The innate immune system of kissing bugs, vectors of chagas disease

Salcedo-Porras, Nicolás; Lowenberger, Carl

doi:10.1016/j.dci.2019.04.007

Cited by 35 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 136 publications

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“…Relish is an important member of the NF-κB transcription factor family and translocates to the nucleus upon the detection of gram-negative bacteria to elicit effector AMP functions. The involvement of Relish in AMP expression has been noted in other invertebrates, including Drosophila 36,44 . TmRelish contains RHD, IPT, ANK, and DD domains, and an NLS was identified in the C-terminal portion of the IPT domain.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 85%

TmRelish is required for regulating the antimicrobial responses to Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus in Tenebrio molitor

Keshavarz

Patnaik

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

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Relish, a transcription factor, is a critical downstream component of the immune deficiency (Imd) pathway and regulates host defense against bacterial infection by mediating antimicrobial peptide (AMP) synthesis. Understanding the immunological function of the mealworm beetle, Tenebrio molitor Relish (TmRelish) will be instructive in understanding insect immunity. In the present study, full-length oRf of TmRelish was retrieved from T. molitor-expressed sequence tags and RNA-seq database. The predicted TmRelish amino acid sequence contained an N-terminal Rel-homology domain; an Ig-like, plexin, and transcription factor domain; ankyrin repeat motifs; a nuclear localization signal; and a C-terminal death domain and shared the highly conserved structure of the Relish proteins of other insect species. TmRelish mRNA was detected in all developmental stages of the insect; however, the highest levels were detected in the larval gut tissue and adult hemocytes. TmRelish mRNA level was upregulated in the fat body, hemocyte, and gut tissue 9 h after infection of T. molitor larvae by the gram-negative bacteria, Escherichia coli. Furthermore, TmRelish knockdown led to significantly higher mortality of the E. coli-infected larvae, and significantly lower mortality of larvae infected with Staphylococcus aureus or Candida albicans. To elucidate the possible cause of mortality, we measured AMP transcription in the fat body, hemocytes, gut, and Malpighian tubules (MTs) of T. molitor larvae. TmRelish knockdown suppressed the expression of nine AMP genes in the larval fat body and gut tissue during E. coli infection, suggesting that TmRelish positively regulates AMP expression in both immunerelated tissues, in response to E. coli challenge. Furthermore, negative regulation of some AMPs by TmRelish in the MTs, gut and hemocytes in response to C. albicans infection suggests a crosstalk between the Toll and Imd pathways.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 85%

TmRelish is required for regulating the antimicrobial responses to Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus in Tenebrio molitor

Keshavarz

Patnaik

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

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“…The overall achievement of insects in maintaining a stable population of individuals is due, in part, to their ability to recognize pathogens and eliminate them successfully using the immune system. The immunity of insects comprises multiple elements that work in concert and, in general, includes physical barriers as well as innate immune responses, which lead to a combination of cellular and humoral immunity [ 161 ]. In recent years, it has been shown that reproduction and immunity can be mutually constraining since both responses are energetically costly, and therefore need to be traded off.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…NO is highly toxic for a wide variety of pathogens and is produced by nitric oxide synthase (NOS). ROS are produced by conserved nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase enzymes [ 161 , 165 ]. Recently, it was reported that L-arginine treatment in R .…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

What happens after a blood meal? A transcriptome analysis of the main tissues involved in egg production in Rhodnius prolixus, an insect vector of Chagas disease

2020

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The blood-sucking hemipteran Rhodnius prolixus is a vector of Chagas disease, one of the most neglected tropical diseases affecting several million people, mostly in Latin America. The blood meal is an event with a high epidemiological impact since adult mated females feed several times, with each meal resulting in a bout of egg laying, and thereby the production of hundreds of offspring. By means of RNA-Sequencing (RNA-Seq) we have examined how a blood meal influences mRNA expression in the central nervous system (CNS), fat body and ovaries in order to promote egg production, focusing on tissue-specific responses under controlled nutritional conditions. We illustrate the cross talk between reproduction and a) lipids, proteins and trehalose metabolism, b) neuropeptide and neurohormonal signaling, and c) the immune system. Overall, our molecular evaluation confirms and supports previous studies and provides an invaluable molecular resource for future investigations on different tissues involved in successful reproductive events. These analyses serve as a starting point for new investigations, increasing the chances of developing novel strategies for vector population control by translational research, with less impact on the environment and more specificity for a particular organism.

