Induced immune reaction in the acorn worm, Saccoglossus kowalevskii, informs the evolution of antiviral immunity.
Michael G TassiaHaley A HallowellDamien S WaitsRyan C RangeChristopher J LoweRita M GrazeElizabeth Hiltbold SchwartzKenneth M HalanychPublished in: Molecular biology and evolution (2023)
Evolutionary perspectives on the deployment of immune factors following infection have been shaped by studies on a limited number of biomedical model systems with a heavy emphasis on vertebrate species. Though their contributions to contemporary immunology cannot be understated, a broader phylogenetic perspective is needed to understand the evolution of immune systems across Metazoa. In our study, we leverage differential gene expression analyses to identify genes implicated in the antiviral immune response of the acorn worm hemichordate, Saccoglossus kowalevskii, and place them in the context of immunity evolution within deuterostomes - the animal clade composed of chordates, hemichordates, and echinoderms. Following acute exposure to the synthetic viral dsRNA analog, poly(I:C), we show that S. kowalevskii responds by regulating the transcription of genes associated with canonical innate immunity signaling pathways (e.g., NF-κB and IRF signaling) and metabolic processes (e.g., lipid metabolism), as well as many genes without clear evidence of orthology with those of model species. Aggregated across all experimental time point contrasts, we identify 423 genes that are differentially expressed in response to poly(I:C). We also identify 147 genes with altered temporal patterns of expression in response to immune challenge. By characterizing the molecular toolkit involved in hemichordate antiviral immunity, our findings provide vital evolutionary context for understanding the origins of immune systems within Deuterostomia.
Keyphrases
- genome wide
- gene expression
- immune response
- dna methylation
- signaling pathway
- bioinformatics analysis
- genome wide identification
- pi k akt
- liver failure
- dendritic cells
- sars cov
- inflammatory response
- nuclear factor
- toll like receptor
- intensive care unit
- endothelial cells
- single molecule
- extracorporeal membrane oxygenation
- induced apoptosis
- cell proliferation
- mechanical ventilation