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Aquatic Organisms as Disease Models

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A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Pathology, Diagnostics, and Therapeutics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2023) | Viewed by 12822

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Prof. Dr. Jacek Z. Kubiak

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Guest Editor

Dynamics and Mechanics of Epithelia Group, Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Genetics and Development of Rennes, University of Rennes, CNRS, UMR 6290, 35043 Rennes, France
Interests: embryo development; cell cycle; gene regulation; cancer; stem cells; gonads; genetic diseases
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Malgorzata Kloc

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Guest Editor

Transplant Immunology, The Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, TX 77030, USA
Interests: macrophages; actin cytoskeleton; RhoA pathway; chronic rejection; transplantation; germ cells; stem cells; Xenopus laevis; development
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Aquatic organisms are an irreplaceable source of medicinal drugs and therapeutics, a perfect model system and indicator for many human diseases, and often also a source of remedies for environmental pollutants. To mention a few examples, for several decades, the African clawed frog Xenopus laevis has been used for human pregnancy tests. Between the 1940s and 1960s, thousands of frogs were imported to the USA by pharmaceutical companies and injected with pregnant women’s urine. Xenopus frogs are the perfect human ciliary-based model for kidney disease, and the Xenopus sex reversal is an excellent indicator of water contamination with endocrine disruptors that mimic human sex hormones and are present in the majority of cosmetics and everyday products. Zebrafish and squid eyes are a model for human ocular diseases, such as glaucoma, cataracts, photoreceptor degeneration, and cornea and retina disorders. The Atlantic horseshoe crab’s (Limulus polyphemus) blue blood has been the source of limulus amebocyte lysate (LAL) used to test the bacterial contamination of vaccines and medical equipment. Over the past 30 years, scientists have identified over 20,000 novel biochemical compounds from aquatic organisms, and dozens have been tested in clinical trials. Cytarabine and vidarabine, isolated from Caribbean sponges, are used for the treatment of leukemia and lymphoma, and systematic herpes virus infections, respectively. Ziconotide, a powerful analgesic drug, was isolated from the cone snail, and trabectedin (Yondelis), a marine alkaloid isolated from the tunicate, is used for the treatment of advanced soft-tissue sarcoma and ovarian cancer.

For this Special Issue, we invite research and review articles on the recent progress in aquatic organisms as a source of medication and models for human diseases. In addition, papers concerning markers of environmental pollutants and acting as a source of antipollutant compounds are also welcome.

Prof. Dr. Jacek Z. Kubiak
Prof. Dr. Malgorzata Kloc
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

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Keywords

aquatic organism
human disease model
novel drugs
Zebrafish
Xenopus laevis
squid Caribbean
sponges
cone snail

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Editorial

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3 pages, 209 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

Why Do We Study Aquatic Organisms?

by Malgorzata Kloc and Jacek Z. Kubiak

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(21), 15807; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms242115807 - 31 Oct 2023

Viewed by 1634

Abstract

Aquatic organisms comprising various plant and animal taxa represent a wide range of adaptations to a specific environment, but they also share many features with nonaquatic organisms of a given taxonomic group.[...] Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Aquatic Organisms as Disease Models)

Research

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16 pages, 6818 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Transcriptome Analysis Reveals the Effect of Stocking Density on Energy Metabolism in the Gills of Cherax quadricarinatus under Rice-Crayfish Co-Culture

by Rui Jia, Yin Dong, Yiran Hou, Wenrong Feng, Bing Li and Jian Zhu

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(14), 11345; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms241411345 - 12 Jul 2023

Viewed by 989

Abstract

Stocking density is a crucial factor affecting productivity in aquaculture, and high stocking density is a stressor for aquatic animals. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effects of stocking densities on oxidative stress and energy metabolism in the gills of Cherax quadricarinatus under rice-crayfish farming. The C. quadricarinatus were reared at low density (LD), medium density (MD), and high density (HD) for 90 days. The results showed that the superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione (GSH), and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels were higher in the HD group than those in the LD group. Transcriptomic analysis revealed 1944 upregulated and 1157 downregulated genes in the gills of the HD group compared to the LD group. Gene ontology (GO) enrichment analysis indicated that these differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were significantly associated with ATP metabolism. KEGG (Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes) analysis also showed that high stocking density resulted in the dysregulation of oxidative phosphorylation. Furthermore, high stocking density upregulated six lipid metabolism-related pathways. Overall, our findings, despite the limited number of samples, suggested that high stocking density led to oxidative stress and dysregulation of energy metabolism in the gills of C. quadricarinatus under rice–crayfish co-culture. Alteration in energy metabolism may be an adaptive response to adverse farming conditions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Aquatic Organisms as Disease Models)

