Journal Article Epublish
PubMed: 40362225 DOI: 10.3390/ijms26093986
Toll-like Receptor Type 2 and 13 Gene Expression and Immune Cell Profiles in Diploid and Triploid Sterlets (Acipenser ruthenus): Insights into Immune Competence in Polyploid Fish.
Int J Mol Sci 26(9)
Authors: Olga Jablonska, Sara Duda, Szczepan Gajowniczek, Anna Nitkiewicz, Dorota Fopp-Bayat
Affiliations
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Oczapowskiego 5, 10-718 Olsztyn, Poland.
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Oczapowskiego 5, 10-718 Olsztyn, Poland. Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, Collegium Medicum, Warszawska 30 St. 10-082 Olsztyn, Poland.
- Department of Pond Fishery, National Inland Fisheries Research Institute, Oczapowskiego 10, 10-719 Olsztyn, Poland.
- Department of Ichthyology and Aquaculture, Faculty of Animal Bioengineering, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Oczapowskiego 5, 10-719 Olsztyn, Poland.
Abstract
Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are key components of the innate immune system in fish, responsible for recognizing pathogen-associated molecular patterns derived from bacteria, viruses, and fungi. The sterlet (Acipenser ruthenus), an endangered sturgeon species valued for its meat and caviar, is a promising model for studying the effects of polyploidy on immune gene regulation. This study examined the expression of Toll-like receptor type 2 (TLR2) and type 13 (TLR13) in the heart, liver, gills, spleen, and kidney of diploid and triploid healthy sterlets using real-time PCR. TLR2 and TLR13 were expressed in all tissues of both diploids and triploids. In diploids, TLR2 expression was the highest in the kidney and the lowest in the liver (p < 0.05). Similarly, TLR13 expression in diploids was highest in the kidney and gills, and lowest in the liver (p < 0.05). In triploids, no significant tissue-specific variation in TLR expression was observed (p > 0.05). Comparisons between diploid and triploid sterlets revealed higher TLR2 expression in the kidney and higher TLR13 expression in the heart and kidney of diploids (p < 0.05). These molecular findings were supported by leukocyte analysis, which showed a significantly lower percentage of lymphocytes and a higher proportion of neutrophils in triploids compared to diploids. Additionally, the proportion of thrombocytes was significantly elevated in triploids (p < 0.05). This study provides the first report of TLR expression in polyploid fish, offering new insights into immune modulation associated with polyploidy in sturgeons.
MeSH
Toll-Like Receptors, Cells, Genes, Polyploidy, Diploidy, Heart, Kidney, Liver, Tissues, Gene Expression, Triploidy