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Biology
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Research Progress on Parasitic and Microbial Infection and Immunity
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Research Progress on Parasitic and Microbial Infection and Immunity

A special issue of Biology (ISSN 2079-7737). This special issue belongs to the section "Infection Biology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (28 February 2025) | Viewed by 5687

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Julia González

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
Interests: medical entomology; tick biology; parasitology; vector-borne diseases
Dr. Adela Oliva Chávez

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Entomology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
Interests: wound healing responses; innate immune responses; skin immunity; tick feeding; tick mediated pathogen transmission
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Molecular and cellular players involved in the orchestration of the immune responses that lead to protection during infection still need to be investigated. Likewise, pathogens, including bacteria, viruses and parasites, have developed different strategies to evade or manipulate the host’s immune response and secure a successful infection. Mechanisms such as capsule formation, antigenic variation, secretion of toxins, and other molecules facilitate pathogen entry and establishment and can lead to pathogenic escape from defensive host responses, thus allowing pathogens to infect their host and complete their life cycle. Yet, the host maintains homeostasis by activating complex immune pathways that involve innate and adaptive responses. These pathways result in the production and release of different molecular compounds that can block the entry of pathogens or lead to their killing. In this Special Issue, we are pleased to invite you to submit investigations, research articles and reviews on the molecular mechanisms used by parasites, viruses, and bacteria to escape host immune responses and aid in the infection process. We also invite papers describing in vivo and in vitro studies that investigate how the host fights back in the race against infecting pathogens.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Julia González
Dr. Adela Oliva Chávez
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Biology is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • host
  • pathway
  • defense
  • innate immune responses
  • adaptive immune responses
  • pathogenicity
  • immune signalling
  • bacterial infection
  • viral infection
  • parasitic infection

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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23 pages, 5944 KiB  
Article
Whole-Transcriptome Analysis Reveals Potential CeRNA Regulatory Mechanism in Takifugu rubripes against Cryptocaryon irritans Infection
by Yuqing Xia, Xiaoqing Yu, Zhen Yuan, Yi Yang and Ying Liu
Biology 2024, 13(10), 788; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology13100788 - 1 Oct 2024
Viewed by 1394
Abstract
Cryptocaryon irritans (C. irritans) is a proto-ciliate parasite that infects marine fishes, including the cultured species Takifugu rubripes (T. rubripes), causing disease and potential mortality. In host organisms, infection by parasites triggers an immune response that is modulated by [...] Read more.
Cryptocaryon irritans (C. irritans) is a proto-ciliate parasite that infects marine fishes, including the cultured species Takifugu rubripes (T. rubripes), causing disease and potential mortality. In host organisms, infection by parasites triggers an immune response that is modulated by regulatory elements including proteins and non-coding RNAs. In this study, the whole transcriptome RNA sequencing of T. rubripes gill tissue before and after infection with C. irritans was performed to reveal the competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) regulatory network. Histomorphology revealed gill segment swelling and parasitic invasion in the infected group. The analysis identified 18 differentially expressed miRNAs (DEMs), 214 lncRNAs (DELs), 2501 genes (DEGs), and 7 circRNAs (DECs) in the infected group. Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis revealed that these genes were notably enriched in the Wnt signaling pathway and mTOR signaling pathway. The co-expression networks (lncRNA/circRNA-miRNA-mRNA) were constructed based on correlation analysis of the differentially expressed RNAs. Further analysis suggested that the LOC105418663-circ_0000361-fru-miR-204a-fzd3a ceRNA axis was potentially involved in the regulation of immune responses against C. irritans infection. Finally, the expression levels of DEG, DEL, and DEM were validated. This study reveals the regulatory mechanism of a candidate ceRNA network, providing insights into the potential mechanism of T. rubripes’ infection with C. irritans. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research Progress on Parasitic and Microbial Infection and Immunity)
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15 pages, 3579 KiB  
Article
Unpredictable Repeated Stress in Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) Shifted the Immune Response against a Fish Parasite
by Cyril Henard, Hanxi Li, Barbara F. Nowak and Louise von Gersdorff Jørgensen
Biology 2024, 13(10), 769; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology13100769 - 27 Sep 2024
Viewed by 1332
Abstract
Farmed fish are regularly subjected to various stressors due to farming practices, and their effect in the context of a disease outbreak is uncertain. This research evaluated the effects of unpredictable repeated stress in rainbow trout challenged with the ciliate Ichthyophthirius multifiliis, [...] Read more.
Farmed fish are regularly subjected to various stressors due to farming practices, and their effect in the context of a disease outbreak is uncertain. This research evaluated the effects of unpredictable repeated stress in rainbow trout challenged with the ciliate Ichthyophthirius multifiliis, known to cause white spot disease in freshwater fish. Before and after the pathogen exposure, fish were handled with a random rotation of three procedures. At 7 days post-infection (dpi), the parasite burden was evaluated in fish and in the tank’s water, and the local and systemic immune responses were investigated in the gill and spleen, respectively. The fish mortality was recorded until 12 dpi, when all the fish from the infected groups died. There was no statistical difference in parasite burden (fish and tank’s water) and infection severity between the two infected fish groups. The immune gene expression analysis suggested a differential immune response between the gill and the spleen. In gills, a T helper cell type 2 immune response was initiated, whereas in spleen, a T helper cell type 1 immune response was observed. The stress has induced mainly upregulations of immune genes in the gill (cat-1, hep, il-10) and downregulations in the spleen (il-2, il-4/13a, il-8). Our results suggested that the unpredictable repeated stress protocol employed did not impair the fish immune system. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research Progress on Parasitic and Microbial Infection and Immunity)
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12 pages, 1503 KiB  
Article
Padina Minor Extract Confers Resistance against Candida Albicans Infection: Evaluation in a Zebrafish Model
by Chang-Cheng Wu, De-Sing Ding, Yi-Hao Lo, Chieh-Yu Pan and Zhi-Hong Wen
Biology 2024, 13(6), 384; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology13060384 - 27 May 2024
Viewed by 1382
Abstract
Padina minor is a seaweed rich in polysaccharides often used in food, feed, fertilizers, and antibacterial drugs. This study is the first to evaluate the effect of feeding zebrafish with Padina minor extract on preventing and treating C. albicans infections. This study evaluated [...] Read more.
Padina minor is a seaweed rich in polysaccharides often used in food, feed, fertilizers, and antibacterial drugs. This study is the first to evaluate the effect of feeding zebrafish with Padina minor extract on preventing and treating C. albicans infections. This study evaluated the growth, survival, and disease resistance effects of P. minor extract on zebrafish. The fish were divided into four groups: three groups treated with 1%, 5%, or 10% P. minor extract and one untreated group (c, control). Subsequently, we analyzed how the extract affected the immune function of zebrafish infected with C. albicans. Based on the lethal concentration (LC50) calculated in the first stage, 1% was used as the effective therapeutic concentration. The results showed that the growth rate of the 1% feed group was the best, and no significant difference in survival rates between the four groups was observed. Feeding with 1% P. minor extract downregulated the expression of key inflammatory genes like tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), and IL-10, effectively preventing and treating C. albicans infections in zebrafish. This study is a preliminary evaluation of the therapeutic efficacy of P. minor extracts against C. albicans. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research Progress on Parasitic and Microbial Infection and Immunity)
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Review

