Immune Response In Zebrafish Research Articles

Administration of recombinant IFN1 protects zebrafish ( Danio rerio) from ISKNV infection

In the present study, we used the infectious spleen and kidney necrosis virus (ISKNV) and zebrafish model system to investigate the inhibitory effect of recombinant zebrafish interferon 1 (zfrIFN1) on acute viral infection and the impact of time of zfrIFN1 administration on its protective efficacy. In vivo experiments showed that administration of recombinant zfrINF1 up-regulated expression of several IFN-stimulated genes within 24 h of injection, and expression levels of these genes dropped to normal levels similar to those in control fish within three days. However, the transcriptions of two viral genes, the major capsid protein and virus protein 48 genes, were significantly inhibited for at least three days, indicating a longer duration of the zfrIFN1-mediated innate immune effect. To evaluate the protective efficacy of zfrIFN1 against ISKNV infection, we compared the relative percentage survival (RPS) of ISKNV-infected zebrafish by intraperitoneally (IP) injecting the fish with zfrIFN1 at different time points before or after infection. IP injection with 1 μg zfrIFN1/g fish body weight at 24, 6 or 0 h before virus infection or 6 h after virus infection significantly improved fish survival. However, IP injection with an equal dose of zfrIFN1 24 h post-infection did not provide significant protection to the fish. Our results suggest that zfrIFN1 is potent in inhibiting ISKNV acute infection and initiating the innate immune response in zebrafish, but its efficiency depends on the time of administration. This study shows the protective effects of interferon against a DNA-virus in fish for the first time and provides information about the efficacy of fish interferon that will prove useful in possible therapeutic applications.

562 Microbiota-Induced Serum Amyloid A is an Important Mediator of Innate Immune Response in Zebrafish

562 Microbiota-Induced Serum Amyloid A is an Important Mediator of Innate Immune Response in Zebrafish

Disease Modeling in Zebrafish: Cancer and Immune Responses—A Report on a Workshop Held in Spoleto, Italy, July 20–22, 2009

The growing interest in using zebrafish for genetic and functional dissection of malignancy and infection was highlighted by the second international workshop on Zebrafish Models of Cancer and the Immune Response in Spoleto, Italy (July 20-22, 2009). The overarching theme of the state-of-the-art reports featured the unique suitability of zebrafish for in vivo monitoring of fundamental biologic and pathologic processes. For example, in vivo imaging was employed for the first demonstration of direct development of hematopoietic stem cells from hemogenic epithelium and for visualization of T-cell homing and interaction with thymic epithelial cells. In addition, in vivo monitoring was instrumental for developing disease models of solid tumors, leukemia, and of inflammatory conditions, and for assessing the efficacy of small molecule drugs under physiologic and pathologic conditions. The success of zebrafish small molecule screens was underscored by the identification of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) as an efficient inducer of stem cell expansion that led to the initiation of the first human trial on the efficacy of PGE2 in bone marrow transplantation. Further, zebrafish models of infectious diseases such as tuberculosis have been established that are now amenable to high-throughput in vivo drug screens, a much-needed development in the fight against drug-resistant microorganisms. The success of this workshop and the rapidly growing field of cancer and the immune response in zebrafish have spawned follow-up meetings in Boston (June 2010) and Edinburgh (2011).

β-Glucan administration enhances disease resistance and some innate immune responses in zebrafish ( Danio rerio)

The present study was conducted to investigate the effect of β-glucan (derived from Saccharomyces cerevisiae) on the immune response and its protection against an infection of the bacterial pathogen Aeromonas hydrophila in zebrafish ( Danio rerio). Zebrafish received β-glucan by intraperitoneal injection at three different concentrations (5, 2 and 0.5 mg ml −1) at 6, 4 and 2 days prior the challenge. On challenge day the control and β-glucan pretreated zebrafish were intraperitoneally injected with A. hydrophila and mortality was recorded for 4 days. Intraperitoneal injection of 5 mg ml −1 of β-glucan significantly reduced the mortality. A single injection of 5 mg ml −1 of β-glucan 6 days before challenge also enhanced significantly the survival against the infection. The treatment with β-glucan increased the myelomonocytic cell population in the kidney at 6 h postchallenge with A. hydrophila. Moreover it enhanced the ability of kidney cells to kill A. hydrophila. β-glucan did not affect the expression of TNFα or IL-1β but seemed to modulate IFNγ and chemokine expression in kidney.

Acute phase response in zebrafish upon Aeromonas salmonicida and Staphylococcus aureus infection: Striking similarities and obvious differences with mammals

Zebrafish has emerged as a valuable model for immunological studies. However, little is known about the overall picture of its immune response to infectious pathogens. Here we present the first systematic study of its immune response to Aeromonas salmonicida and Staphylococcus aureus, a Gram-negative and a Gram-positive bacteria, respectively. Genes induced upon infection were identified with suppression subtractive hybridization, with many of them encoding acute phase proteins (APPs). When compared with mammals, striking similarities and obvious differences have been observed. Both similar APPs (SAA, hepcidin and haptoglobin, etc.) and a similar system for the induction of APPs (which involves the TLRs, pro-inflammatory cytokines and C/EBPs) were identified, implying evolutionary conserved mechanisms among fish and mammals. Some novel APPs were also discovered, suggesting different immune strategies adopted by fish species. Among which, LECT2 was induced by up to 1000-fold upon infection, shedding new lights on the function of this gene. Our results constitute the first demonstration of a similar while different immune response in zebrafish and open new avenues for the investigation of evolutionary conserved and fish specific mechanisms of innate immunity.