Comparison of select innate immune mechanisms of fish and mammals

Abstract

The study of innate immunity has become increasingly popular since the discovery of homologs of many of the innate immune system components and pathways in lower organisms including invertebrates. As fish occupy a key position in the evolution of the innate and adaptive immune responses, there has been a great deal of interest regarding similarities and differences between their defense mechanisms and those of higher vertebrates. This review focuses on describing select mechanisms of the innate immune responses of fish and the implications for evolution of immunity in higher vertebrates.

Influence of nutritional state on the progression and severity of mycobacteriosis in striped bass Morone saxatilis

“…A minor proportion of experimental fish were previously infected with Mycobacterium marinum based on positive culture of 3 out of 60 fish in our initial screening. As fish possess acquired immunity, it is possible that previous exposure to mycobacterium led to a hastened immune response over that capable by truly naïve fish (Plouffe et al 2005). However, there is no evidence that previous exposure had any influence on our results and, in fact, allowed for limited information on the impact of diet in naturally infected fish with a second strain of M. marinum.…”

“…Chan et al (1996) demonstrated that mice receiving a reduced protein diet (2%) rapidly succumbed to tuberculosis accompanied by a reduced expression of interferon γ, tumor necrosis factor ά , and nitric oxide synthase in the lungs. These cytokines, as well as interleukin-1 (IL1), interleukin-4 (IL4), and transforming growth factor β are critical to the production of nitrous oxides and other reactive nitrogen intermediates, which are used by phagocytes to kill pathogens (Plouffe et al 2005). Remarkably, fulminant tuberculosis characterized by poorly formed granulomas and elevated bacterial load was reversible in mice by increasing protein intake to match that of the controls (20%) (Chan et al 1996).…”

The Immune System Drugs in Fish: Immune Function, Immunoassay, Drugs

“…In recent years, various cytokines have been described in fish, but the major drawback in identifying fish cytokines is the low sequence identity compared to their mammalian counterparts. The low sequence identities also limit the detection of proteins of fish cytokines by using the antibodies of human cytokines (Plouffe et al, 2006). Most of these have been identified in biological assays on the basis of their functional similarity to mammalian cytokine activities.…”

In vitro effect of Levamisole on Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) peripheral blood mononuclear cells

“…With the appearance of the fi rst vertebrates, particularly gnathostomes, a new defensive strategy, the acquired or adaptive immune response (specifi c and with memory), acting jointly and coordinately with the innate response, appeared (Flajnik & Du Pasquier 2004;Cooper & Alder 2006). Thus, the adaptive immune response is present in most fi sh and all the rest of vertebrates and, therefore, fi sh are a key group for comparative studies to unravel the evolution of adaptive immunity (Plouffe et al 2005).…”

“…Innate immunity, being the fi rst defensive line against microorganisms, is fundamental to avoid infectious diseases (Plouffe et al 2005). Among the cellular components of innate immunity we can include natural cytotoxic cells (NCCs), functionally homologous to natural killer cells (NK) of mammals (Evans & Jaso-Friedmann 1992;Praveen et al 2006).…”