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Vaccines
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The Innate Immune Defense of Animals Living in Pathogenic Environments
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The Innate Immune Defense of Animals Living in Pathogenic Environments

A special issue of Vaccines (ISSN 2076-393X). This special issue belongs to the section "Veterinary Vaccines".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2022) | Viewed by 7871

Special Issue Editor

Dr. José Manuel Pérez De La Lastra

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Biotechnology of Macromolcules, Instituto de Productos Naturales y Agrobiología, CSIC, 28006 Madrid, Spain
Interests: biotechnology; macromolecules; antimicrobials; IgY antibodies; peptides; epitopes
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This special issue is dedicated to the molecules involved in the innate immune defenses of animals living in pathogenic environments. The innate immune system is an evolutionarily ancient part of host defense. It has a limited repertoire of effector molecules that coordinate a fast and flexible defense system, capable of protecting against most of the likely pathogens with a broad specificity. These processes include production of host defense peptides, collectins, and acute phase proteins, among others.

Over billions of years of evolution, biological processes of innate immunity have favored the development of efficient defense mechanisms against environmental pathogens. As such, the immune system's components reflect an individual's genetic profile and the environmental conditions to which it is exposed. Studies on host defense in wild animals living in their naturally pathogenic environments can significantly improve our understanding of innate immune mechanisms. This study could offer unexplored opportunities to identify molecules with a potential to reduce both the need for antibiotics and the emergence of multidrug-resistant microorganisms.

Topics:

  • Defensins and host defense peptides
  • Pathogen associated immunostimulants
  • Sensors and pattern recognition molecules
  • Soluble mediators
  • Germ line-encoded receptors
  • Complement components
  • Cell-surface pattern recognition receptors
  • Inflammatory chemokines, interferons and other secreted factors
  • Innate cells and molecular pathways
  • Acute-phase proteins, proteases, and other less-categorized molecules

Dr. José Manuel Pérez De La Lastra
Guest Editor

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. Vaccines is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Innate immunity
  • Host defense peptides
  • toll-like receptors
  • complement components
  • acute phase protein