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11 pages, 1617 KiB

Open AccessArticle

by Valentina S. Evsiukova, Alla B. Arefieva, Ivan E. Sorokin and Alexander V. Kulikov

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(4), 3185; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24043185 - 06 Feb 2023

Viewed by 1261

Abstract

The annual turquoise killifish (Nothobranchius furzeri) is a laboratory model organism for neuroscience of aging. In the present study, we investigated for the first time the levels of serotonin and its main metabolite, 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid, as well as the activities of the key enzymes of its synthesis, tryptophan hydroxylases, and degradation, monoamine oxidase, in the brains of 2-, 4- and 7-month-old male and female N. furzeri. The marked effect of age on the body mass and the level of serotonin, as well as the activities of tryptophan hydroxylases and monoamine oxidase in the brain of killifish were revealed. The level of serotonin decreased in the brain of 7-month-old males and females compared with 2-month-old ones. A significant decrease in the tryptophan hydroxylase activity and an increase in the monoamine oxidase activity in the brain of 7-month-old females compared to 2-month-old females was shown. These findings agree with the age-related alterations in expression of the genes encoding tryptophan hydroxylases and monoamine oxidase. N. furzeri is a suitable model with which to study the fundamental problems of age-related changes of the serotonin system in the brain. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Aquatic Organisms as Disease Models)

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18 pages, 39482 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Down-Regulation of Lipid Metabolism in the Hepatopancreas of Shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei upon Light and Heavy Infection of Enterocytozoon hepatopenaei: A Comparative Proteomic Study

by Yujiao Wu, Jie Chen, Guoli Liao, Mengjiao Hu, Qing Zhang, Xianzhi Meng, Tian Li, Mengxian Long, Xiaodong Fan, Qing Yu, Liping Zhang, Guoqing Pan and Zeyang Zhou

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(19), 11574; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms231911574 - 30 Sep 2022

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 1868

Abstract

Enterocytozoon hepatopenaei (EHP) is the pathogen of hepatopancreatic microsporidiosis (HPM) in shrimp. The diseased shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei exhibits a slow growth syndrome, which causes severe economic losses. Herein, 4D label-free quantitative proteomics was employed to analyze the hepatopancreas of L. vannamei with a light (EHPptp2 < 10³ copies/50 ng hpDNA, L group) and heavy (EHPptp2 > 10⁴ copies/50 ng hpDNA, H group) load of EHP to better understand the pathogenesis of HPM. Exactly 786 (L group) and 1056 (H group) differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) versus the EHP-free (C group) control were mainly clustered to lipid metabolism, amino acid metabolism, and energy production processing. Compared with the L group, the H group exhibited down-regulation significantly in lipid metabolism, especially in the elongation and degradation of fatty acid, biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acid, metabolism of α-linolenic acid, sphingolipid, and glycerolipid, as well as juvenile hormone (JH) degradation. Expression pattern analysis showed that the degree of infection was positively correlated with metabolic change. About 479 EHP proteins were detected in infected shrimps, including 95 predicted transporters. These findings suggest that EHP infection induced the consumption of storage lipids and the entire down-regulation of lipid metabolism and the coupling energy production, in addition to the hormone metabolism disorder. These were ultimately responsible for the stunted growth. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Aquatic Organisms as Disease Models)

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19 pages, 3316 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effects of Dietary Glycinin on Oxidative Damage, Apoptosis and Tight Junction in the Intestine of Juvenile Hybrid Yellow Catfish, Pelteobagrus fulvidraco ♀ × Pelteobaggrus vachelli ♂

by Linyuan Yi, Jingwen Liu, Huijun Yang, Aijie Mo, Yuxiang Zhai, Siru Wang and Yongchao Yuan

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(19), 11198; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms231911198 - 23 Sep 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1454

