Molecular isolation and characterization of a spätzle gene from Macrobrachium rosenbergii.

Spätzle protein is an extracellular ligand of Toll receptor in Toll signaling pathway involved in the embryonic dorsoventral patterning and in the innate immunity. In this study, a spätzle gene of freshwater prawn, Macrobrachium rosenbergii (MrSpz) was isolated and characterized. The open reading frame of MrSpz consisted of 747 nucleotides encoding 248 amino acid residues containing a signal peptide and C-terminal spätzle activated domain. MrSpz shared high similarity to spätzle of Fenneropenaeus chinensis (FcSpz) at 92% identity and Marsupenaeus japonicus (MjSpz) at 83% identity. Phylogenetic analysis was performed and the results revealed that MrSpz was a member of the clade containing LvSpz3 of Litopenaeus vannamei, FcSpz and Penaeus monodon spätzle protein. The expression distribution at transcriptional level in various tissues of normal prawn revealed that the MrSpz was detected in gills, heart and hepatopancreas while no expression was observed in hemocyte, muscle and stomach. In the Aeromonas caviae challenged prawn, the expression level of MrSpz in hemocyte was increased gradually at 6, 12 and 24 h post-injection. Furthermore, in MrSpz knocked down prawn injected with Aeromonas caviae, the mortality rate were higher than that of non-related dsRNA group and control group. These results suggest that MrSpz protein may play a key role in the innate immunity of M. rosenbergii, especially in response to Gram-negative bacteria A. caviae invasion.

Genetic characterization and potential molecular dissemination mechanism of tet(31) gene in Aeromonas caviae from an oxytetracycline wastewater treatment system.

Recently, the rarely reported tet(31) tetracycline resistance determinant was commonly found in Aeromonas salmonicida, Gallibacterium anatis, and Oblitimonas alkaliphila isolated from farming animals and related environment. However, its distribution in other bacteria and potential molecular dissemination mechanism in environment are still unknown. The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential mechanism underlying dissemination of tet(31) by analysing the tet(31)-carrying fragments in A. caviae strains isolated from an aerobic biofilm reactor treating oxytetracycline bearing wastewater. Twenty-three A. caviae strains were screened for the tet(31) gene by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Three strains (two harbouring tet(31), one not) were subjected to whole genome sequencing using the PacBio RSII platform. Seventeen A. caviae strains carried the tet(31) gene and exhibited high resistance levels to oxytetracycline with minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) ranging from 256 to 512 mg/L. tet(31) was comprised of the transposon Tn6432 on the chromosome of A. caviae, and Tn6432 was also found in 15 additional tet(31)-positive A. caviae isolates by PCR. More important, Tn6432 was located on an integrative conjugative element (ICE)-like element, which could mediate the dissemination of the tet(31)-carrying transposon Tn6432 between bacteria. Comparative analysis demonstrated that Tn6432 homologs with the structure ISCR2-∆phzF-tetR(31)-tet(31)-∆glmM-sul2 were also carried by A. salmonicida, G. anatis, and O. alkaliphila, suggesting that this transposon can be transferred between species and even genera. This work provides the first report on the identification of the tet(31) gene in A. caviae, and will be helpful in exploring the dissemination mechanisms of tet(31) in water environment.

Aeromonas caviae inhibits hepatic enzymes of the phosphotransfer network in experimentally infected silver catfish: Impairment on bioenergetics.

Several studies have been demonstrated that phosphotransfer network, through the adenylate kinase (AK) and pyruvate kinase (PK) activities, allows for new perspectives leading to understanding of disease conditions associated with disturbances in energy metabolism, metabolic monitoring and signalling. In this sense, the aim of this study was to evaluate whether experimental infection by Aeromonas caviae alters hepatic AK and PK activities of silver catfish Rhamdia quelen. Hepatic AK and PK activities decreased in infected animals compared to uninfected animals, as well as the hepatic adenosine triphosphate (ATP) levels. Also, a severe hepatic damage was observed in the infected animals due to the presence of dilation and congestion of vessels, degeneration of hepatocytes and loss of liver parenchyma architecture and sinusoidal structure. Therefore, we have demonstrated, for the first time, that experimental infection by A. caviae inhibits key enzymes linked to the communication between sites of ATP generation and ATP utilization. Moreover, the absence of a reciprocal compensatory mechanism between these enzymes contributes directly to hepatic damage and for a severe energetic imbalance, which may contribute to disease pathophysiology.

Purinergic signalling displays an anti-inflammatory profile in the spleen of fish experimentally infected with Aeromonas caviae: Modulation of the immune response.

