Identifying the in vivo-induced antigenic genes is a strategy to develop DNA vaccine against Nocardia seriolae in hybrid snakehead (Channa maculata ♀ × Channa argus ♂)

Tingting Weng; Guoquan Chen; Na Li; Wanna Sirimanapong; Ting Huang; Jianlin Chen; Liqun Xia

doi:10.1016/j.fsi.2024.109410

Identifying the in vivo-induced antigenic genes is a strategy to develop DNA vaccine against Nocardia seriolae in hybrid snakehead (Channa maculata ♀ × Channa argus ♂)

Fish Shellfish Immunol. 2024 Apr:147:109410. doi: 10.1016/j.fsi.2024.109410. Epub 2024 Feb 2.

Authors

Tingting Weng¹, Guoquan Chen¹, Na Li¹, Wanna Sirimanapong², Ting Huang³, Jianlin Chen⁴, Liqun Xia⁵

Affiliations

¹ Fisheries College of Guangdong Ocean University, Shenzhen Institute of Guangdong Ocean University, Guanedong Provincial Key Laboratory of Aquatic Animal Disease Control and Healthy Culture, Guangdong, China.
² Veterinary Aquatic Animal Research & Health Care Unit, Department of Clinical Sciences and Public Health, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Mahidol University, Nakhon-pathom, Thailand.
³ Guangxi Key Laboratory of Aquatic Genetic Breeding and Healthy Aquaculture, Guangxi Academy of Fishery Science, Nanning, 530021, Guangxi, China.
⁴ Fisheries College of Guangdong Ocean University, Shenzhen Institute of Guangdong Ocean University, Guanedong Provincial Key Laboratory of Aquatic Animal Disease Control and Healthy Culture, Guangdong, China. Electronic address: Jianlin-Chen@gdou.edu.cn.
⁵ Fisheries College of Guangdong Ocean University, Shenzhen Institute of Guangdong Ocean University, Guanedong Provincial Key Laboratory of Aquatic Animal Disease Control and Healthy Culture, Guangdong, China. Electronic address: xialq@gdou.edu.cn.

PMID: 38309489
DOI: 10.1016/j.fsi.2024.109410

Abstract

Nocardia seriolae has been identified as the causative agent of fish nocardiosis, resulting in serious economic losses in aquaculture. With an aim to screen potential candidates for vaccine development against N. seriolae, the in vivo-induced genes of N. seriolae in hybrid snakehead (Channa maculate ♀ × Channa argus ♂) model were profiled via in vivo-induced antigen technology (IVIAT) in the present study, and 6 in vivo-induced genes were identified as follows: IS701 family transposase (is701), membrane protein insertase YidC (yidC), ergothioneine biosynthesis glutamate-cysteine ligase (egtA), molybdopterin respectively-dependent oxidoreductase (mol), phosphoketolase family protein (Ppl), hypothetical protein 6747 (hp6747). Additionally, the yidC was inserted into eukaryotic expression vector pcDNA3.1-myc-his-A to construct a DNA vaccine named as pcDNA-YidC to evaluate immunoprotection in hybrid snakehead after artificial challenge with N. serioale. Results showed that the transcription of yidC was detected in spleen, trunk kidney, muscle and liver in vaccinated fish, suggesting that this antigenic gene can be recombinantly expressed in fish. Meanwhile, indexes of humoral immunity were evaluated in the vaccinated fish through assessing specific-antibody IgM and serum enzyme activities, including lysozyme (LZM), superoxide dismutase (SOD), acid phosphatase (ACP) and alkaline phosphatase (AKP). Quantitative real-time PCR analysis indicated that pcDNA-YidC DNA vaccine could notably enhance the expression of immune-related genes (CD4、CD8α、MHCIIα、TNFα、IL-1β and MHCIα) in 4 tissues (spleen, trunk kidney, muscle and liver) of the vaccinated fish. Finally, an immuno-protection with a relative survival rate of 65.71 % was displayed in vaccinated fish in comparison to the control groups. Taken together, these results indicate that pcDNA-YidC DNA vaccine could boost strong immune responses in hybrid snakehead and show preferably protective efficacy against N. seriolae, indicating that IVIAT is a helpful strategy to screen the highly immunogenic antigens for vaccine development against fish nocardiosis.

Keywords: DNA vaccine; Hybrid snakehead; In vivo-induced antigen technology (IVIAT); Nocardia seriolae; yidC.

MeSH terms

Animals
Fish Diseases*
Fishes
Nocardia Infections*
Nocardia*
Vaccines, DNA*

Substances

Vaccines, DNA

Supplementary concepts

Nocardia seriolae
Channa argus