Role of crustacean female sex hormone in regulating immune response in the mud crab, Scylla paramamosain

Fish Shellfish Immunol. 2023 Nov:142:109094. doi: 10.1016/j.fsi.2023.109094. Epub 2023 Sep 28.

Abstract

Crustacean female sex hormone (CFSH) is responsible for sexual differentiation in crustaceans. The CFSH exhibited an interleukin-17 domain homologous to vertebrate IL-17, a family of inflammatory cytokines that play vital roles in immune defense. However, the immunoregulation of CFSH in crustaceans is a mystery. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the immune regulatory roles of CFSH and CFSHR in the mud crab Scylla paramamosain. This study's immunofluorescence result revealed that Sp-CFSHR was highly expressed in granulocytes and semi-granulocytes but had moderate expression in hyalinocytes. The expression level of Sp-CFSH transcript in eyestalk ganglia and Sp-CFSHR in hemocytes were significantly up-regulated by the Poly (I:C) stimulation but significantly down-regulated in response to the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation. In our study, in vitro experiment exhibited that the nuclear transcription factors NF-κB signaling molecules (Sp-Dorsal and Sp-Relish), Sp-STAT, apoptosis-related gene Sp-IAP, and phagocytosis related gene (Sp-Rab5) expressions were significantly increased in hemocytes by recombinant CFSH (rCFSH) in vitro, but the pro-inflammatory cytokine gene (Sp-IL-16) expression was significantly suppressed. Finally, the rCFSH injection significantly up-regulated Sp-Dorsal, Sp-Relish, Sp-IAP, Sp-Caspase, Sp-ALF2, and C-type lectin (Sp-CTL-B) expressions in hemocytes as well as enhanced the bacterial clearance of the mud crab. In conclusion, our results suggested that CFSH may be a counterpart of vertebrate IL-17 in crustaceans that can enhance innate immunity to defense against Vibrionaceae infection via the NF-κB and/or JAK-STAT signaling pathways. This study provides the first evidence that CFSH is involved in the immunoregulation in crustaceans and enriches the insight of neuroendocrine-immune regulatory system, which providing new ideas for disease prevention in the mud crab industry.

Keywords: Crustacean female sex hormone; Crustaceans; Hemocytes; Innate immunity; Neuroendocrine.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Arthropod Proteins / genetics
  • Arthropod Proteins / metabolism
  • Brachyura*
  • Female
  • Gonadal Steroid Hormones / metabolism
  • Immunity, Innate / genetics
  • Interleukin-17 / genetics
  • NF-kappa B / genetics
  • NF-kappa B / metabolism
  • Phylogeny

Substances

  • Interleukin-17
  • NF-kappa B
  • Gonadal Steroid Hormones
  • Arthropod Proteins