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Damiani G, Sebastiano M, Dell'Omo G, Costantini D. Blood transcriptome analysis of common kestrel nestlings living in urban and non-urban environments. Sci Total Environ 2024; 928:172585. [PMID: 38641099 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.172585] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2024] [Revised: 04/16/2024] [Accepted: 04/17/2024] [Indexed: 04/21/2024]
Abstract
Urbanisation is one of the main anthropogenic forms of land cover affecting an ever-increasing number of wild animals and their habitats. Physiological plasticity represents an important process through which animals can adjust to the novel conditions of anthropogenic environments. Relying on the analysis of gene expression, it is possible to identify the molecular responses to the habitat conditions and infer possible environmental factors that affect the organismal physiology. We have quantified for the first time the blood transcriptome of common kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) nestlings living in urban sites and compared it to the transcriptome of kestrel nestlings inhabiting rural and natural environments. We found mild differences in the expression of genes among sites, indicating adaptability or acclimation of the birds to the urban habitat. We identified 58 differentially expressed genes between urban and natural kestrels, and 12 differentially expressed genes between urban and rural kestrels. The most striking differences among sites involved inflammatory-immunological, metabolic, apoptosis, DNA repair and development genes. In particular, we found that (i) urban kestrel nestlings had higher expression of genes linked to inflammation, repair of DNA damage, or apoptosis than natural kestrel nestlings, and (ii) natural and rural kestrel nestlings had higher expression of genes linked to the development and activation of immune cells, type I interferon response, or major histocompatibility complex than urban kestrel nestlings. Finally, the KEGG enrichment analysis identified the insulin signalling as the main pathway that differed between natural and urban kestrel nestlings. This is one of a limited number of studies on vertebrates that revealed habitat-associated differences in the transcriptome. It paves the way for further in-depth studies on the links between physiological variation and habitat structure at different spatial and temporal scales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gianluca Damiani
- Department of Ecological and Biological Sciences, University of Tuscia, Largo dell'Università, 01100 Viterbo, Italy; Ornis italica, Piazza Crati 15, 00199 Rome, Italy.
| | - Manrico Sebastiano
- Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium
| | | | - David Costantini
- Department of Ecological and Biological Sciences, University of Tuscia, Largo dell'Università, 01100 Viterbo, Italy; Ornis italica, Piazza Crati 15, 00199 Rome, Italy; Unité Physiologie Moléculaire et Adaptation, UMR7221-Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle-CNRS, 75005 Paris, France.
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Nash A, Ryan EJ. Immunity in Sea Turtles: Review of a Host-Pathogen Arms Race Millions of Years in the Running. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13. [PMID: 36830343 DOI: 10.3390/ani13040556] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2022] [Revised: 01/05/2023] [Accepted: 01/20/2023] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The immune system of sea turtles is not completely understood. Sea turtles (as reptiles) bridge a unique evolutionary gap, being ectothermic vertebrates like fish and amphibians and amniotes like birds and mammals. Turtles are ectotherms; thus, their immune system is influenced by environmental conditions like temperature and season. We aim to review the turtle immune system and note what studies have investigated sea turtles and the effect of the environment on the immune response. Turtles rely heavily on the nonspecific innate response rather than the specific adaptive response. Turtles' innate immune effectors include antimicrobial peptides, complement, and nonspecific leukocytes. The antiviral defense is understudied in terms of the diversity of pathogen receptors and interferon function. Turtles also mount adaptive responses to pathogens. Lymphoid structures responsible for lymphocyte activation and maturation are either missing in reptiles or function is affected by season. Turtles are a marker of health for their marine environment, and their immune system is commonly dysregulated because of disease or contaminants. Fibropapillomatosis (FP) is a tumorous disease that afflicts sea turtles and is thought to be caused by a virus and an environmental factor. We aim, by exploring the current understanding of the immune system in turtles, to aid the investigation of environmental factors that contribute to the pathogenesis of this disease and provide options for immunotherapy.
