrate differed significantly. Graphical abstract.
- MeSH
- Escherichia coli MeSH
- kompostování metody MeSH
- Oligochaeta mikrobiologie fyziologie MeSH
- půdní mikrobiologie * MeSH
- střevní mikroflóra * MeSH
- zvířata MeSH
- Check Tag
- zvířata MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- hodnotící studie MeSH
Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins/dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs), together with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), represent highly toxic and persistent organic environmental pollutants, especially due to their capability for bioaccumulation in fatty tissues. To observe the environmentally relevant effect of these compounds on earthworms, two soils naturally contaminated with PCDD/Fs and PAHs were used in our experiments. We focused on the role of CuZn- and Mn-superoxide dismutases. We assembled a full-length sequences of these molecules from Eisenia andrei earthworm and confirmed their activity. We demonstrated the significant reduction of CuZn-SOD on both mRNA and enzyme activity levels and increased levels of reactive oxygen species in earthworms kept in PCDD/F-polluted soil, which corresponds to the observed histopathologies of the earthworm intestinal wall and adjacent chloragogenous tissue. The results show an important role of CuZn-SOD in earthworm tissue damage caused by PCDD/Fs present in soil. We did not detect any significant changes in the mRNA expression or activity of Mn-SOD in these earthworms. In earthworms maintained in PAH-polluted soil the activity of both CuZn-SOD and Mn-SOD significantly increased. No histopathological changes were detected in these worms, however significant decrease of coelomocyte viability was observed. This reduced viability was most likely independent of oxidative stress.
- MeSH
- látky znečišťující půdu toxicita MeSH
- Oligochaeta anatomie a histologie účinky léků enzymologie MeSH
- polychlorované dibenzodioxiny toxicita MeSH
- polychlorované dibenzofurany toxicita MeSH
- polycyklické aromatické uhlovodíky toxicita MeSH
- reaktivní formy kyslíku metabolismus MeSH
- superoxid dismutáza 1 genetika metabolismus MeSH
- superoxiddismutasa genetika metabolismus MeSH
- zvířata MeSH
- Check Tag
- zvířata MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
The tube-within-tube body plan of earthworms is appropriate for studying the interactions of microorganisms with the immune system of body cavities such as the digestive tract and coelom. This study aims to describe the immune response on the molecular and cellular level in the coelomic cavity and the gut of the earthworm Eisenia andrei after experimental microbial challenge by administering two bacterial strains (Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis) or yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae to the environment. The changes in mRNA levels of defense molecules (pattern recognition receptor CCF, lysozyme, fetidin/lysenins) in the coelomocytes and gut tissue were determined by quantitative PCR. The immune response at a cellular level was captured in histological sections, and the expression of CCF was localized using in situ hybridization. Coelomocytes respond to the presence of bacteria in the coelomic cavity by increasing the mRNA levels of defense molecules, especially CCF. The immune response in gut tissue is less affected by microbial stimulation because the epithelial cells of gut exhibit basically strong mRNA synthesis of ccf as a defense against the continuous microbial load in the gut lumen. The cellular immune response is mediated by coelomocytes released from the mesenchymal lining of the coelomic cavity. These combined immune mechanisms are necessary for the survival of earthworms in the microbially rich environment of soil.
- MeSH
- Bacillus subtilis imunologie MeSH
- buněčná imunita MeSH
- Escherichia coli imunologie MeSH
- gramnegativní bakteriální infekce imunologie MeSH
- grampozitivní bakteriální infekce imunologie MeSH
- lektiny genetika metabolismus MeSH
- mezoderm imunologie patologie MeSH
- mykózy imunologie MeSH
- Oligochaeta imunologie MeSH
- receptory rozpoznávající vzory genetika metabolismus MeSH
- Saccharomyces imunologie MeSH
- slizniční imunita MeSH
- střevní sliznice imunologie mikrobiologie virologie MeSH
- upregulace MeSH
- zvířata MeSH
- Check Tag
- zvířata MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
LBP/BPIs are pattern recognition receptors that are often present in vertebrates and in invertebrates, and they play a defense role against pathogens. We have identified 1698 bp cDNA sequence from the Eisenia andrei earthworm with predicted amino acid sequence that shares homology with the LBP/BPI family (EaLBP/BPI). Sequence analysis of EaLBP/BPI proved the existence of two conserved domains with the potential ability to bind LPS. The predicted molecular mass of the EaLBP/BPI protein is 53.5 kDa, and its high basicity (pI 9.8) is caused by its high arginine content. Constitutive transcription of the Ealbp/bpi gene was shown in all tested tissues, with the highest level in coelomocytes and seminal vesicles; the lowest level was detected in the intestine. On the contrary, another earthworm LPS-binding molecule CCF (coelomic cytolytic factor) was expressed only in the intestine and coelomocytes. In E. andrei coelomocytes, the transcription of Ealbp/bpi gene was up-regulated in response to bacterial stimulation, reaching a maximum at 8 and 16 h post stimulation with Bacillus subtilis and Escherichia coli, respectively.