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“…To understand the dynamics of parasite transmission, a tripartite approach focusing on triatomine-trypanosome-microbiome interactions has been proposed, which requires the integration of microbiological, genomic, ecological, bioinformatics, biochemical, and biological techniques to explain these interactions and how they may affect the transmission of trypanosomes (Salcedo-Porras & Lowenberger, 2019). To achieve this, it is necessary to use both wild and established triatomine colonies with different microbiota from geographically distinct locations together with Trypanosoma strains with different genotypes and DTUs to study innate immunity and links with the biology of trypanosomes that could be exploited to reduce parasite transmission (Salcedo-Porras & Lowenberger, 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Innate trypanolytic factors in triatomine hemolymph against Trypanosoma rangeli and T. cruzi: a comparative study in eight Chagas disease vectors

Suárez-Quevedo

Barbosa-Vinasco

Gutiérrez-Garnizo

et al. 2020

Rev. Acad. Colomb. Cienc. Ex. Fis. Nat.

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There is limited information about the innate immunity of triatomines against Trypanosoma rangeli, an infectious, non-pathogenic human parasite, and T. cruzi, the causative agent of Chagas’ disease. This study aimed at addressing this gap by studying the in vitro trypanolytic hemolymph activity from insects not infected by T. rangeli or T. cruzi. Eight triatomine species were examined including Rhodnius prolixus, R. robustus, R. colombiensis, R. pallescens, R. pictipes, Triatoma dimidiata, T. maculata, and Panstrongylus geniculatus. The hemolymph of R. prolixus and R. robustus laboratory colonies demonstrated strong trypanolytic activity during the first 14 hours of parasite incubation with 81% lysis for the T. rangeli C genotype, 90% for the E genotype, 95% for T. cruzi discrete taxonomic unit (DTU) TcII, 94% for TcV, 96% for TcVI, 94% for Tcbat, and 90% for Tcmarinkellei. No lysis activity was detected 14 or 24 hours after parasite incubation with the hemolymph of insects from R. pictipes R. pallescens, P. geniculatus, and T. maculata colonies. Identical results (absence of lysis) were observed using hemolymph from R. colombiensis and T. dimidiata laboratory colonies and specimens captured in sylvatic environments. The hemolymph lytic activity against recently obtained cultures (95% decrease in live parasite count) and long-term T. cruzi TcII ones (96% decrease) was similar. Lytic activity was similar in hemolymph from R. prolixus nymphs, males and females and insects fed on chicken or mouse blood. This is the first comparative study of the trypanolytic activity of hemolymph from different triatomine species against T. rangeli and T. cruzi genotypes. Although the chemical structures of such lysis factors and the mechanisms determining their expression have not been fully determined, their identification furthers our understanding of triatomines’ innate immunity and their role in Trypanosoma transmission.

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The innate immune system of kissing bugs, vectors of chagas disease

Cited by 35 publications

References 136 publications

TmRelish is required for regulating the antimicrobial responses to Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus in Tenebrio molitor

TmRelish is required for regulating the antimicrobial responses to Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus in Tenebrio molitor

What happens after a blood meal? A transcriptome analysis of the main tissues involved in egg production in Rhodnius prolixus, an insect vector of Chagas disease

Innate trypanolytic factors in triatomine hemolymph against Trypanosoma rangeli and T. cruzi: a comparative study in eight Chagas disease vectors

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