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Guo Y, Chen H, Liu P, Wang F, Li L, Ye M, Zhao W, Chen J. Microbial composition of carapace, feces, and water column in captive juvenile green sea turtles with carapacial ulcers. Front Vet Sci 2022; 9:1039519. [PMID: 36590814 PMCID: PMC9797667 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2022.1039519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2022] [Accepted: 12/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction Green sea turtles are endangered marine reptiles. Carapacial ulcers will develop on juvenile green sea turtles during artificial rescue, seriously affecting their health and potentially leading to death. Methods To determine the pathogens causing ulcerative carapacial disease, we performed 16S and ITS high-throughput sequencing, and microbial diversity analysis on samples from carapacial ulcers, healthy carapaces, feces, and seawater of juvenile green sea turtles. Results Our analysis showed that changes in microbial diversity of green sea turtle feces and seawater were not significantly associated with ulcerative carapacial disease. Discussion Psychrobacter sp. is the dominant species in the carapacial ulcers of green sea turtles. The bacterium is present in both healthy turtles and seawater where carapacial ulcers did not occur and decreasing seawater temperatures are likely responsible for the infection of juvenile green turtles with Psychrobacter sp. This is the first study on carapacial ulcers in captive juvenile green sea turtles. Our research provides theoretical guidance for the prevention and control of carapacial ulcers in captive juvenile green sea turtles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yide Guo
- College of Life Science and Technology, Harbin Normal University, Harbin, Heilongjiang, China,Guangdong Key Laboratory of Animal Conservation and Resource Utilization, Guangdong Public Laboratory of Wild Animal Conservation and Utilization, Institute of Zoology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China
| | - Hualing Chen
- Huidong Sea Turtle National Reserve Management Bureau, Sea Turtle Bay, Huidong, Guangdong, China
| | - Ping Liu
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Animal Conservation and Resource Utilization, Guangdong Public Laboratory of Wild Animal Conservation and Utilization, Institute of Zoology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China
| | - Fumin Wang
- Huidong Sea Turtle National Reserve Management Bureau, Sea Turtle Bay, Huidong, Guangdong, China
| | - Linmiao Li
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Animal Conservation and Resource Utilization, Guangdong Public Laboratory of Wild Animal Conservation and Utilization, Institute of Zoology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China
| | - Mingbin Ye
- Huidong Sea Turtle National Reserve Management Bureau, Sea Turtle Bay, Huidong, Guangdong, China
| | - Wenge Zhao
- College of Life Science and Technology, Harbin Normal University, Harbin, Heilongjiang, China,*Correspondence: Wenge Zhao
| | - Jinping Chen
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Animal Conservation and Resource Utilization, Guangdong Public Laboratory of Wild Animal Conservation and Utilization, Institute of Zoology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China,Jinping Chen
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Martin KR, Mansfield KL, Savage AE. Adaptive evolution of major histocompatibility complex class I immune genes and disease associations in coastal juvenile sea turtles. R Soc Open Sci 2022; 9:211190. [PMID: 35154791 PMCID: PMC8825991 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.211190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2021] [Accepted: 01/06/2022] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Characterizing polymorphism at the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genes is key to understanding the vertebrate immune response to disease. Despite being globally afflicted by the infectious tumour disease fibropapillomatosis (FP), immunogenetic variation in sea turtles is minimally explored. We sequenced the α 1 peptide-binding region of MHC class I genes (162 bp) from 268 juvenile green (Chelonia mydas) and 88 loggerhead (Caretta caretta) sea turtles in Florida, USA. We recovered extensive variation (116 alleles) and trans-species polymorphism. Supertyping analysis uncovered three functional MHC supertypes corresponding to the three well-supported clades in the phylogeny. We found significant evidence of positive selection at seven amino acid sites in the class I exon. Random forest modelling and risk ratio analysis of Ch. mydas alleles uncovered one allele weakly associated with smooth FP tumour texture, which may be associated with disease outcome. Our study represents the first characterization of MHC class I diversity in Ch. mydas and the largest sample of sea turtles used to date in any study of adaptive genetic variation, revealing tremendous genetic variation and high adaptive potential to viral pathogen threats. The novel associations we identified between MHC diversity and FP outcomes in sea turtles further highlight the importance of evaluating genetic predictors of disease, including MHC and other functional markers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine R. Martin
