Selected Grantee Publications
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- Aquatic Vertebrate Models
- Infectious Diseases
- Microbiome
Temperature-Dependent Alterations in the Proteome of the Emergent Fish Pathogen Edwardsiella piscicida
Jacobsen et al., Journal of Fish Diseases. 2024.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39304982
Reported outbreaks of Edwardsiella piscicida, a bacterial pathogen among cultured and wild fish, have been steadily increasing over the past decade in tandem with climate change–mediated increases in water temperatures. The capacity for this increasingly prevalent fish pathogen to infect and cause disease in mammals is important to understand. Researchers examined the role of temperature on the virulence of E. piscicida to understand its pathogenesis in the context of climate warming trends and better understand its zoonotic potential. Findings revealed downregulation of virulence-related proteins, such as flagellar and Type VI secretion system proteins, at colder temperatures. These findings highlight the potential environmental factors influencing the pathogen’s threat to aquaculture and public health. Supported by ORIP (S10OD026918, T32OD011147).
Tenth Aquatic Models of Human Disease Conference 2022 Workshop Report: Aquatics Nutrition and Reference Diet Development
Sharpton et al., Zebrafish. 2023.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38117219/
Standard reference diets (SRDs) for aquatic model organisms, vital for supporting scientific rigor and reproducibility, are yet to be adopted. At this workshop, the authors presented findings from a 7-month diet test study conducted across three aquatic research facilities: Zebrafish International Resource Center (University of Oregon), Kent and Sharpton laboratories (Oregon State University), and Xiphophorus Genetic Stock Center (Texas State University). They compared the effects of two commercial diets and a suggested zebrafish SRD on general fish husbandry, microbiome composition, and health in three fish species (zebrafish, Xiphophorus, and medaka), and three zebrafish wild-type strains. They reported outcomes, gathered community feedback, and addressed the aquatic research community's need for SRD development. Discussions underscored the influence of diet on aquatic research variability, emphasizing the need for SRDs to control cross-experiment and cross-laboratory reproducibility. Supported by ORIP (P40OD011021, R24OD011120, and R24OD010998) and NICHD.
Assessment of Various Standard Fish Diets on Gut Microbiome of Platyfish Xiphophorus maculatus
Soria et al., Journal of Experimental Zoology Part B. 2023.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jez.b.23218
Diet is an important factor affecting experimental reproducibility and data integration across studies. Reference diets for nontraditional animal models are needed to control diet-induced variation. In a study of the dietary impacts on the gut microbiome, researchers found that switching from a custom diet to a zebrafish diet altered the Xiphophorus gut microbiome. Their findings suggest that diets developed specifically for zebrafish can affect gut microbiome composition and might not be optimal for Xiphophorus. Supported by ORIP (R24OD011120, R24OD031467, P40OD011021) and NCI.
Disentangling the Link Between Zebrafish Diet, Gut Microbiome Succession, and Mycobacterium chelonae Infection
Sieler et al., Animal Microbiome. 2023.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37563644/
Despite the long-established importance of zebrafish (Danio rerio) as a model organism and their increasing use in microbiome-targeted studies, relatively little is known about how husbandry practices involving diet impact the zebrafish gut microbiome. Given the microbiome's important role in mediating host physiology and the potential for diet to drive variation in microbiome composition, the authors sought to clarify how three different dietary formulations that are commonly used in zebrafish facilities impact the gut microbiome. They report that diet drives the successional development of the gut microbiome, as well as its sensitivity to exogenous exposure. Consequently, investigators should carefully consider the role of diet in their microbiome zebrafish investigations, especially when integrating results across studies that vary by diet. Supported by ORIP (R24OD010998) and NIEHS.
Early Detection of Pseudocapillaria tomentosa by qPCR in Four Lines of Zebrafish, Danio rerio (Hamilton 1882)
Schuster et al., Journal of Fish Diseases. 2023.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jfd.13773
The intestinal nematode Pseudocapillaria tomentosa in zebrafish (Danio rerio) causes profound intestinal lesions, emaciation, and death and is a promoter of a common intestinal cancer in zebrafish. This nematode has been detected in an estimated 15% of zebrafish laboratories. Adult worms are readily detected about 3 weeks after exposure by either histology or wet mount preparations of the intestine, and larval worms are inconsistently observed in fish before this time. A quantitative PCR (qPCR) test was recently developed to detect the worm in fish and water, and here the authors determined that the test on zebrafish intestines was effective for earlier detection. Supported by ORIP (R24OD010998, P40OD011021).
The SARS-CoV-2 Receptor and Other Key Components of the Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone System Related to COVID-19 are Expressed in Enterocytes in Larval Zebrafish
Postlethwait et al., Biology Open. 2021.
https://bio.biologists.org/content/10/3/bio058172.article-info
Hypertension and respiratory inflammation are exacerbated by the Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone System (RAAS), which normally protects from dropping blood pressure via Angiotensin II (Ang II) produced by the enzyme Ace. The Ace paralog Ace2 degrades Ang II and serves as the SARS-CoV-2 receptor. To exploit zebrafish to understand the relationship of RAAS to COVID-19, the group conducted genomic and phylogenetic analyses. Results identified a type of enterocyte as the expression site of zebrafish orthologs of key RAAS components, including the SARS-CoV-2 co-receptor. Results identified vascular cell subtypes expressing Ang II receptors and identified cell types to exploit zebrafish as a model for understanding COVID-19 mechanisms. Supported by ORIP (R24OD026591, R01OD011116), NIGMS, NICHD.