Search results for "Immune system"

Fundamentals on the Molecular Mechanism of Action of Antimicrobial Peptides

2019

Abstract Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are produced by several organisms as their first line of defense. Constituted by amino acids, they may present different mechanisms of action. The antimicrobial activity can be used by the peptide-producing organism itself, as innate immune strategy, or in the industry, applying as natural source preservatives. Understanding the possibilities of the operation of these compounds is a prerequisite for the development of effective uses, as well as for the establishment of combinations, which can even expand their applications considering the possibilities of genetic manipulations. Thus, the objective of this article is to review the basic principles of AM…

Diabetes and renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system: Implications for covid-19 patients with diabetes treatment management

2020

In the context of the COVID-19 continuous spreading, this paper focuses on the increased risk of diabetic patients regarding the metabolic control and the uncertainties related to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Chronic hyperglycaemia negatively affects the immune system, which triggers an increase of morbidity and mortality for viral infections. A key aspect of COVID-19 resides in the involvement of renin-angiotensin-aldosterone (RAAS) system that causes a cascade of reactions mediated by vasoactive peptides with implications in vasoconstriction, vascular permeability, oxidative stress remodelling and tissue injuries. Activation of RAAS at pulmonary level, is responsible for the local damage. Many q…

Condition-dependent effects of corticosterone on a carotenoid-based begging signal in house sparrows

2008

International audience; Begging is a complex display involving a variety of different visual and auditory signals. Parents are thought to use these signals to adjust their investment in food provisioning. The mechanisms that ensure the honesty of begging displays as indicators of need have been recently investigated. It has been shown that levels of corticosterone (Cort), the hormone released during the stress response, increase during food shortage and are associated with an increased begging rate. In a recent study in house sparrows, although exogenous Cort increased begging rate, parents did not accordingly adjust their provisioning rate. Here, we tested the hypothesis that Cort might af…

Linking species habitat and past palaeoclimatic events to evolution of the teleost innate immune system

2017

Host-intrinsic factors as well as environmental changes are known to be strong evolutionary drivers defining the genetic foundation of immunity. Using a novel set of teleost genomes and a time-calibrated phylogeny, we here investigate the family of Toll-like receptor ( TLR ) genes and address the underlying evolutionary processes shaping the diversity of the first-line defence. Our findings reveal remarkable flexibility within the evolutionary design of teleost innate immunity characterized by prominent TLR gene losses and expansions. In the order of Gadiformes, expansions correlate with the loss of major histocompatibility complex class II ( MHCII ) and diversifying selection analyses sup…

Variation in the immune state of Gammarus pulex (Crustacea, Amphipoda) according to temperature: are extreme temperatures a stress?

2017

9 pages; International audience; Temperature is known to impact host-parasite interactions in various ways. Such effects are often regarded as the consequence of the increased metabolism of parasites with increasing temperature. However, the effect of temperature on hosts' immune system could also be a determinant. Here we assessed the influence of temperature on the immunocompetence of the crustacean amphipod Gammarus pulex. Amphipods play a key ecological role in freshwater ecosystems that can be altered by several parasites. We investigated the consequences of three weeks of acclimatization at four temperatures (from 9 °C to 17 °C) on different immunological parameters. Temperature influ…

Survival and gene expression under different temperature and humidity regimes in ants

2017

Short term variation in environmental conditions requires individuals to adapt via changes in behavior and/or physiology. In particular variation in temperature and humidity are common, and the physiological adaptation to changes in temperature and humidity often involves alterations in gene expression, in particular that of heat-shock proteins. However, not only traits involved in the resistance to environmental stresses, but also other traits, such as immune defenses, may be influenced indirectly by changes in temperature and humidity. Here we investigated the response of the ant F. exsecta to two temperature regimes (20 degrees C & 25 degrees C), and two humidity regimes (50% & 75%), for…

Cnidarian Interaction with Microbial Communities: From Aid to Animal’s Health to Rejection Responses

2018

The phylum Cnidaria is an ancient branch in the tree of metazoans. Several species exert a remarkable longevity, suggesting the existence of a developed and consistent defense mechanism of the innate immunity capable to overcome the potential repeated exposure to microbial pathogenic agents. Increasing evidence indicates that the innate immune system in Cnidarians is not only involved in the disruption of harmful microorganisms, but also is crucial in structuring tissue-associated microbial communities that are essential components of the Cnidarian holobiont and useful to the animal’s health for several functions, including metabolism, immune defense, development, and behavior. Someti…

Successive Losses of Central Immune Genes Characterize the Gadiformes' Alternate Immunity.

2016

Great genetic variability among teleost immunomes, with gene losses and expansions of central adaptive and innate components, has been discovered through genome sequencing over the last few years. Here, we demonstrate that the innate Myxovirus resistance gene (Mx) is lost from the ancestor of Gadiformes and the closely related Stylephorus chordatus, thus predating the loss of Major Histocompatibility Complex class II (MHCII) in Gadiformes. Although the functional implication of Mx loss is still unknown, we demonstrate that this loss is one of several ancient events appearing in successive order throughout the evolution of teleost immunity. In particular, we find that the loss of Toll-like r…

Host infection history modifies co-infection success of multiple parasite genotypes.

2015

Co-infections by multiple parasite genotypes are common and have important implications for host-parasite ecology and evolution through within-host interactions. Typically, these infections take place sequentially, and therefore, the outcome of co-infection may be shaped by host immune responses triggered by previous infections. For example, in vertebrates, specific immune responses play a central role in protection against disease over the course of life, but co-infection research has mostly focused on previously uninfected individuals. Here, we investigated whether sequential exposure and activation of host resistance in rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss affects infection success and inte…

2021

Both plants and animals are endowed with sophisticated innate immune systems to combat microbial attack. In these multicellular eukaryotes, innate immunity implies the presence of cell surface receptors and intracellular receptors able to detect danger signal referred as damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) and pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs). Membrane-associated pattern recognition receptors (PRRs), such as Toll-like receptors (TLRs), C-type lectin receptors (CLRs), receptor-like kinases (RLKs), and receptor-like proteins (RLPs) are employed by these organisms for sensing different invasion patterns before triggering antimicrobial defenses that can be associated with…