Functional characterization of Malabar grouper (Epinephelus malabaricus) interferon regulatory factor 9 involved in antiviral response.

IRF9 is a crucial component in the JAK-STAT pathway. IRF9 interacts with STAT1 and STAT2 to form IFN-I-stimulated gene factor 3 (ISGF3) in response to type I IFN stimulation, which promotes ISG transcription. However, the mechanism by which IFN signaling regulates Malabar grouper (Epinephelus malabaricus) IRF9 is still elusive.

Fish-specific TLR18 in Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) recruits MyD88 and TRIF to induce expression of effectors in NF-κB and IFN pathways in melanomacrophages.

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are evolutionarily conserved proteins of pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) and play a crucial role in innate immune systems recognition of conserved pathogen-related molecular samples (PAMPs). We identified and characterized TLR18 from Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus), OnTLR18, to elucidate its role in tissue expression patterns, modulation of gene expression after microbial challenge and TLR ligands, subcellular localization in fish and human cells, and the possible effectors TLR18 induces in a melanomacrophage-like cell line (tilapia head kidney (THK) cells). OnTLR18 expression was detected in all tissues examined, with the highest levels in the intestine and the lowest in the liver.

Dietary Administration of Novel Multistrain Probiotics from Healthy Grouper Intestines Promotes the Intestinal Immune Response against NNV Infection.

(giant grouper) is a high-value cultured species in the Asia-Pacific region. However, nervous necrosis virus (NNV) is an infectious viral disease that affects over 120 species of marine cultured species and causes high mortality, ranging from 90-100% in the grouper industry. Probiotics isolated from the intestines of healthy individuals have provided insight into novel approaches involved in the defense against viral pathogens.

Poly(vinyl alcohol--itaconic acid) hydrogels grafted with several designed peptides for human pluripotent stem cell culture and differentiation into cardiomyocytes.

We developed poly(vinyl alcohol--itaconic acid) (PV) hydrogels grafted with laminin-derived peptides that had different joint segments and several specific designs, including dual chain motifs. PV hydrogels grafted with a peptide derived from laminin-β4 (PMQKMRGDVFSP) containing a joint segment, dual chain motif and cationic amino acid insertion could attach human pluripotent stem (hPS) cells and promoted high expansion folds in long-term culture (over 10 passages) with low differentiation rates, whereas hPS cells attached poorly on PV hydrogels grafted with laminin-α5 peptides that had joint segments with and without a cationic amino acid or on PV hydrogels grafted with laminin-β4 peptides containing the joint segment only. The inclusion of a cationic amino acid in the laminin-β4 peptide was critical for hPS cell attachment on PV hydrogels, which contributed to the zeta potential shifting to higher values (3-4 mV enhancement).

The Alteration of Intestinal Microbiota Profile and Immune Response in during Pathogen Infection.

, or grouper, is a high economic value fish species that plays an important role in the aquaculture industry in Asia. However, both viral and bacterial diseases have threatened grouper for many years, especially nervous necrosis virus, grouper iridovirus and , which have caused a bottleneck in the grouper industry. Currently, intestinal microbiota can provide novel insights into the pathogenesis-related factors involved in pathogen infection.

Screening for the Proteins That Can Interact with Grouper Nervous Necrosis Virus Capsid Protein.

Nervous necrosis virus (NNV) can infect many species of fish and has an 80-100% mortality rate. NNV capsid protein (NNVCP) is the only structural protein of NNV, but there are few studies on the protein-protein interaction between NNVCP and the host cell. To investigate NNV morphogenesis, native NNV capsid protein (NNVCP) was used to screen for protein-protein interactions in this study.

Blast2Fish: a reference-based annotation web tool for transcriptome analysis of non-model teleost fish.

Background: Transcriptome analysis by next-generation sequencing has become a popular technique in recent years. This approach is quite suitable for non-model organism study, as de novo assembly is independent of prior genomic sequences of organisms. De novo sequencing has benefited many studies on commercially important fish species.

Secretory Production of Functional Grouper Type I Interferon from in and .