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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10 pages, 1791 KiB  
Article
Low NETosis Induced in Anaplasma phagocytophilum-Infected Cells
by Sara Artigas-Jerónimo, Almudena González-García, José de la Fuente, Valeria Blanda, Mojtaba Shekarkar Azgomi, Margarita Villar, Leila Mohammadnezhad, Francesca Grippi, Alessandra Torina and Guido Sireci
Vaccines 2022, 10(10), 1756; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines10101756 - 20 Oct 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1558
Abstract
Anaplasma phagocytophilum are obligatory intracellular bacteria that preferentially replicate inside leukocytes by utilizing biological compounds and processes of these primary host defensive cells. In this study, bioinformatics analysis was conducted to further characterize A. phagocytophilum–host interactions using the neutrophil-like model of human [...] Read more.
Anaplasma phagocytophilum are obligatory intracellular bacteria that preferentially replicate inside leukocytes by utilizing biological compounds and processes of these primary host defensive cells. In this study, bioinformatics analysis was conducted to further characterize A. phagocytophilum–host interactions using the neutrophil-like model of human Caucasian promyelocytic leukemia HL60 cells. We detected a hierarchy of molecules involved in A. phagocytophilum-HL60 interactions with overrepresentation in infected human cells of proteins involved in the reactive oxygen species (ROS) pathway and cell surface monocyte markers. As A. phagocytophilum phagocytosis by neutrophils is inhibited, the results suggested a possible explanation for our bioinformatics data: radical oxygen compounds could induce the killing of bacteria activating NETosis, a unique form of defense mechanism resulting in cell death that is characterized by the release of decondensed chromatin and granular contents to the extracellular space, forming neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) to eliminate invading microorganisms. Thus, we confirmed the existence of a low NETosis induced in A. phagocytophilum-infected cells by immunofluorescence (IF) experiments. These results provide new insights into the complex mechanisms that govern immune response during A. phagocytophilum host interactions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Innate Immune Defense of Animals Living in Pathogenic Environments)
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11 pages, 723 KiB  
Article
Efficient Oral Priming of Tenebrio molitor Larvae Using Heat-Inactivated Microorganisms
by Sergio González-Acosta, Victoria Baca-González, Patricia Asensio-Calavia, Andrea Otazo-Pérez, Manuel R. López, Antonio Morales-delaNuez and José Manuel Pérez de la Lastra
Vaccines 2022, 10(8), 1296; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines10081296 - 11 Aug 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1954
Abstract
Microbial resistance is a global health problem that will increase over time. Advances in insect antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) offer a powerful new approach to combat antimicrobial resistance. Invertebrates represent a rich group of animals for the discovery of new antimicrobial agents due to [...] Read more.
Microbial resistance is a global health problem that will increase over time. Advances in insect antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) offer a powerful new approach to combat antimicrobial resistance. Invertebrates represent a rich group of animals for the discovery of new antimicrobial agents due to their high diversity and the presence of adaptive immunity or “immune priming”. Here, we report a priming approach for Tenebrio molitor that simulates natural infection via the oral route. This oral administration has the advantage of minimizing the stress caused by conventional priming techniques and could be a viable method for mealworm immunity studies. When using inactivated microorganisms for oral priming, our results showed an increased survival of T. molitor larvae after exposure to various pathogens. This finding was consistent with the induction of antimicrobial activity in the hemolymph of primed larvae. Interestingly, the hemolymph of larvae orally primed with Escherichia coli showed constitutive activity against Staphylococcus aureus and heterologous activity for other Gram-negative bacteria, such as Salmonella enterica. The priming of T. molitor is generally performed via injection of the microorganism. To our knowledge, this is the first report describing the oral administration of heat-inactivated microorganisms for priming mealworms. This technique has the advantage of reducing the stress that occurs with the conventional methods for priming vertebrates. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Innate Immune Defense of Animals Living in Pathogenic Environments)
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19 pages, 7627 KiB  
Article
Antimicrobial Activity of Cathelicidin-Derived Peptide from the Iberian Mole Talpa occidentalis
by Andrea Otazo-Pérez, Patricia Asensio-Calavia, Sergio González-Acosta, Victoria Baca-González, Manuel R. López, Antonio Morales-delaNuez and José Manuel Pérez de la Lastra
Vaccines 2022, 10(7), 1105; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines10071105 - 10 Jul 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1761
Abstract
The immune systems of all vertebrates contain cathelicidins, a family of antimicrobial peptides. Cathelicidins are a type of innate immune effector that have a number of biological functions, including a well-known direct antibacterial action and immunomodulatory function. In search of new templates for [...] Read more.
The immune systems of all vertebrates contain cathelicidins, a family of antimicrobial peptides. Cathelicidins are a type of innate immune effector that have a number of biological functions, including a well-known direct antibacterial action and immunomodulatory function. In search of new templates for antimicrobial peptide discovery, we have identified and characterized the cathelicidin of the small mammal Talpa occidentalis. We describe the heterogeneity of cathelicidin in the order Eulipotyphla in relation to the Iberian mole and predict its antibacterial activity using bioinformatics tools. In an effort to correlate these findings, we derived the putative active peptide and performed in vitro hemolysis and antimicrobial activity assays, confirming that Iberian mole cathelicidins are antimicrobial. Our results showed that the Iberian mole putative peptide, named To-KL37 (KLFGKVGNLLQKGWQKIKNIGRRIKDFFRNIRPMQEA) has antibacterial and antifungal activity. Understanding the antimicrobial defense of insectivores may help scientists prevent the spread of pathogens to humans. We hope that this study can also provide new, effective antibacterial peptides for future drug development. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Innate Immune Defense of Animals Living in Pathogenic Environments)
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Review

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14 pages, 998 KiB  
Review
You Shall Not Pass: MX2 Proteins Are Versatile Viral Inhibitors
by Gilberto Betancor
Vaccines 2023, 11(5), 930; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines11050930 - 03 May 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1898
Abstract
Myxovirus resistance (MX) proteins are pivotal players in the innate immune response to viral infections. Less than 10 years ago, three independent groups simultaneously showed that human MX2 is an interferon (IFN)-stimulated gene (ISG) with potent anti-human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1) activity. Thenceforth, [...] Read more.
Myxovirus resistance (MX) proteins are pivotal players in the innate immune response to viral infections. Less than 10 years ago, three independent groups simultaneously showed that human MX2 is an interferon (IFN)-stimulated gene (ISG) with potent anti-human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1) activity. Thenceforth, multiple research works have been published highlighting the ability of MX2 to inhibit RNA and DNA viruses. These growing bodies of evidence have identified some of the key determinants regulating its antiviral activity. Therefore, the importance of the protein amino-terminal domain, the oligomerization state, or the ability to interact with viral components is now well recognized. Nonetheless, there are still several unknown aspects of MX2 antiviral activity asking for further research, such as the role of cellular localization or the effect of post-translational modifications. This work aims to provide a comprehensive review of our current knowledge on the molecular determinants governing the antiviral activity of this versatile ISG, using human MX2 and HIV-1 inhibition as a reference, but drawing parallelisms and noting divergent mechanisms with other proteins and viruses when necessary. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Innate Immune Defense of Animals Living in Pathogenic Environments)
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