Screening and Characterization of Sialic Acid-Binding Variable Lymphocyte Receptors from Hagfish.

Sialic acid is a diverse group of monosaccharides often found on the termini of - and -linked glycans as well as being components of glycoconjugates. Hypersialylation has been associated with the progression of chronic inflammation-mediated diseases such as cardiovascular disease and cancer. Given its role in infection and disease-related processes, sialic acid is a promising target for therapeutic approaches that utilize carbohydrate-binding molecules.

Passive immunoprophylaxis with Ccombodies against Vibrio parahaemolyticus in Pacific white shrimp (Penaeus vannamei).

The Vibrio parahaemolyticus strain causing acute hepatopancreatic necrosis disease (AHPND) in shrimp secretes toxins A and B (PirA/PirB). These toxins have been implicated in pathogenesis and are targets for developing anti-AHPND therapeutics or prophylactics that include passive immunization. We have previously reported that Ccombodies (recombinant hagfish variable lymphocyte receptor B antibodies; VLRB) targeting PirB conferred protection against V.

CD4 T lymphocyte responses to viruses and virus-relevant stimuli in teleost fish.

Fish diseases caused by viruses are a major threat to aquaculture. Development of disease protection strategies for sustainable fish aquaculture requires a better understanding of the immune mechanisms involved in antiviral defence. The innate and adaptive arms of the vertebrate immune system collaborate to mount an effective defence against viral pathogens.

Infection and microbial molecular motifs modulate transcription of the interferon-inducible gene ifit5 in a teleost fish.

Interferon-induced proteins with tetratricopeptide repeats (IFITs) are involved in antiviral defense. Members of this protein family contain distinctive multiple structural motifs comprising tetratricopeptides that are tandemly arrayed or dispersed along the polypeptide. IFIT-encoding genes are upregulated by type I interferons (IFNs) and other stimuli.

Two Virus-Induced MicroRNAs Known Only from Teleost Fishes Are Orthologues of MicroRNAs Involved in Cell Cycle Control in Humans.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are ~22 base pair-long non-coding RNAs which regulate gene expression in the cytoplasm of eukaryotic cells by binding to specific target regions in mRNAs to mediate transcriptional blocking or mRNA cleavage. Through their fundamental roles in cellular pathways, gene regulation mediated by miRNAs has been shown to be involved in almost all biological phenomena, including development, metabolism, cell cycle, tumor formation, and host-pathogen interactions. To address the latter in a primitive vertebrate host, we here used an array platform to analyze the miRNA response in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) following inoculation with the virulent fish rhabdovirus Viral hemorrhagic septicaemia virus.

Involvement of two microRNAs in the early immune response to DNA vaccination against a fish rhabdovirus.

Mechanisms that account for the high protective efficacy in teleost fish of a DNA vaccine expressing the glycoprotein (G) of Viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus (VHSV) are thought to involve early innate immune responses mediated by interferons (IFNs). Microribonucleic acids (miRNAs) are a diverse class of small (18-22 nucleotides) endogenous RNAs that potently mediate post-transcriptional silencing of a wide range of genes and are emerging as critical regulators of cellular processes, including immune responses. We have recently reported that miR-462 and miR-731 were strongly induced in rainbow trout infected with VHSV.