Nervous necrosis virus (NNV) results in high mortality rates of infected marine fish worldwide. Interferons (IFNs) are cytokines in vertebrates that suppress viral replication and regulate immune responses. Heterologous overexpression of fish IFN in bacteria could be problematic because of protein solubility and loss of function due to protein misfolding.

Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids suppress metastatic features of human cholangiocarcinoma cells by suppressing twist.

Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is a highly malignant cancer of the bile duct, which has a five-year survival rate less than 5% due to a high metastasis rate and lack of therapeutic options. Although omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs) have been shown to inhibit the proliferation of CCA cells, the effects on CCA metastasis have not been previously reported. In this study, we first assessed the proliferation, migration and invasion effects of n-3 PUFA-based fish oil on human CCA cells.

The design of a thermoresponsive surface for the continuous culture of human pluripotent stem cells.

Commonly, stem cell culture is based on batch-type culture, which is laborious and expensive. We continuously cultured human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) on thermoresponsive dish surfaces, where hPSCs were partially detached on the same thermoresponsive dish by decreasing the temperature of the thermoresponsive dish to be below the lower critical solution temperature for only 30 min. Then, the remaining cells were continuously cultured in fresh culture medium, and the detached stem cells were harvested in the exchanged culture medium.

Induction of Gonadal Development in Protogynous Grouper with Orally Delivered FSH DNA.

The availability of sexually mature fish often dictates the success of its captive breeding. In this study, we induced reproductive development in juvenile protogynous tiger grouper through oral administration of a plasmid (p) containing an engineered follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). An expression construct (pcDNA3.

The microbiota profile and transcriptome analysis of immune response during metamorphosis stages in orange spotted grouper (Epinephelus coioides).

Metamorphosis is a transformation process in larval development associated with changes in morphological and physiological features, including the immune system. The gastrointestinal tract harbors a plethora of bacteria, which might affect the digestion and absorption of nutrients, immunity, and gut-brain crosstalk in the host. In this study, we have performed metagenomic and transcriptomic analyses on the intestines of grouper at the pre-, mid- and post-metamorphosis stages.

A transcriptomic investigation of digestive processes in orange-spotted grouper, Epinephelus coioides, before, during, and after metamorphic development.

The orange-spotted grouper (OG), Epinephelus coioides, is an ecologically and economically important species with strong market demand. However, larval rearing for this species is especially difficult, with mass mortality occurring at multiple stages including the period coinciding with metamorphic development. The aim of the present study was to characterise the molecular ontogenesis of genes that influence appetite, feeding, and digestion in OG larvae head and body tissue at 12, 18, and 50 days post hatch (dph), which coincides with the beginning and end of metamorphic development.

Transcriptome profiling analysis of grouper during nervous necrosis virus persistent infection.

Nervous necrosis virus (NNV) infection has been considered a serious disease in farmed grouper. Particularly, the persistent infection model conducts the grouper into a carrier state that continues to spread the virus through spawning. This particular model makes disease control more difficult in the aquaculture industry.

Cloning and expression of Malabar grouper (Epinephelus malabaricus) ADAR1 gene in response to immune stimulants and nervous necrosis virus.

ADARs are RNA editing catalysts that bind double-stranded RNA and convert adenosine to inosine, a process that can lead to destabilization of dsRNA structures and suppression of mRNA translation. In mammals, ADAR1 genes are involved in various cellular pathways, including interferon (IFN)-mediated response. However, the function of fish ADAR1 remains unclear.

Regional genetic diversity for NNV grouper viruses across the Indo-Asian region - implications for selecting virus resistance in farmed groupers.

Grouper aquaculture around Asia is impacted by the nervous necrosis virus (NNV) and, in response, host resistance to this infection is being considered as a trait for selection. However efficient selection may be confounded if there are different genetic strains of NNV within and between regions and over years. This study uses statistical approaches and assessment of "characteristic attributes" (i.

Comparison of the responses of different recombinant fish type I interferons against betanodavirus infection in grouper.

The nervous necrosis virus (NNV) is an aquatic virus that can infect more than 30 species including the grouper, which is a valuable fish species in Taiwan. NNV causes up to 90-100% mortality in the aquaculture industry. Interferons (IFNs) are a family of cytokines that stimulate the expression of numerous proteins to protect the host against viruses and possess very unique specific characteristics in fish.

