Advances in Fish Immunology and Vaccination during the Past and in Recent Years

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 December 2022) | Viewed by 15691

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Institute of Ichthyobiology and Aquaculture, Polish Academy of Sciences, Golysz, 43-520 Chybie, Poland
Interests: aquaculture; ichthyobiology

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Guest Editor
Department of Aquaculture Life Science, Hokkaido University, Open lab.3, Marine Science Creative Research Building, Sapporo, Japan
Interests: marine biotechnology and microbiology; fish herpesviruses; fish pathogens

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Guest Editor
Dept. Cell Biology & Immunology (CBI), Wageningen University & Research (WUR), P.O. Box 338, 6700AH Wageningen, The Netherlands
Interests: fish immunology and vaccination; history of immunology; interaction between antibiotics and immune system

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Fish are the oldest animal group with an immune system showing clear similarities with the defence systems of mammals and birds. Both innate and acquired immune responses have been described during the 19th and 20th century. More recently it has become clear, that cells of the innate and acquired immune system are co-operating. Moreover, complex molecular processes are taking place during an immune response. All these data are essential for finding an answer on the question:

"How are fish defending themselves against pathogens?"

It is obvious, that answers on this question can play an important role in maintaining the health of fish under natural circumstances, but also in the laboratory and during large scale aquaculture. In order to see how far we are today it will be important to see what we know about the following subjects:

  • Fish species playing an important role as experimental model in fish immunology and vaccination studies.                                                
  • The influence of environmental factors (e.g. temperature, climate change, water quality) on fish immunity.
  • How does the stress response affect the immune response (both in the laboratory and in large scale aquaculture) ?
  • What is the role of genetic factors in disease resistance or sensitivity ?
  • What are the positive or negative effects of food additives (vitamins, probiotica, antibiotics) on the immune system ?
  • What are the mechanisms behind the formation of immunological memory ?
  • How can we improve existing fish vaccines or develop new ones ?
  • What are the historic highlights in the field of fish immunology and vaccination ? 

This special issue can be regarded as an update for the successful special issue "Current Topics in Fish Immunology" published in Volume 4 of this journal in 2015 and will provide us with an overview of the developments in fish immunology and vaccination during the past and in recent years.

Dr. Ilgiz Irnazarow
Dr. Hisae Kasai
Prof. Dr. Willem B. Van Muiswinkel
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • fish immunology
  • fish vaccination
  • fish health
  • aquaculture
  • climate change
  • stress
  • genetics of disease resistance
  • immunological memory
  • probiotics
  • antibiotics

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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16 pages, 104925 KiB  
Article
Structural and Functional Aspects of the Spleen in Molly Fish Poecilia sphenops (Valenciennes, 1846): Synergistic Interactions of Stem Cells, Neurons, and Immune Cells
by Ramy K. A. Sayed, Giacomo Zaccone, Gioele Capillo, Marco Albano and Doaa M. Mokhtar
Biology 2022, 11(5), 779; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology11050779 - 20 May 2022
Cited by 22 | Viewed by 4731
Abstract
In fish, the spleen is the prime secondary lymphoid organ. It has a role in the induction of adaptive immune responses, in addition to its significance in the elimination of immune complexes. This study was conducted on 18 randomly obtained adult molly fish [...] Read more.
In fish, the spleen is the prime secondary lymphoid organ. It has a role in the induction of adaptive immune responses, in addition to its significance in the elimination of immune complexes. This study was conducted on 18 randomly obtained adult molly fish (Poecilia sphenops) of both sexes using histological, immunohistochemical, and ultrastructural studies to highlight the cellular components of the spleen and their potential role in the immune system. The spleen of molly fish was characterized by the presence of well-distinct melanomacrophage centers, and other basic structures present in higher vertebrates including red and white pulps, blood vessels, and ellipsoids. Some mitotic cells could also be identified in the red pulp. Mast cells with characteristic metachromatic granules could be seen among the splenic cells. Rodlet cells were randomly distributed in the spleen and were also observed around the ellipsoids. The white pulp of the spleen expressed APG5. The expressions were well distinct in the melanomacrophages, leukocytes, and macrophages. Myostatin was expressed in leukocytes and epithelial reticular cells. IL-1β showed immunoreactivity in monocytes and macrophages around the ellipsoids. NF-κB and TGF-β were expressed in macrophages and epithelial reticular cells. Nrf2 expression was detected in stem cells and rodlet cells. Sox-9 had a higher expression in epithelial reticular cells and stem cells. The high frequency of immune cells in the spleen confirmed its role in the regulation of both innate and adaptive immunity, cell proliferation, and apoptosis. Full article
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11 pages, 830 KiB  
Communication
Proteomics Analysis in Japanese Medaka Oryzias latipes Exposed to Humic Acid Revealed Suppression of Innate Immunity and Coagulation Proteins
by Victoria V. Yurchenko, Alexey A. Morozov and Bogdan A. Kiriukhin
Biology 2022, 11(5), 683; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology11050683 - 29 Apr 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1885
Abstract
Humic acids (HA), one of the major components of dissolved organic matter, can interfere with different metabolic pathways in aquatic animals, causing various biological effects. This study aimed to provide a molecular basis for HA-related responses in fish by analyzing changes in the [...] Read more.
Humic acids (HA), one of the major components of dissolved organic matter, can interfere with different metabolic pathways in aquatic animals, causing various biological effects. This study aimed to provide a molecular basis for HA-related responses in fish by analyzing changes in the blood plasma proteome following short-term exposure to environmentally relevant HA concentrations using the Japanese medaka Oryzias latipes Hd-rR strain as a model organism. Proteomics data were obtained by high-performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry analysis employing a label-free quantification approach. HA caused dysregulation of proteins involved in various biological processes, including protein folding, signaling, transport, metabolism, regulation, immune response, and coagulation. The majority of the differentially abundant proteins were down-regulated, including those involved in humoral immunity and coagulation. HA caused the decrease of the complement cascade and membrane attack complex proteins abundance, as well as proteins participating in activation and regulation of secondary hemostasis. The most pronounced suppression was observed at the highest tested HA concentration. Full article
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Review