- Department of Biology, University of Central Florida, 4110 Libra Drive, Orlando, FL 32816, USA
| | - Katherine L. Mansfield
- Department of Biology, University of Central Florida, 4110 Libra Drive, Orlando, FL 32816, USA
| | - Anna E. Savage
- Department of Biology, University of Central Florida, 4110 Libra Drive, Orlando, FL 32816, USA
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Hernández-Fernández J, Pinzón Velasco AM, López Barrera EA, Rodríguez Becerra MDP, Villanueva-Cañas JL, Alba MM, Mariño Ramírez L. De novo assembly and functional annotation of blood transcriptome of loggerhead turtle, and in silico characterization of peroxiredoxins and thioredoxins. PeerJ 2021; 9:e12395. [PMID: 34820176 PMCID: PMC8606161 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.12395] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2021] [Accepted: 10/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The aim of this study was to generate and analyze the atlas of the loggerhead turtle blood transcriptome by RNA-seq, as well as identify and characterize thioredoxin (Tnxs) and peroxiredoxin (Prdxs) antioxidant enzymes of the greatest interest in the control of peroxide levels and other biological functions. The transcriptome of loggerhead turtle was sequenced using the Illumina Hiseq 2000 platform and de novo assembly was performed using the Trinity pipeline. The assembly comprised 515,597 contigs with an N50 of 2,631 bp. Contigs were analyzed with CD-Hit obtaining 374,545 unigenes, of which 165,676 had ORFs encoding putative proteins longer than 100 amino acids. A total of 52,147 (31.5%) of these transcripts had significant homology matches in at least one of the five databases used. From the enrichment of GO terms, 180 proteins with antioxidant activity were identified, among these 28 Prdxs and 50 putative Tnxs. The putative proteins of loggerhead turtles encoded by the genes Prdx1, Prdx3, Prdx5, Prdx6, Txn and Txnip were predicted and characterized in silico. When comparing Prdxs and Txns of loggerhead turtle with homologous human proteins, they showed 18 (9%), 52 (18%) 94 (43%), 36 (16%), 35 (33%) and 74 (19%) amino acid mutations respectively. However, they showed high conservation in active sites and structural motifs (98%), with few specific modifications. Of these, Prdx1, Prdx3, Prdx5, Prdx6, Txn and Txnip presented 0, 25, 18, three, six and two deleterious changes. This study provides a high quality blood transcriptome and functional annotation of loggerhead sea turtles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Javier Hernández-Fernández
- Department of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Genetics, Molecular Biology and Bioinformatic Research Group-GENBIMOL, Universidad Jorge Tadeo Lozano, Bogotá, D.C., Colombia.,Faculty of Sciences, Department of Biology, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Bogotá, D.C., Colombia
| | | | - Ellie Anne López Barrera
- Institute of Environmental Studies and Services. IDEASA Research Group-IDEASA, Sergio Arboleda University, Bogotá, D.C., Colombia
| | - María Del Pilar Rodríguez Becerra
- Department of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Genetics, Molecular Biology and Bioinformatic Research Group-GENBIMOL, Universidad Jorge Tadeo Lozano, Bogotá, D.C., Colombia
| | | | - M Mar Alba
- Evolutionary Genomics Group, Research Program on Biomedical Informatics (GRIB), Hospital del Mar Research Institute (IMIM), Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain.,Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA), Barcelona, Spain