RIG-I specifically mediates group II type I IFN activation in nervous necrosis virus infected zebrafish cells.

The type I interferon (IFN) response has been shown to be crucial for the survival of zebrafish larvae infected with nervous necrosis virus (NNV). Teleost type I IFNs can be divided into two groups, based on their cysteine content. While teleost group I IFNs have been extensively studied in terms of their regulation and anti-viral properties, the characteristics of teleost group II IFNs have been relatively unexplored.

Interferon regulatory factor-1 (IRF-1) is involved in the induction of phosphatidylserine receptor (PSR) in response to dsRNA virus infection and contributes to apoptotic cell clearance in CHSE-214 cell.

The phosphatidylserine receptor (PSR) recognizes a surface marker on apoptotic cells and initiates engulfment. This receptor is important for effective apoptotic cell clearance and maintains normal tissue homeostasis and regulation of the immune response. However, the regulation of PSR expression remains poorly understood.

Crystallization and X-ray diffraction of virus-like particles from a piscine betanodavirus.

Dragon grouper nervous necrosis virus (DGNNV), a member of the genus Betanodavirus, causes high mortality of larvae and juveniles of the grouper fish Epinephelus lanceolatus. Currently, there is no reported crystal structure of a fish nodavirus. The DGNNV virion capsid is derived from a single open reading frame that encodes a 338-amino-acid protein of approximately 37 kDa.

Genome sequences characterizing five mutations in RNA polymerase and major capsid of phages ϕA318 and ϕAs51 of Vibrio alginolyticus with different burst efficiencies.

Background: The burst size of a phage is important prior to phage therapy and probiotic usage. The efficiency for a phage to burst its host bacterium can result from molecular domino effects of the phage gene expressions which dominate to control host machinery after infection. We found two Podoviridae phages, ϕA318 and ϕAs51, burst a common host V.

Identification of the STAT1 gene and the characterisation of its immune response to immunostimulants, including nervous necrosis virus (NNV) infection, in Malabar grouper (Epinephelus malabaricus).

Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription (STAT)-1 is an indispensable signal transduction protein that is involved in the interferon pathway. STAT-1 plays an important role in the innate immune response. The full-length cDNA of Malabar grouper (Epinephelus malabaricus) STAT-1, MgSTAT1, was cloned.

Transcriptome characterization and gene expression of Epinephelus spp in endoplasmic reticulum stress-related pathway during betanodavirus infection in vitro.

Background: Grouper (Epinephelus spp) is an economically important fish species worldwide. However, viral pathogens such as nervous necrosis virus (NNV) have been causing severe infections in the fish, resulting in great loss in the grouper aquaculture industry. Yet, the understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying the pathogenicity of NNV is still inadequate, mainly due to insufficient genomic information of the host.

A novel quantitative immunomagnetic reduction assay for Nervous necrosis virus.

Rapid, sensitive, and automatic detection platforms are among the major approaches of controlling viral diseases in aquaculture. An efficient detection platform permits the monitoring of pathogen spread and helps to enhance the economic benefits of commercial aquaculture. Nervous necrosis virus (NNV), the cause of viral encephalopathy and retinopathy, is among the most devastating aquaculture viruses that infect marine fish species worldwide.

Stage-specific expression of TNFα regulates bad/bid-mediated apoptosis and RIP1/ROS-mediated secondary necrosis in Birnavirus-infected fish cells.

Infectious pancreatic necrosis virus (IPNV) can induce Bad-mediated apoptosis followed by secondary necrosis in fish cells, but it is not known how these two types of cell death are regulated by IPNV. We found that IPNV infection can regulate Bad/Bid-mediated apoptotic and Rip1/ROS-mediated necrotic death pathways via the up-regulation of TNFα in zebrafish ZF4 cells. Using a DNA microarray and quantitative RT-PCR analyses, two major subsets of differentially expressed genes were characterized, including the innate immune response gene TNFα and the pro-apoptotic genes Bad and Bid.