0000000000009255
AUTHOR
Simon Mackenzie
showing 7 related works from this author
Characterization of PAMP/PRR interactions in European eel (Anguilla anguilla) macrophage-like primary cell cultures
2013
The eel (Anguilla anguilla) has been identified as a vulnerable species with stocks dramatically declining over the past decade. In an effort to support the species from overfishing of wild stocks increased interest in eel aquaculture has been notable. In order to expand the scarce knowledge concerning the biology of this species significant research efforts are required in several fields of biology. The development of cell culture systems to study the immune response is a key step towards an increased understanding of the immune response and to develop resources to support further study in this threatened species. Macrophages are one of the most important effector cells of the innate immun…
Early steps in the European eel (Anguilla anguilla)–Vibrio vulnificus interaction in the gills: Role of the RtxA13 toxin
2015
Vibrio vulnificus is an aquatic gram-negative bacterium that causes a systemic disease in eels called warm-water vibriosis. Natural disease occurs via water born infection; bacteria attach to the gills (the main portal of entry) and spread to the internal organs through the bloodstream, provoking host death by haemorrhagic septicaemia. V.vulnificus produces a toxin called RtxA13 that hypothetically interferes with the eel immune system facilitating bacterial invasion and subsequent death by septic shock. The aim of this work was to study the early steps of warm-water vibriosis by analysing the expression of three marker mRNA transcripts related to pathogen recognition (tlr2 and tlr5) and in…
An improved version of the Atlantic cod genome and advancements in functional genomics: implications for the future of cod farming
2016
Abstract Recent advancements within state-of-the-art genomic tools and the generation of the first version of the Atlantic cod genome (Star et al., 2011) have proven to be valuable resources, improving our understanding of this species’ biology. In this chapter we describe some aspects and implications of using these resources to identify genes and molecular pathways involved in Atlantic cod growth and development, as well as responses to nutritional changes, pathogens and other immune stimuli, and environmental stressors (e.g., temperature, stress, or pollutants). Additionally, we highlight the immunological puzzle of the Atlantic cod that lacks components of the adaptive immune system pre…
An Enriched European Eel Transcriptome Sheds Light upon Host-Pathogen Interactions with Vibrio vulnificus.
2015
Infectious diseases are one of the principal bottlenecks for the European eel recovery. The aim of this study was to develop a new molecular tool to be used in host-pathogen interaction experiments in the eel. To this end, we first stimulated adult eels with different pathogen- associated molecular patterns (PAMPs), extracted RNA from the immune-related tissues and sequenced the transcriptome.We obtained more than 2x106 reads that were assembled and annotated into 45,067 new descriptions with a notable representation of novel transcripts related with pathogen recognition, signal transduction and the immune response. Then, we designed a DNA-microarray that was used to analyze the early immun…
Iron and Fur in the life cycle of the zoonotic pathogenVibrio vulnificus
2016
Summary In this study, we aimed to analyze the global response to iron in the broad-range host pathogen Vibrio vulnificus under the hypothesis that iron is one of the main signals triggering survival mechanisms both inside and outside its hosts. To this end, we selected a strain from the main zoonotic clonal-complex, obtained a mutant in the ferric-uptake-regulator (Fur), and analyzed their transcriptomic profiles in both iron-excess and iron-poor conditions by using a strain-specific microarray platform. Among the genes differentially expressed, we identified around 250 as putatively involved in virulence and survival-related mechanisms. Then, we designed and performed a series of in vivo …
Eel immune response to Vibrio vulnificus infection. Host-pathogen relationship
2013
The European eel (Anguilla anguilla), has experienced a dangerous decline in recruitment, yield and stock over the last 30 years and this decline is likely to continue into the future. Several major threats are responsible for this situation, including overfishing of glass eels for consumption, new infections by introduced pathogens, dams and blocking of migration routes. The lack of knowledge concerning the biology of this species represents a handicap to the conservation and recovery of the population. Nevertheless,the eel farming industry is increasing, therefore it could be considered one of the major risks for wild eel stock perpetuation, which is threatened principally by the lack of …
Characterisation of PAMP/PRR interactions in European eel (Anguilla anguilla) macrophage-like primary cell cultures
2013
The eel (Anguilla anguilla) has been identified as a vulnerable species with stocks dramatically declining over the past decade. In an effort to support the species from overfishing of wild stocks increased interest in eel aquaculture has been notable. In order to expand the scarce knowledge concerning the biology of this species significant research efforts are required in several fields of biology. The development of cell culture systems to study the immune response is a key step towards an increased understanding of the immune response and to develop resources to support further study in this threatened species. Macrophages are one of the most important effector cells of the innate immun…