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Page-Karjian A, Whitmore L, Stacy BA, Perrault JR, Farrell JA, Shaver DJ, Walker JS, Frandsen HR, Rantonen E, Harms CA, Norton TM, Innis C, Yetsko K, Duffy DJ. Fibropapillomatosis and Chelonid Alphaherpesvirus 5 Infection in Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtles ( Lepidochelys kempii). Animals (Basel) 2021; 11:ani11113076. [PMID: 34827808 PMCID: PMC8614476 DOI: 10.3390/ani11113076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2021] [Revised: 09/29/2021] [Accepted: 10/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary The Kemp’s ridley sea turtle is an endangered species that is susceptible to a tumor disease called fibropapillomatosis (FP) and its associated virus, chelonid alphaherpesvirus 5 (ChHV5). The goal of our study was to describe FP in Kemp’s ridley turtles, including estimated disease prevalence and pathologyg, and case demographics and outcomes, to better understand the risk posed by FP to Kemp’s ridley population recovery. During 2006–2020, we identified 22 cases of Kemp’s ridley turtles with FP, including 12 adult turtles, a reproductively valuable age class. Molecular diagnostics were used to identify ChHV5 DNA in blood (7.8%) and tumor (91.7%) samples collected from free-ranging Kemp’s ridley turtles. Genomic sequencing was conducted to identify ChHV5 variants in tumor samples collected from Kemp’s ridley turtles with FP. Along with case data, phylogenetic analysis of resultant sequences suggests increasing, spatiotemporal spread of ChHV5 infections and FP among Kemp’s ridley turtles in coastal areas, including the Gulf of Mexico and the southwestern Atlantic Ocean, where they share habitat with green sea turtles (in which FP is enzootic). This is concerning because FP has an uncertain pathogenesis, is potentially related to anthropogenic environmental degradation, and can cause suffering and/or death in severely afflicted turtles. Abstract Fibropapillomatosis (FP), a debilitating, infectious neoplastic disease, is rarely reported in endangered Kemp’s ridley sea turtles (Lepidochelys kempii). With this study, we describe FP and the associated chelonid alphaherpesvirus 5 (ChHV5) in Kemp’s ridley turtles encountered in the United States during 2006–2020. Analysis of 22 case reports of Kemp’s ridley turtles with FP revealed that while the disease was mild in most cases, 54.5% were adult turtles, a reproductively valuable age class whose survival is a priority for population recovery. Of 51 blood samples from tumor-free turtles and 12 tumor samples from turtles with FP, 7.8% and 91.7%, respectively, tested positive for ChHV5 DNA via quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Viral genome shotgun sequencing and phylogenetic analysis of six tumor samples show that ChHV5 sequences in Kemp’s ridley turtles encountered in the Gulf of Mexico and northwestern Atlantic cluster with ChHV5 sequences identified in green (Chelonia mydas) and loggerhead (Caretta caretta) sea turtles from Hawaii, the southwestern Atlantic Ocean, and the Caribbean. Results suggest an interspecific, spatiotemporal spread of FP among Kemp’s ridley turtles in regions where the disease is enzootic. Although FP is currently uncommon in this species, it remains a health concern due to its uncertain pathogenesis and potential relationship with habitat degradation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annie Page-Karjian
- Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, Florida Atlantic University, Fort Pierce, FL 34946, USA;
- Correspondence:
| | - Liam Whitmore
- Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience and Sea Turtle Hospital, University of Florida, St. Augustine, FL 32080, USA; (L.W.); (J.A.F.); (K.Y.); (D.J.D.)
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Limerick, V94 T9PX Co. Limerick, Ireland
| | - Brian A. Stacy
- National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries Service, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA;
| | | | - Jessica A. Farrell
- Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience and Sea Turtle Hospital, University of Florida, St. Augustine, FL 32080, USA; (L.W.); (J.A.F.); (K.Y.); (D.J.D.)
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - Donna J. Shaver
- Division of Sea Turtle Science and Recovery, Padre Island National Seashore, Corpus Christi, TX 78480, USA; (D.J.S.); (J.S.W.); (H.R.F.)
| | - J. Shelby Walker
- Division of Sea Turtle Science and Recovery, Padre Island National Seashore, Corpus Christi, TX 78480, USA; (D.J.S.); (J.S.W.); (H.R.F.)
| | - Hilary R. Frandsen
- Division of Sea Turtle Science and Recovery, Padre Island National Seashore, Corpus Christi, TX 78480, USA; (D.J.S.); (J.S.W.); (H.R.F.)
| | - Elina Rantonen
- Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, Florida Atlantic University, Fort Pierce, FL 34946, USA;
| | - Craig A. Harms
- Center for Marine Science & Technology, North Carolina State University, Morehead City, NC 28557, USA;
| | | | | | - Kelsey Yetsko
- Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience and Sea Turtle Hospital, University of Florida, St. Augustine, FL 32080, USA; (L.W.); (J.A.F.); (K.Y.); (D.J.D.)
| | - David J. Duffy
- Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience and Sea Turtle Hospital, University of Florida, St. Augustine, FL 32080, USA; (L.W.); (J.A.F.); (K.Y.); (D.J.D.)
