Proteomic profile of Ostrea edulis haemolymph in response to bonamiosis and identification of candidate proteins as resistance markers

Abstract

European flat oyster Ostrea edulis populations have suffered extensive mortalities caused by bonamiosis. The protozoan parasite Bonamia ostreae is largely responsible for this disease in Europe, while its congener B. exitiosa has been detected more recently in various European countries. Both of these intracellular parasites are able to survive and proliferate within haemocytes, the main cellular effectors of the immune system in molluscs. Two-dimensional electrophoresis was used to compare the haemolymph protein profile between Bonamia spp.-infected and non-infected oysters within 3 different stocks, a Galician stock of oysters selected for resistance against bonamiosis, a non-selected Galician stock and a selected Irish stock. Thirty-four proteins with a presumably relevant role in the oyster-Bonamia spp. interaction were identified; they were involved in major metabolic pathways, such as energy production, respiratory chain, oxidative stress, signal transduction, transcription, translation, protein degradation and cell defence. Furthermore, the haemolymph proteomic profiles of the non-infected oysters of the 2 Galician stocks were compared. As a result, 7 proteins representative of the non-infected Galician oysters selected for resistance against bonamiosis were identified; these 7 proteins could be considered as candidate markers of resistance to bonamiosis, which should be further assessed.

Genetic markers associated with divergent selection against the parasite Marteilia cochillia in common cockle (Cerastoderma edule) using transcriptomics and population genomics data

“…Thus, searching for those genetic markers was considered a main goal for recovering cockle production and preventing its expansion to other areas through breeding programs or appropriate shellfishery management. Similar approaches have been tackled for the identification of molecular markers for disease resilience in other mollusc species (de la Ballina et al, 2018;Ronza et al, 2018;Farhat et al, 2020;Lepretre et al, 2021).…”

What do the terms resistance, tolerance, and resilience mean in the case of Ostrea edulis infected by the haplosporidian parasite Bonamia ostreae

“…Indeed, molecular responses are likely to be shaped by previous exposure to parasites. Many contemporary studies have started to explore the expression of proteins, genes, and micro-RNAs associated with phagocytosis, respiratory burst, and apoptosis and have compared Bonamia-naïve and Bonamia-exposed oysters to identify underlying mechanisms that might support a differential phenotype (Morga et al, 2012(Morga et al, , 2017Martín-Gómez et al, 2014;Gervais et al, 2016;Pardo et al, 2016;De La Ballina et al, 2018;Ronza et al, 2018;Vera et al, 2019). Whilst the details are still being unravelled, it is clear that mechanisms exist that might underpin, and indeed require, formal definitions of resistance, tolerance or resilience.…”

Bonamia infection in native oysters (Ostrea edulis) in relation to European restoration projects

“…Ronza et al, 2018; Vera et al, 2019) for testing and screening resistance. Proteomic approaches can also contribute to identify molecular markers of resistance to bonamiosis (de la Ballina, Villalba, & Cao, 2018).…”