Abstract

The objective of this study was to examine the influences of glycinin for growth and intestinal structural integrity related to oxidative damage, apoptosis and tight junction of juvenile hybrid yellow catfish (Pelteobagrus fulvidraco ♀ × Pelteobaggrus vachelli ♂). Fish (initial weight, 1.02 ± 0.01 g) were fed diets containing five different levels of glycinin at 0%, 2%, 4%, 6%, and 8% for 8 weeks. The results demonstrated that dietary glycinin levels had a negative correlation with final weight, feed intake, protein efficiency ratio and survival rate of the experiment fish. When the level of dietary glycinin exceeded 4%, the structural integrity of the posterior intestine was observably impaired, characterized by disordered and exfoliated margin of intestinal villi, blurred and broken boundaries of tight junctions, damaged organelles and cell vacuolation. Levels of 4–8% dietary glycinin depressed the total antioxidant capacity and total superoxide dismutase activities of posterior intestine. Furthermore, a high level of dietary glycinin linearly and quadratically down-regulated the mRNA expressions of Claudin-1, Occludin and ZO-1, while it linearly and significantly up-regulated the mRNA expressions of Bax, Cyt C, Caspase 3, Caspase 9 and p53 in the posterior intestine. In conclusion, dietary 4–8% glycinin impaired the morphological structure of the posterior intestine by inducing oxidative stress and cell apoptosis, and eventually impeded the growth performance of juvenile hybrid yellow catfish. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Aquatic Organisms as Disease Models)

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19 pages, 4431 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Peripheral Blood B-Lymphocytes Are Involved in Lymphocystis Disease Virus Infection in Flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) via Cellular Receptor-Mediated Mechanism

by Xiuzhen Sheng, Jing Zeng, Ying Zhong, Xiaoqian Tang, Jing Xing, Heng Chi and Wenbin Zhan

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(16), 9225; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms23169225 - 17 Aug 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1397

Abstract

Previous studies imply that peripheral blood leukocytes (PBLs) may play an important role in systemic lymphocystis disease virus (LCDV) dissemination, but whether the PBLs are susceptible and permissive to LCDV infection and the dissemination mechanism need to be clarified. In this study, LCDV was firstly confirmed to infect the PBLs in flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) in vivo, and to replicate in PBLs in vitro. Subsequently, the 27.8 kDa receptor protein (27.8R), a functional receptor mediating LCDV infection in flounder gill cells, was shown to locate on the cell membrane of PBLs and co-localize with LCDV in PBLs, while blocking of the 27.8R via pre-incubation of anti-27.8R MAb with the PBLs could obviously inhibit LCDV infection, revealing the 27.8R as a receptor for LCDV entry into PBLs. Multicolor fluorescence imaging studies verified that IgM⁺ and IgD⁺ B-lymphocyte were involved in LCDV infection. In the sorted IgM⁺ B-cells, 27.8R⁺ and LCDV⁺ signals were simultaneously observed, and LCDV copy numbers increased with time, indicating that IgM⁺ B-cells expressed the 27.8R and were permissive to LCDV infection. Furthermore, the dynamic changes of IgM⁺, 27.8R⁺, LCDV⁺ and LCDV⁺/IgM⁺ PBLs were monitored during the early phase of LCDV infection. It was found that the percentage of IgM⁺ B-cells in PBLs clearly declined first and then increased, suggesting LCDV infection facilitated damage to B-cells, whereas the amounts of 27.8R⁺ and LCDV⁺ PBLs, as well as LCDV-infected IgM⁺ B-cells, showed an opposite trend. These results proved that IgM⁺ B-lymphocytes could be infected by LCDV via a receptor-mediated mechanism and support viral replication, which provided novel insights for the first time into the role of B-lymphocytes in LCDV dissemination and pathogenesis in teleost fish. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Aquatic Organisms as Disease Models)

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Review

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14 pages, 1283 KiB

Open AccessReview

Seahorse Male Pregnancy as a Model System to Study Pregnancy, Immune Adaptations, and Environmental Effects

by Malgorzata Kloc

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(11), 9712; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24119712 - 03 Jun 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3534

Abstract

Seahorses, together with sea dragons and pipefishes, belong to the Syngnathidae family of teleost fishes. Seahorses and other Syngnathidae species have a very peculiar feature: male pregnancy. Among different species, there is a gradation of paternal involvement in carrying for the offspring, from a simple attachment of the eggs to the skin surface, through various degrees of egg coverage by skin flaps, to the internal pregnancy within a brood pouch, which resembles mammalian uterus with the placenta. Because of the gradation of parental involvement and similarities to mammalian pregnancy, seahorses are a great model to study the evolution of pregnancy and the immunologic, metabolic, cellular, and molecular processes of pregnancy and embryo development. Seahorses are also very useful for studying the effects of pollutants and environmental changes on pregnancy, embryo development, and offspring fitness. We describe here the characteristics of seahorse male pregnancy, its regulatory mechanisms, the development of immune tolerance of the parent toward the allogeneic embryos, and the effects of environmental pollutants on pregnancy and embryo development. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Aquatic Organisms as Disease Models)

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