Host gene expression in wildlife disease: making sense of species‐level responses

Eskew, Evan A.; Fraser, Devaughn; Vonhof, Maarten J.; Pinsky, Malin L.; Maslo, Brooke

doi:10.1111/mec.16172

Cited by 6 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 149 publications

(185 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Patterns of higher immune gene expression in honeybees and stronger immune responses to pathogens were associated with increased wintering survival ( 63 ). However ( 64 ) showed that, on average, across several wildlife species (both invertebrates and vertebrates), less susceptible individuals had lower and more stable immune gene expression and sometimes better pathogen tolerance. It is possible that the decrease in immune gene expression with increasing tumor size in Tasmanian devils may also impair their ability to combat additional pathogens and parasites or additional immune stressors [but see ( 65 )].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Complex associations between cancer progression and immune gene expression reveals early influence of transmissible cancer on Tasmanian devils

Raven,

Klaassen,

Madsen

et al. 2024

Front. Immunol.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The world’s largest extant carnivorous marsupial, the Tasmanian devil, is challenged by Devil Facial Tumor Disease (DFTD), a fatal, clonally transmitted cancer. In two decades, DFTD has spread across 95% of the species distributional range. A previous study has shown that factors such as season, geographic location, and infection with DFTD can impact the expression of immune genes in Tasmanian devils. To date, no study has investigated within-individual immune gene expression changes prior to and throughout the course of DFTD infection. To explore possible changes in immune response, we investigated four locations across Tasmania that differed in DFTD exposure history, ranging between 2 and >30 years. Our study demonstrated considerable complexity in the immune responses to DFTD. The same factors (sex, age, season, location and DFTD infection) affected immune gene expression both across and within devils, although seasonal and location specific variations were diminished in DFTD affected devils. We also found that expression of both adaptive and innate immune genes starts to alter early in DFTD infection and continues to change as DFTD progresses. A novel finding was that the lower expression of immune genes MHC-II, NKG2D and CD8 may predict susceptibility to earlier DFTD infection. A case study of a single devil with regressed tumor showed opposite/contrasting immune gene expression patterns compared to the general trends observed across devils with DFTD infection. Our study highlights the complexity of DFTD’s interactions with the host immune system and the need for long-term studies to fully understand how DFTD alters the evolutionary trajectory of devil immunity.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Complex associations between cancer progression and immune gene expression reveals early influence of transmissible cancer on Tasmanian devils

Raven,

Klaassen,

Madsen

et al. 2024

Front. Immunol.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Peripheral inflammation-induced changes in songbird brain gene expression: 3’ mRNA transcriptomic approach

Kuttiyarthu Veetil,

Cedraz de Oliveira,

Gomez-Samblas

et al. 2024

Developmental & Comparative Immunology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Using transcriptomics to predict and visualize disease status in bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis)

Bowen

Manlove

Roug

et al. 2022

Conservation Physiology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Increasing risk of pathogen spillover coupled with overall declines in wildlife population abundance in the Anthropocene make infectious disease a relevant concern for species conservation worldwide. While emerging molecular tools could improve our diagnostic capabilities and give insight into mechanisms underlying wildlife disease risk, they have rarely been applied in practice. Here, employing a previously reported gene transcription panel of common immune markers to track physiological changes, we present a detailed analysis over the course of both acute and chronic infection in one wildlife species where disease plays a critical role in conservation, bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis). Differential gene transcription patterns distinguished between infection statuses over the course of acute infection and differential correlation (DC) analyses identified clear changes in gene co-transcription patterns over the early stages of infection, with transcription of four genes—TGFb, AHR, IL1b and MX1—continuing to increase even as transcription of other immune-associated genes waned. In a separate analysis, we considered the capacity of the same gene transcription panel to aid in differentiating between chronically infected animals and animals in other disease states outside of acute disease events (an immediate priority for wildlife management in this system). We found that this transcription panel was capable of accurately identifying chronically infected animals in the test dataset, though additional data will be required to determine how far this ability extends. Taken together, our results showcase the successful proof of concept and breadth of potential utilities that gene transcription might provide to wildlife disease management, from direct insight into mechanisms associated with differential disease response to improved diagnostic capacity in the field.

show abstract

Host gene expression in wildlife disease: making sense of species‐level responses

Abstract: Recently emerged wildlife diseases that threaten population-or species-level persistence have forced conservation biologists to direct their attention toward disease processes, including transmission dynamics and host responses to pathogen exposure (Daszak

Cited by 6 publications

References 149 publications

Complex associations between cancer progression and immune gene expression reveals early influence of transmissible cancer on Tasmanian devils

Complex associations between cancer progression and immune gene expression reveals early influence of transmissible cancer on Tasmanian devils

Peripheral inflammation-induced changes in songbird brain gene expression: 3’ mRNA transcriptomic approach

Using transcriptomics to predict and visualize disease status in bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis)

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About