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
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Whitmore L, Yetsko K, Farrell JA, Page-Karjian A, Daniel W, Shaver DJ, Frandsen HR, Walker JS, Crowder W, Bovery C, Rollinson Ramia D, Burkhalter B, Ryan E, Duffy DJ. Evolutionary Comparisons of Chelonid Alphaherpesvirus 5 (ChHV5) Genomes from Fibropapillomatosis-Afflicted Green ( Chelonia mydas), Olive Ridley ( Lepidochelys olivacea) and Kemp's Ridley ( Lepidochelys kempii) Sea Turtles. Animals (Basel) 2021; 11:2489. [PMID: 34573455 PMCID: PMC8465875 DOI: 10.3390/ani11092489] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2021] [Revised: 08/05/2021] [Accepted: 08/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The spreading global sea turtle fibropapillomatosis (FP) epizootic is threatening some of Earth's ancient reptiles, adding to the plethora of threats faced by these keystone species. Understanding this neoplastic disease and its likely aetiological pathogen, chelonid alphaherpesvirus 5 (ChHV5), is crucial to understand how the disease impacts sea turtle populations and species and the future trajectory of disease incidence. We generated 20 ChHV5 genomes, from three sea turtle species, to better understand the viral variant diversity and gene evolution of this oncogenic virus. We revealed previously underappreciated genetic diversity within this virus (with an average of 2035 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), 1.54% of the ChHV5 genome) and identified genes under the strongest evolutionary pressure. Furthermore, we investigated the phylogeny of ChHV5 at both genome and gene level, confirming the propensity of the virus to be interspecific, with related variants able to infect multiple sea turtle species. Finally, we revealed unexpected intra-host diversity, with up to 0.15% of the viral genome varying between ChHV5 genomes isolated from different tumours concurrently arising within the same individual. These findings offer important insights into ChHV5 biology and provide genomic resources for this oncogenic virus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liam Whitmore
- Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience and Sea Turtle Hospital, University of Florida, St. Augustine, FL 32080, USA; (K.Y.); (J.A.F.); (D.R.R.); (B.B.); (D.J.D.)
- Department of Biological Sciences, School of Natural Sciences, University of Limerick, V94 T9PX Limerick, Ireland;
| | - Kelsey Yetsko
- Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience and Sea Turtle Hospital, University of Florida, St. Augustine, FL 32080, USA; (K.Y.); (J.A.F.); (D.R.R.); (B.B.); (D.J.D.)
| | - Jessica A. Farrell
- Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience and Sea Turtle Hospital, University of Florida, St. Augustine, FL 32080, USA; (K.Y.); (J.A.F.); (D.R.R.); (B.B.); (D.J.D.)
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - Annie Page-Karjian
- Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, Florida Atlantic University, Fort Pierce, FL 34946, USA;
| | - Whitney Daniel
- South Carolina Aquarium, 100 Aquarium Wharf, Charleston, SC 29401, USA;
| | - Donna J. Shaver
- Division of Sea Turtle Science and Recovery, Padre Island National Seashore, Corpus Christi, TX 78480, USA; (D.J.S.); (H.R.F.); (J.S.W.)
| | - Hilary R. Frandsen
- Division of Sea Turtle Science and Recovery, Padre Island National Seashore, Corpus Christi, TX 78480, USA; (D.J.S.); (H.R.F.); (J.S.W.)
| | - Jennifer Shelby Walker
- Division of Sea Turtle Science and Recovery, Padre Island National Seashore, Corpus Christi, TX 78480, USA; (D.J.S.); (H.R.F.); (J.S.W.)
| | - Whitney Crowder
- Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, Boca Raton, FL 33432, USA; (W.C.); (C.B.)
| | - Caitlin Bovery
- Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, Boca Raton, FL 33432, USA; (W.C.); (C.B.)
| | - Devon Rollinson Ramia
- Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience and Sea Turtle Hospital, University of Florida, St. Augustine, FL 32080, USA; (K.Y.); (J.A.F.); (D.R.R.); (B.B.); (D.J.D.)
| | - Brooke Burkhalter
- Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience and Sea Turtle Hospital, University of Florida, St. Augustine, FL 32080, USA; (K.Y.); (J.A.F.); (D.R.R.); (B.B.); (D.J.D.)
| | - Elizabeth Ryan
- Department of Biological Sciences, School of Natural Sciences, University of Limerick, V94 T9PX Limerick, Ireland;
| | - David J. Duffy
- Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience and Sea Turtle Hospital, University of Florida, St. Augustine, FL 32080, USA; (K.Y.); (J.A.F.); (D.R.R.); (B.B.); (D.J.D.)