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34 pages, 2631 KiB  
Review
Host–Pathogen Interactions of Marine Gram-Positive Bacteria
by Hajarooba Gnanagobal and Javier Santander
Biology 2022, 11(9), 1316; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology11091316 - 5 Sep 2022
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 4825
Abstract
Marine Gram-positive bacterial pathogens, including Renibacterium salmoninarum, Mycobacterium marinum, Nocardia seriolae, Lactococcus garvieae, and Streptococcus spp. cause economic losses in marine fish aquaculture worldwide. Comprehensive information on these pathogens and their dynamic interactions with their respective fish–host systems are [...] Read more.
Marine Gram-positive bacterial pathogens, including Renibacterium salmoninarum, Mycobacterium marinum, Nocardia seriolae, Lactococcus garvieae, and Streptococcus spp. cause economic losses in marine fish aquaculture worldwide. Comprehensive information on these pathogens and their dynamic interactions with their respective fish–host systems are critical to developing effective prophylactic measures and treatments. While much is known about bacterial virulence and fish immune response, it is necessary to synthesize the knowledge in terms of host–pathogen interactions as a centerpiece to establish a crucial connection between the intricate details of marine Gram-positive pathogens and their fish hosts. Therefore, this review provides a holistic view and discusses the different stages of the host–pathogen interactions of marine Gram-positive pathogens. Gram-positive pathogens can invade fish tissues, evade the fish defenses, proliferate in the host system, and modulate the fish immune response. Marine Gram-positive pathogens have a unique set of virulence factors that facilitate adhesion (e.g., adhesins, hemagglutination activity, sortase, and capsules), invasion (e.g., toxins, hemolysins/cytolysins, the type VII secretion system, and immune-suppressive proteins), evasion (e.g., free radical quenching, actin-based motility, and the inhibition of phagolysosomal fusion), and proliferation and survival (e.g., heme utilization and siderophore-mediated iron acquisition systems) in the fish host. After infection, the fish host initiates specific innate and adaptive immune responses according to the extracellular or intracellular mechanism of infection. Although efforts have continued to be made in understanding the complex interplay at the host–pathogen interface, integrated omics-based investigations targeting host–pathogen–marine environment interactions hold promise for future research. Full article
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25 pages, 27905 KiB  
Review
Lympho-Hematopoietic Microenvironments and Fish Immune System
by Agustín G. Zapata
Biology 2022, 11(5), 747; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology11050747 - 13 May 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3397
Abstract
In the last 50 years information on the fish immune system has increased importantly, particularly that on species of marked commercial interest (i.e., salmonids, cods, catfish, sea breams), that occupy a key position in the vertebrate phylogenetical tree (i.e., Agnatha, Chondrichtyes, lungfish) or [...] Read more.
In the last 50 years information on the fish immune system has increased importantly, particularly that on species of marked commercial interest (i.e., salmonids, cods, catfish, sea breams), that occupy a key position in the vertebrate phylogenetical tree (i.e., Agnatha, Chondrichtyes, lungfish) or represent consolidated experimental models, such as zebrafish or medaka. However, most obtained information was based on genetic sequence analysis with little or no information on the cellular basis of the immune responses. Although jawed fish contain a thymus and lympho-hematopoietic organs equivalents to mammalian bone marrow, few studies have accounted for the presumptive relationships between the organization of these cell microenvironments and the known immune capabilities of the fish immune system. In the current review, we analyze this topic providing information on: (1) The origins of T and B lymphopoiesis in Agnatha and jawed fish; (2) the remarkable organization of the thymus of teleost fish; (3) the occurrence of numerous, apparently unrelated organs housing lympho-hematopoietic progenitors and, presumably, B lymphopoiesis; (4) the existence of fish immunological memory in the absence of germinal centers. Full article
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