- MeSH
- fylogeneze MeSH
- hybridizace in situ MeSH
- kationické antimikrobiální peptidy genetika MeSH
- klonování DNA MeSH
- krevní proteiny genetika MeSH
- molekulární sekvence - údaje MeSH
- Oligochaeta genetika imunologie MeSH
- polymerázová řetězová reakce s reverzní transkripcí MeSH
- sekvence aminokyselin MeSH
- sekvence nukleotidů MeSH
- zvířata MeSH
- Check Tag
- zvířata MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
Iron homeostasis in cells is regulated by iron regulatory proteins (IRPs) that exist in different organisms. IRPs are cytosolic proteins that bind to iron-responsive elements (IREs) of the 5'- or 3'-untranslated regions (UTR) of mRNAs that encode many proteins involved in iron metabolism. In this study, we have cloned and described a new regulatory protein belonging to the family of IRPs from the earthworm Eisenia andrei (EaIRP). The earthworm IRE site in 5'-UTR of ferritin mRNA most likely folds into a secondary structure that differs from the conventional IRE structures of ferritin due to the absence of a typically unpaired cytosine that participates in protein binding. Prepared recombinant EaIRP and proteins from mammalian liver extracts are able to bind both mammalian and Eisenia IRE structures of ferritin mRNA, although the affinity of the rEaIRP/Eisenia IRE structure is rather low. This result suggests the possible contribution of a conventional IRE structure. When IRP is supplemented with a Fe-S cluster, it can function as a cytosolic aconitase. Cellular cytosolic and mitochondrial fractions, as well as recombinant EaIRP, exhibit aconitase activity that can be abolished by the action of oxygen radicals. The highest expression of EaIRP was detected in parts of the digestive tract. We can assume that earthworms may possess an IRE/IRP regulatory network as a potential mechanism for maintaining cellular iron homeostasis, although the aconitase function of EaIRP is most likely more relevant.
- MeSH
- akonitáthydratasa metabolismus MeSH
- ferritin metabolismus MeSH
- fylogeneze MeSH
- homeostáza fyziologie MeSH
- konformace nukleové kyseliny MeSH
- kvantitativní polymerázová řetězová reakce MeSH
- messenger RNA genetika MeSH
- molekulární sekvence - údaje MeSH
- Oligochaeta růst a vývoj metabolismus MeSH
- polymerázová řetězová reakce s reverzní transkripcí MeSH
- proteiny regulující obsah železa genetika metabolismus MeSH
- regulační oblasti nukleových kyselin genetika MeSH
- sekvence aminokyselin MeSH
- sekvenční homologie aminokyselin MeSH
- vazba proteinů MeSH
- železo metabolismus MeSH
- zvířata MeSH
- Check Tag
- zvířata MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) belong to the group of persistent organic pollutants, highly toxic environmental pollutants that include hydrophobic compounds with the tendency to bioaccumulate. Earthworms (Eisenia andrei) were exposed to PCDD/Fs-contaminated soil, and changes in their lipophilic structures and the gene expression of their defense molecules were followed. Damage to the intestinal wall and adjacent chloragogenous tissue was observed. Further, the up-regulation of the expression of several genes was detected. On the basis of these results, the mechanism of the impact of PCDD/Fs on earthworms has been proposed. Dioxins that accumulate in the lipophilic structures cause an increase in reactive oxidative species that triggers oxidative stress followed by the gene expression of two molecules that play a role in protection against oxidant toxicity, calreticulin (CRT) and Hsp70. Moreover, the effect of microbial biomass on the expression of coelomic cytolytic factor (CCF), a pattern recognition receptor, was also observed.
- MeSH
- benzofurany analýza metabolismus MeSH
- dioxiny analýza metabolismus MeSH
- látky znečišťující půdu analýza metabolismus MeSH
- Oligochaeta účinky léků genetika fyziologie MeSH
- půda chemie MeSH
- regulace genové exprese účinky léků MeSH
- zvířata MeSH
- Check Tag
- zvířata MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
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.
- MeSH
- Bacteria klasifikace genetika imunologie MeSH
- biologické toxiny genetika imunologie MeSH
- cytotoxicita imunologická genetika imunologie MeSH
- druhová specificita MeSH
- ekosystém * MeSH
- exprese genu MeSH
- hemolýza genetika imunologie MeSH
- hnůj mikrobiologie parazitologie MeSH
- molekulární sekvence - údaje MeSH
- muramidasa genetika imunologie MeSH
- myši MeSH
- nádorové buněčné linie MeSH
- Oligochaeta klasifikace genetika imunologie MeSH
- polymerázová řetězová reakce s reverzní transkripcí MeSH
- přirozená imunita genetika imunologie MeSH
- proteiny genetika imunologie MeSH
- půdní mikrobiologie MeSH
- respirační komplex IV genetika MeSH
- sekvence nukleotidů MeSH
- sekvenční analýza DNA MeSH
- sekvenční homologie nukleových kyselin MeSH
- zvířata MeSH
- Check Tag
- myši MeSH
- zvířata MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
Earthworms Eisenia andrei, similarly to other invertebrates, rely on innate defense mechanisms based on the capability to recognize and respond to nonself. Here, we show a correlation between the expression of CCF, a crucial pattern-recognition receptor, and lysozyme, with enzyme activities in the gut of E. andrei earthworms following a microbial challenge. These data suggest that enzyme activities important for the release and recognition of molecular patterns by pattern-recognition molecules, as well as enzymes involved in effector pathways, are modulated during the microbial challenge. In particular, protease, laminarinase, and glucosaminidase activities were increased in parallel to up-regulated CCF and lysozyme expression.
- MeSH
- Bacillus subtilis imunologie MeSH
- celulasy metabolismus MeSH
- Escherichia coli imunologie MeSH
- hexosaminidasy metabolismus MeSH
- messenger RNA metabolismus MeSH
- muramidasa metabolismus fyziologie MeSH
- Oligochaeta enzymologie imunologie mikrobiologie MeSH
- přirozená imunita MeSH
- proteasy metabolismus MeSH
- Saccharomyces cerevisiae imunologie MeSH
- upregulace MeSH
- zvířata MeSH
- Check Tag
- zvířata MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
