Expression of genes encoding Toll-like receptors associated with infection by monogenean parasites
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| Year of publication | 2017 |
| Type | Conference abstract |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
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| Description | When invaded by pathogens, host organism mobilizes the immune system lines of defence. Study involving targeting of immune-related genes and monitoring changes in their expression levels is one of the possibilities how to study responses of host to pathogen infection. Toll-like receptors (TLRs), a group of transmembrane protein receptors, play a crucial role in innate immunity response to pathogens. Expression of genes coding for TLRs in fish was previously shown to be influenced by parasite infection. In our study, we aimed to compare TLRs genes expression patterns in different tissues (spleen, head kidney and gills) of Abramis brama x Rutilus rutilus hybrid system. Fish were collected from Hamry reservoir (Brno, Czech Republic) and parasitological dissection for metazoan parasites was performed. Monogenean parasites represented the most dominant (90%) group of metazoan parasites in studied fish. Considerably higher abundance of monogenean parasites was revealed in A. brama in comparison with R. rutilus and hybrids. At the same time, significantly higher TLR21 expression was observed in A. brama than in remaining fish groups. Significant effect of monogenean abundance and fish group (i.e. A. brama, R. rutilus and hybrids) on TLR21 expression was subsequently supported by GLM test. No effect of monogenean abundance was revealed on TLR21 expression in remaining tissues and TLR2 expression. However, in A. brama significant negative correlation was observed between the abundance of strict specialist Dactylogyrus zandti and expression of TLR21 in gills. Since effect of remaining parasite groups on levels of TLR21 expression cannot be excluded, experimental study involving infection by monogenean parasites is further needed in order to confirm these findings. |
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