Search results for "immune"

2013

Vertebrate hosts often defend themselves against several co-infecting parasite genotypes simultaneously. This has important implications for the ecological dynamics and the evolution of host defence systems and parasite strategies. For example, it can drive the specificity of the adaptive immune system towards high genotype-specificity or cross-reactivity against several parasite genotypes depending on the sequence and probability of re-infections. However, to date, there is very little evidence on these interactions outside mammalian disease literature. In this study we asked whether genotype-specific or cross-reactive responses dominate in the adaptive immune system of a fish host towards…

Acting locally - affecting globally: RNA sequencing of gilthead sea bream with a mild Sparicotyle chrysophrii infection reveals effects on apoptosis,…

2019

[Background] Monogenean flatworms are the main fish ectoparasites inflicting serious economic losses in aquaculture. The polyopisthocotylean Sparicotyle chrysophrii parasitizes the gills of gilthead sea bream (GSB, Sparus aurata) causing anaemia, lamellae fusion and sloughing of epithelial cells, with the consequent hypoxia, emaciation, lethargy and mortality. Currently no preventive or curative measures against this disease exist and therefore information on the host-parasite interaction is crucial to find mitigation solutions for sparicotylosis. The knowledge about gene regulation in monogenean-host models mostly comes from freshwater monopysthocotyleans and almost nothing is known about …

Triterpene glycosides from Blighia welwitschii and evaluation of their antibody recognition capacity in multiple sclerosis

2020

Multiple sclerosis (MS) in a multifactorial autoimmune disease in which reliable biomarkers are needed for therapeutic monitoring and diagnosis. Autoantibodies (autoAbs) are known biomarker candidates although their detection in biological fluids requires a thorough characterization of their associated antigens. Over the past twenty years, a reverse chemical-based approach aiming to screen putative autoantigens has underlined the role of glycans, in particular glucose, in MS. Despite the progress achieved, a lack of consensus regarding the nature of innate antigens as well as difficulties proposing new synthetic glucose-based structures have proved to be obstacles. Here is proposed a strate…

Antibiotics accelerate growth at the expense of immunity

2021

Antibiotics have long been used in the raising of animals for agricultural, industrial or laboratory use. The use of subtherapeutic doses in diets of terrestrial and aquatic animals to promote growth is common and highly debated. Despite their vast application in animal husbandry, knowledge about the mechanisms behind growth promotion is minimal, particularly at the molecular level. Evidence from evolutionary research shows that immunocompetence is resource-limited, and hence expected to trade off with other resource-demanding processes, such as growth. Here, we ask if accelerated growth caused by antibiotics can be explained by genome-wide trade-offs between growth and costly immunocompete…

Energetic reserves, leptin and testosterone: a refinement of the immunocompetence handicap hypothesis.

2007

Electronic supplementary material is available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2007.0020 or via http://www.journals.royalsoc.ac.uk.

Immune activation increases susceptibility to oxidative tissue damage in Zebra Finches.

2006

Summary 1The innate immune response involves the production of highly reactive molecules (reactive oxygen and nitrogen species, ROS and RNS). These toxic compounds can effectively destroy invading pathogens but can also, non-specifically, target host cells. Tissue damage caused by ROS and RNS can be substantial if the inflammatory response is overactive, potentially inducing a so-called immunopathology. 2In this study, we induced an inflammatory response in Zebra Finches by the way of a LPS injection (lipopolysaccharide of the cell wall of Escherichia coli), using as a control a group of birds injected with saline (phosphate-buffered saline). Body mass was measured both before and 24 h afte…

Correlational selection on pro- and anti-inflammatory effectors.

2012

9 pages; International audience; Parasites impose a permanent threat for hosts. As a consequence, immune defenses are important for host fitness. However, the immune response can also produce self-damage and impair host fitness if not properly regulated. Effectors that up- and downregulate the immune response should, therefore, evolve in concert, and be under the action of correlational selection. To address this issue, we assessed the shape of the selection operating on pro- and anti-inflammatory effectors following an inflammatory challenge in laboratory mice. We found that selection acts on the combination of these two traits as individuals that produced large amount of pro-inflammatory …

Survival cost of an early immune soliciting in nature.

2009

8 pages; International audience; If immune functions confer obvious benefits to hosts, life-history theory assumes that they also induce costs, leading to trade-offs between immunity and other fitness components. However, whether substantial fitness costs are associated with immune systems in the wild is debatable, as numerous factors may influence the costs and benefits associated with immune activation. Here, we explore the survival cost of immune deployment in postfledging birds. We injected Eurasian collared dove nestlings (Streptopelia decaocto) with antigens from Escherichia coli, and examined whether this immune challenge affected survival after fledging. To assess survival, birds we…

Dynamics of PHA-induced immune response and plasma carotenoids in birds: should we have a closer look?

2009

SUMMARY Allocation trade-offs of limited resources are thought to ensure the honesty of sexual signals and are often studied using controlled immune challenges. One such trade-off between immunity and ornaments is that involving carotenoids. Phytohemagglutinin (PHA)-induced immune response is a widely used immune challenge, yet more details on the underlying physiological mechanisms and potential costs are needed. We investigated the temporal dynamics of PHA-induced immune response and associated changes in blood carotenoids, body mass and a carotenoid-based coloured signal. We found variation in individual response patterns to PHA after peak swelling was reached, with birds showing either …

Testosterone-Mediated Effects on Fitness-Related Phenotypic Traits and Fitness

2009

International audience; The physiological and behavioral mechanisms underlying life-history trade-offs are a continued source of debate. Testosterone (T) is one physiological factor proposed to mediate the trade-off between reproduction and survival. We use phenotypic engineering and multiple laboratory and field fitness-related phenotypic traits to test the effects of elevated T between two bank vole Myodes glareolus groups: dominant and subordinate males. Males with naturally high T levels showed higher social status (laboratory dominance) and mobility (distance between capture sites) than low-T males, and the effect of T on immune response was also T group specific, suggesting that behav…