Phycoerythrin from Colaconema sp. Has Immunostimulatory Effects on the Whiteleg Shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei and Increases Resistance to Vibrio parahaemolyticus and White Spot Syndrome Virus

Po-Tsang Lee,Zi-Xuan Liu,Li-Li Chen,Huai-Ting Huang,Chin-Yi Huang,Han-Yang Yeh,Meng-Chou Lee,Jing Huang,Fan-Hua Nan

doi:10.3390/ani11082371

Abstract

Simple SummaryIn this study, we found that phycoerythrin from Colaconema sp. can differentially stimulate the immune response of whiteleg shrimp in vitro and in vivo and could potentially be used as an immunomodulator in shrimp culture.We investigated whether phycoerythrin (PE), a pigment sourced from marine algae, could act as an immunomodulatory agent in whiteleg shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei). To this end, PE was extracted and purified from a PE-rich macroalgae, Colaconema sp. Our in vitro analysis demonstrated that PE enhanced prophenoloxidase and phagocytosis activity but inhibited the production of reactive oxygen species in hemocytes. Additionally, the PE signal could be detected using an in vivo imaging system after its injection into the ventral sinus of the cephalothorax of whiteleg shrimp. The expression profiles of fourteen immune-related genes were monitored in hemocytes from whiteleg shrimp injected with 0.30 μg of PE per gram of body weight, and crustin, lysozyme, penaiedin 4, and anti-lipopolysaccharide factor showed up-regulated post-stimulation. The induction of immune genes and enhancement of innate immune parameters by PE may explain the higher survival rates for shrimp that received different doses of PE prior to being challenged with Vibrio parahaemolyticus or white spot syndrome virus compared to controls. Combined, these results show that PE from Colaconema sp. can differentially stimulate the immune response of whiteleg shrimp in vitro and in vivo and could potentially be used as an immunomodulator in shrimp culture.

Highlights

Due to global improvements in the quality of life, the international demand for shrimp has been increasing
An extract of phycobiliproteins was obtained from Colaconema sp. and further saturated with ammonium sulfate prior to being applied to a gel filtration column
Our result showed that in 6.5–8 min retention time, the fluorescence emission from the PE extracted in the present study and the commercial standard PE described the same curve (Figure 2)

Summary

Introduction

Due to global improvements in the quality of life, the international demand for shrimp has been increasing. In 2019, the estimated global production of cultured marine shrimp was 4.45 million metric tonnes. Global shrimp production in 2020 is predicted to have been severely reduced due to the COVID-19 pandemic [1]. Litopenaeus vannamei, known as whiteleg shrimp, is one of the most important cultured shrimp species worldwide. L. vannamei is described as having a wide range of salt tolerance, rapid growth, and a high survival rate, as well as being well suited for artificial reproduction and highdensity culture, and has become the main cultured shrimp species in Taiwan [2].

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion