Premium
Increased bacterial load in shrimp hemolymph in the absence of prophenoloxidase
Author(s) -
Fagutao Fernand F.,
Koyama Takashi,
Kaizu Akihiro,
SaitoTaki Tatsuo,
Kondo Hidehiro,
Aoki Takashi,
Hirono Ikuo
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
the febs journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.981
H-Index - 204
eISSN - 1742-4658
pISSN - 1742-464X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1742-4658.2009.07225.x
Subject(s) - prophenoloxidase , hemolymph , shrimp , biology , gene silencing , innate immune system , antimicrobial peptides , microbiology and biotechnology , bacteria , litopenaeus , rna interference , rna silencing , immune system , antimicrobial , immunology , rna , gene , ecology , biochemistry , genetics
Invertebrates rely on their innate immune responses to protect themselves from pathogens, one of which is melanization of bacteria mediated by the activation of phenoloxidase (PO). Furthermore, invertebrate hemolymph, even that of healthy individuals, has been shown to contain bacterial species. The mechanisms that prevent these bacteria from proliferating and becoming deleterious to the host are, however, poorly understood. Here, we show that knocking down the activity of the inactive precursor of PO [prophenoloxidase (proPO)] by RNA interference resulted in a significant increase in the bacterial load of kuruma shrimp, Marsupenaeus japonicus , even in the absence of a bacterial or viral challenge. Silencing of proPO also led to a sharp increase in shrimp mortality. In addition, the hemolymph of proPO‐depleted shrimp had significantly lower hemocyte counts and PO activity than control samples. Microarray analysis after proPO silencing also showed a decrease in the expression of a few antimicrobial peptides, but no effect on the expression of the genes involved in the clotting system. Treatment with antibiotics prior to and after proPO dsRNA injection, to counteract the loss of proPO, resulted in a significant increase in shrimp survival. Our results therefore show that the absence of proPO renders the shrimp incapable of controlling bacteria present in the hemolymph, and that proPO is therefore essential for its survival.