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19 pages, 4497 KiB  
Review
Evolution of the PE_PGRS Proteins of Mycobacteria: Are All Equal or Are Some More Equal than Others?
by Bei Chen, Belmin Bajramović, Bastienne Vriesendorp and Herman Pieter Spaink
Biology 2025, 14(3), 247; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology14030247 - 28 Feb 2025
Viewed by 803
Abstract
PE_PGRS domain proteins represent a family of proteins found in pathogenic and non-pathogenic mycobacteria such as M. smegmatis. This conserved family is characterized by two distinct regions denoted as the variable PGRS domain defined by glycine-rich repeats, and a PE domain consisting [...] Read more.
PE_PGRS domain proteins represent a family of proteins found in pathogenic and non-pathogenic mycobacteria such as M. smegmatis. This conserved family is characterized by two distinct regions denoted as the variable PGRS domain defined by glycine-rich repeats, and a PE domain consisting of two antiparallel alpha-helices. There are many indications that PE_PGRS proteins are involved in immunopathogenesis and virulence by evading or triggering the host immune response. However, there is not yet any information on their degree of specialization or redundancy. Computational analysis and structural annotation using AlphaFold3 combined with other tools reveals an exceptionally powerful and unprecedented ability to undergo phase separation by the PGRS domain. This suggests that PGRS’s glycine-rich, multivalent, low-complexity composition supports phase separation while adopting a structured conformation, contrary to the disordered nature typical of such domains. While previously never reported, the hypothesized role of PGRS in virulence indicates a novel window into the seemingly ubiquitous role of phase separation in cellular compartmentalization and molecular dynamics. This review aims to summarize the current understanding of the PE_PGRS family and its various biological roles in the context of bioinformatic analyses of some interesting representatives of M. marinum that are under control by host sterols. Based on the structural bioinformatics analysis, we discuss future approaches to uncover the mechanistic role of this intriguing family of mycobacterial proteins in both pathogenic and non-pathogenic mycobacteria. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research Progress on Parasitic and Microbial Infection and Immunity)
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