Extracellular adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and its metabolite adenosine (Ado) are recognized as key mediators of immune and inflammatory responses. Depending on its concentration, ATP may act as an immunostimulant or immunodepressant, while Ado levels display an anti-inflammatory profile. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether splenic purinergic signalling is capable of modulating immune and inflammatory responses in fish experimentally infected with Aeromonas caviae. Triphosphate diphosphohydrolase (NTPDase) and 5'-nucleotidase activities increased in the spleen of silver catfish (Rhamdia quelen) experimentally infected with A. caviae compared with the uninfected control group. Moreover, splenic Ado levels increased in the infected animals relative to the uninfected control group. Based on these lines of evidence, our findings revealed that adenine nucleotide hydrolysis is modified in the spleen of fish infected with A. caviae attempting to restrict the inflammatory process through the upregulation of NTPDase and 5'-nucleotidase activities, which occurs in an attempt to hydrolyse the excessive ATP in the extracellular environment and rapidly hydrolyse AMP to form Ado. In summary, purinergic signalling can modulate immune and inflammatory responses during A. caviae infection.

Quorum sensing activity of Aeromonas caviae strain YL12, a bacterium isolated from compost.

Quorum sensing is a well-studied cell-to-cell communication method that involves a cell-density dependent regulation of genes expression mediated by signalling molecules. In this study, a bacterium isolated from a plant material compost pile was found to possess quorum sensing activity based on bioassay screening. Isolate YL12 was identified using matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry and molecular typing using rpoD gene which identified the isolate as Aeromonas caviae. High resolution tandem mass spectrometry was subsequently employed to identify the N-acyl homoserine lactone profile of Aeromonas caviae YL12 and confirmed that this isolate produced two short chain N-acyl homoserine lactones, namely C4-HSL and C6, and the production was observed to be cell density-dependent. Using the thin layer chromatography (TLC) bioassay, both AHLs were found to activate C. violaceum CV026, whereas only C6-HSL was revealed to induce bioluminescence expression of E. coli [pSB401]. The data presented in this study will be the leading steps in understanding the role of quorum sensing in Aeromonas caviae strain YL12.

Molecular cloning and characterization of a Toll receptor gene from Macrobrachium rosenbergii.

Toll receptors are cell surface molecules acting as pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) that have been implicated in the signaling pathway of innate immune responses. In this study, the full-length cDNA of a Toll receptor gene of Macrobrachium rosenbergii, designated MrToll, was successfully isolated using designed degenerate primers and the rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE). The MrToll gene sequence contained an open reading frame (ORF) of 2799 nucleotides encoding a protein of 932 amino acid residues. The protein contained distinct structural motifs of the Toll-like receptor (TLR) family, including an extracellular domain containing 15 leucine-rich repeats (LRRs), a transmembrane segment of 23 amino acids, and a cytoplasmic Toll/interleukin-1R (TIR) domain of 139 residues. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that MrToll and Toll receptor of Marsupenaeus japonicus (MjToll) evolved closely. However, the MrToll ORF demonstrated only 48-49% identity with shrimp Toll1, suggesting that MrToll isolated from a palaemonid shrimp might belong to a novel class of Toll receptors in shrimp. The transcripts of the MrToll gene were constitutively expressed in various tissues, with high levels in hemocytes, the stomach and muscle. A reverse transcriptase PCR assay demonstrated that the expression patterns of MrToll were distinctly modulated after Aeromonas caviae stimulation, with significant enhancement at 3-12 h post-challenge and a decline to basal levels at 24 h post-challenge. In addition, when MrToll-silenced shrimp were challenged with A. caviae, there was a significant increase in mortality and bacterial CFU counts. These results suggest that MrToll might be involved in host innate defense, especially against the pathogen A. caviae.

Isolation and identification of Aeromonas caviae strain KS-1 as TBTC- and lead-resistant estuarine bacteria.

Tributyltin chloride (TBTC)- and lead-resistant estuarine bacterium from Mandovi estuary, Goa, India was isolated and identified as Aeromonas caviae strain KS-1 based on biochemical characteristics and FAME analysis. It tolerates TBTC and lead up to 1.0 and 1.4 mM, respectively, in the minimal salt medium (MSM) supplemented with 0.4 % glucose. Scanning electron microscopy clearly revealed a unique morphological pattern in the form of long inter-connected chains of bacterial cells on exposure to 1 mM TBTC, whereas cells remained unaltered in presence of 1.4 mM Pb(NO3)2 but significant biosorption of lead (8 %) on the cell surface of this isolate was clearly revealed by scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. SDS-PAGE analysis of whole-cell proteins of this lead-resistant isolate interestingly demonstrated three lead-induced proteins with molecular mass of 15.7, 16.9 and 32.4 kDa, respectively, when bacterial cells were grown under the stress of 1.4 mM Pb (NO3)2. This clearly demonstrated their possible involvement exclusively in lead resistance. A. caviae strain KS-1 also showed tolerance to several other heavy metals, viz. zinc, cadmium, copper and mercury. Therefore, we can employ this TBTC and lead-resistant bacterial isolate for lead bioremediation and also for biomonitoring TBTC from lead and TBTC contaminated environment.