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
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Farrell JA, Yetsko K, Whitmore L, Whilde J, Eastman CB, Ramia DR, Thomas R, Linser P, Creer S, Burkhalter B, Schnitzler C, Duffy DJ. Environmental DNA monitoring of oncogenic viral shedding and genomic profiling of sea turtle fibropapillomatosis reveals unusual viral dynamics. Commun Biol 2021; 4:565. [PMID: 33980988 PMCID: PMC8115626 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-021-02085-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2020] [Accepted: 04/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Pathogen-induced cancers account for 15% of human tumors and are a growing concern for endangered wildlife. Fibropapillomatosis is an expanding virally and environmentally co-induced sea turtle tumor epizootic. Chelonid herpesvirus 5 (ChHV5) is implicated as a causative virus, but its transmission method and specific role in oncogenesis and progression is unclear. We applied environmental (e)DNA-based viral monitoring to assess viral shedding as a direct means of transmission, and the relationship between tumor burden, surgical resection and ChHV5 shedding. To elucidate the abundance and transcriptional status of ChHV5 across early, established, regrowth and internal tumors we conducted genomics and transcriptomics. We determined that ChHV5 is shed into the water column, representing a likely transmission route, and revealed novel temporal shedding dynamics and tumor burden correlations. ChHV5 was more abundant in the water column than in marine leeches. We also revealed that ChHV5 is latent in fibropapillomatosis, including early stage, regrowth and internal tumors; higher viral transcription is not indicative of poor patient outcome, and high ChHV5 loads predominantly arise from latent virus. These results expand our knowledge of the cellular and shedding dynamics of ChHV5 and can provide insights into temporal transmission dynamics and viral oncogenesis not readily investigable in tumors of terrestrial species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica A Farrell
- The Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience and Sea Turtle Hospital, University of Florida, St. Augustine, FL, USA
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Kelsey Yetsko
- The Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience and Sea Turtle Hospital, University of Florida, St. Augustine, FL, USA
| | - Liam Whitmore
- The Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience and Sea Turtle Hospital, University of Florida, St. Augustine, FL, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, School of Natural Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland
| | - Jenny Whilde
- The Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience and Sea Turtle Hospital, University of Florida, St. Augustine, FL, USA
| | - Catherine B Eastman
- The Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience and Sea Turtle Hospital, University of Florida, St. Augustine, FL, USA
| | - Devon Rollinson Ramia
- The Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience and Sea Turtle Hospital, University of Florida, St. Augustine, FL, USA
| | - Rachel Thomas
- The Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience and Sea Turtle Hospital, University of Florida, St. Augustine, FL, USA
| | - Paul Linser
- The Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience and Sea Turtle Hospital, University of Florida, St. Augustine, FL, USA
| | - Simon Creer
- Molecular Ecology and Fisheries Genetics Laboratory, School of Biological Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, Gwynedd, UK
| | - Brooke Burkhalter
- The Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience and Sea Turtle Hospital, University of Florida, St. Augustine, FL, USA
| | - Christine Schnitzler
- The Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience and Sea Turtle Hospital, University of Florida, St. Augustine, FL, USA
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - David J Duffy
- The Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience and Sea Turtle Hospital, University of Florida, St. Augustine, FL, USA.
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA.
- Department of Biological Sciences, School of Natural Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland.
- Molecular Ecology and Fisheries Genetics Laboratory, School of Biological Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, Gwynedd, UK.
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9
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Perrault JR, Levin M, Mott CR, Bovery CM, Bresette MJ, Chabot RM, Gregory CR, Guertin JR, Hirsch SE, Ritchie BW, Weege ST, Welsh RC, Witherington BE, Page-Karjian A. Insights on Immune Function in Free-Ranging Green Sea Turtles ( Chelonia mydas) with and without Fibropapillomatosis. Animals (Basel) 2021; 11:861. [PMID: 33803547 DOI: 10.3390/ani11030861] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2021] [Revised: 03/15/2021] [Accepted: 03/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Chelonid alphaherpesviruses 5 and 6 (ChHV5 and ChHV6) are viruses that affect wild sea turtle populations. ChHV5 is associated with the neoplastic disease fibropapillomatosis (FP), which affects green turtles (Chelonia mydas) in panzootic proportions. ChHV6 infection is associated with lung-eye-trachea disease (LETD), which has only been observed in maricultured sea turtles, although antibodies to ChHV6 have been detected in free-ranging turtles. To better understand herpesvirus prevalence and host immunity in various green turtle foraging aggregations in Florida, USA, our objectives were to compare measures of innate and adaptive immune function in relation to (1) FP tumor presence and severity, and (2) ChHV5 and ChHV6 infection status. Free-ranging, juvenile green turtles (N = 45) were captured and examined for external FP tumors in Florida's Big Bend, Indian River Lagoon, and Lake Worth Lagoon. Blood samples were collected upon capture and analyzed for ChHV5 and ChHV6 DNA, antibodies to ChHV5 and ChHV6, in vitro lymphocyte proliferation using a T-cell mitogen (concanavalin A), and natural killer cell activity. Despite an overall high FP prevalence (56%), ChHV5 DNA was only observed in one individual, whereas 20% of turtles tested positive for antibodies to ChHV5. ChHV6 DNA was not observed in any animals and only one turtle tested positive for ChHV6 antibodies. T-cell proliferation was not significantly related to FP presence, tumor burden, or ChHV5 seroprevalence; however, lymphocyte proliferation in response to concanavalin A was decreased in turtles with severe FP (N = 3). Lastly, green turtles with FP (N = 9) had significantly lower natural killer cell activity compared to FP-free turtles (N = 5). These results increase our understanding of immune system effects related to FP and provide evidence that immunosuppression occurs after the onset of FP disease.
