Host oyster tissue extracts modulate in vitro protease expression and cellular differentiation in the protozoan parasite, Perkinsus marinus

• Published in: Parasitology Vol. 126; no. 4; pp. 293 - 302
• Main Authors: MACINTYRE, E. A., EARNHART, C. G., KAATTARI, S. L.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge, UK Cambridge University Press 01.04.2003
• Subjects: Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Cell Differentiation - drug effects; Crassostrea gigas; Crassostrea sp; Crassostrea virginica; Culture Media; differentiation; Disease Susceptibility; Eukaryota - cytology; Eukaryota - drug effects; Eukaryota - enzymology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gels; Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic - drug effects; in vitro culture; Life cycle. Host-agent relationship. Pathogenesis; Ostreidae - parasitology; Oysters; Parasites; Perkinsus marinus; protease; Protozoa; Protozoan Infections, Animal; Serine Endopeptidases - metabolism; Tissue Extracts - pharmacology; Up-Regulation - drug effects; protease; differentiation; Crassostrea sp; Perkinsus marinus; in vitro culture; Host parasite relation; Cell culture; Protozoal disease; Tissue extract; Regulation(control); Bivalvia; Protozoa; Apicomplexa; Enzyme; Parasite; Host; Zoopathogen; Parasitosis; Gene expression; In vitro; Infection; Peptidases; Crassostrea virginica; Hydrolases; Invertebrata; Mollusca; Differentiation; Crassostrea gigas
• ISSN: 0031-1820; 1469-8161
• DOI: 10.1017/S003118200200286X

Perkinsus marinus is responsible for a chronic disease (Dermo) of the Eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica. In order to simulate the in vivo environment more closely, a chemically defined medium (JL-ODRP-3) was supplemented with tissue homogenate extracts or plasma from oysters possessing varying degrees of susceptibility to P. marinus infection. In media supplemented with extracts from highly susceptible oysters (C. virginica), P. marinus cells secreted elevated amounts of a set of low molecular weight serine proteases (LMP: 30–45 kDa) as assessed by enhanced digestion within gelatin-substrate SDS–PAGE gels. Oyster species of low susceptibility (C. gigas and C. ariakensis) did not exhibit this ability to upregulate P. marinus LMP expression. Oyster extract supplementation also led to pronounced changes in P. marinus cellular morphology, such that the cells were comparable to those observed within naturally infected oysters.