Proteomic characterization of the hemolymph of Octopus vulgaris infected by the protozoan parasite Aggregata octopiana

The immune system of cephalopods is poorly known to date. The lack of genomic information makes difficult to understand vital processes like immune defense mechanisms and their interaction with pathogens at molecular level. The common octopus Octopus vulgaris has a high economic relevance and potential for aquaculture. However, disease outbreaks provoke serious reductions in production with potentially severe economic losses. In this study, a proteomic approach is used to analyze the immune response of O. vulgaris against the coccidia Aggregata octopiana, a gastrointestinal parasite which impairs the cephalopod nutritional status. The hemocytes and plasma proteomes were compared by 2-DE between sick and healthy octopus. The identities of 12 differentially expressed spots and other 27 spots without significant alteration from hemocytes, and 5 spots from plasma, were determined by mass spectrometry analysis aided by a six reading-frame translation of an octopus hemocyte RNA-seq database and also public databases. Principal component analysis pointed to 7 proteins from hemocytes as the major contributors to the overall difference between levels of infection and so could be considered as potential biomarkers. Particularly, filamin, fascin and peroxiredoxin are highlighted because of their implication in octopus immune defense activity. From the octopus plasma, hemocyanin was identified. This work represents a first step forward in order to characterize the protein profile of O. vulgaris hemolymph, providing important information for subsequent studies of the octopus immune system at molecular level and also to the understanding of the basis of octopus tolerance-resistance to A. octopiana. Biological significance The immune system of cephalopods is poorly known to date. The lack of genomic information makes difficult to understand vital processes like immune defense mechanisms and their interaction with pathogens at molecular level. The study herein presented is focused to the comprehension of the octopus immune defense against a parasite infection. Particularly, it is centered in the host parasite relationship developed between the octopus and the protozoan A. octopiana, which induces severe gastrointestinal injuries in octopus that produce a malabsorption syndrome. The common octopus is a commercially important species with a high potential for aquaculture in semi-open systems, and this pathology reduces the condition of the octopus populations on-growing in open-water systems resulting in important economical loses. This is the first proteomic approach developed on this host parasite relationship, and therefore, the contribution of this work goes from i) ecological, since this particular relationship is tending to be established as a model of host parasite interaction in natural populations; ii) evolutionary, due to the characterization of immune molecules that could contribute to understand the functioning of the immune defense in these highly evolved mollusks; and ill) to economical view. The results of this study provide an overview of the octopus hemolymph proteome. Furthermore, proteins influenced by the level of infection and implicated in the octopus cellular response are also showed. Consequently, a set of biomarkers for disease resistance is suggested for further research that could be valuable for the improvement of the octopus culture, taken into account their high economical value, the declining of landings and the need for the diversification of reared species in order to ensure the growth of the aquaculture activity. Although cephalopods are model species for biomedical studies and possess potential in aquaculture, their genomes have not been sequenced yet, which limits the application of genomic data to research important biological processes. Similarly, the octopus proteome, like other non-model organisms, is poorly represented in public databases. Most of the proteins were identified from an octopus' hemocyte RNA-seq database that we have performed, which will be the object of another manuscript in preparation. Therefore, the need to increase molecular data from non-model organisms is herein highlighted. Particularly, here is encouraged to expand the knowledge of the genomic of cephalopods in order to increase successful protein identifications. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Proteomics of non-model organisms. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.