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Mashkour N, Jones K, Wirth W, Burgess G, Ariel E. The Concurrent Detection of Chelonid Alphaherpesvirus 5 and Chelonia mydas Papillomavirus 1 in Tumoured and Non-Tumoured Green Turtles. Animals (Basel) 2021; 11:ani11030697. [PMID: 33807588 PMCID: PMC7999010 DOI: 10.3390/ani11030697] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2021] [Revised: 03/01/2021] [Accepted: 03/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Characterised by benign tumours, fibropapillomatosis is a debilitating disease that predominantly afflicts the endangered green turtle (Chelonia mydas). A growing body of evidence has associated these tumours with a herpesvirus. However, a recent study detected both herpesvirus and papillomavirus in these tumours. This result challenged the idea that the herpesvirus is the sole virus associated with this disease. The present study aimed to better understand the co-occurrence of these viruses in turtles with fibropapillomatosis (in both tumour samples and non-tumoured skin samples), in addition to samples from non-tumoured turtles. Both viruses were detected in all sample types, with the 43.5% of tumours containing both herpesvirus and papillomavirus. Tumour samples were found to contain the most herpesvirus while the highest amount of papillomavirus was detected in non-tumoured skin from turtles with tumours. Collectively, these results pivot the way we think about this disease; as an infectious disease where two separate viruses may be at play. Abstract Characterised by benign tumours, fibropapillomatosis (FP) is a debilitating disease that predominantly afflicts the endangered green turtle (Chelonia mydas). A growing body of histological and molecular evidence has associated FP tumours with Chelonid alphaherpesvirus 5 (ChHV5). However, a recent study which detected both ChHV5 and Chelonia mydas papillomavirus 1 (CmPV1) DNA in FP tumour tissues has challenged this hypothesis. The present study aimed to establish a probe-based qPCR to assess the wider prevalence of CmPV1 and co-occurrence with ChHV5 in 275 marine turtles foraging in waters adjacent to the east coast of Queensland, Australia: three categories: Group A (FP tumours), Group B (non-tumoured skin from FP turtles) and Group C (non-tumoured skin from turtles without FP). Concurrent detection of ChHV5 and CmPV1 DNA is reported for all three categories, where Group A had the highest rate (43.5%). ChHV5 viral loads in Group A were significantly higher than loads seen in Group B and C. This was not the case for CmPV1 where the loads in Group B were highest, followed by Group A. However, the mean CmPV1 load for Group A samples was not significantly different to the mean load reported from Group B or C samples. Collectively, these results pivot the way we think about FP; as an infectious disease where two separate viruses may be at play.
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Affiliation(s)
- Narges Mashkour
- College of Public Health, Medical and Veterinary Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4814, Australia; (K.J.); (W.W.); (G.B.); (E.A.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Karina Jones
- College of Public Health, Medical and Veterinary Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4814, Australia; (K.J.); (W.W.); (G.B.); (E.A.)
- College of Medicine and Dentistry, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4814, Australia
| | - Wytamma Wirth
- College of Public Health, Medical and Veterinary Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4814, Australia; (K.J.); (W.W.); (G.B.); (E.A.)
| | - Graham Burgess
- College of Public Health, Medical and Veterinary Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4814, Australia; (K.J.); (W.W.); (G.B.); (E.A.)
| | - Ellen Ariel
- College of Public Health, Medical and Veterinary Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4814, Australia; (K.J.); (W.W.); (G.B.); (E.A.)
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