TY - JOUR

T1 - Circadian dynamics of the teleost skin immune-microbiome interface

AU - Ellison, Amy

AU - Wilcockson, David

AU - Cable, Jo

N1 - © 2021. The Author(s).

PY - 2021/11/16

Y1 - 2021/11/16

N2 - BackgroundCircadian rhythms of host immune activity and their microbiomes are likely pivotal to health and disease resistance. The integration of chronotherapeutic approaches to disease mitigation in managed animals, however, is yet to be realised. In aquaculture, light manipulation is commonly used to enhance growth and control reproduction but may have unknown negative consequences for animal health. Infectious diseases are a major barrier to sustainable aquaculture and understanding the circadian dynamics of fish immunity and crosstalk with the microbiome is urgently needed. ResultsHere, using rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) as a model, we combine 16S rRNA metabarcoding, metagenomic sequencing and direct mRNA quantification methods to simultaneously characterise the circadian dynamics of skin clock and immune gene expression, and daily changes of skin microbiota. We demonstrate daily rhythms in fish skin immune expression and microbiomes, that are modulated by photoperiod and parasitic lice infection. We identify putative associations of host clock and immune gene profiles with microbial composition. Our results suggest circadian perturbation that shifts the magnitude and timing of immune and microbiota activity, is detrimental to fish health. ConclusionsThe substantial circadian dynamics and fish host expression-microbiome relationships we find represents a valuable foundation for investigating the utility of chronotherapies in aquaculture, and more broadly contributes to our understanding of the role of microbiomes in circadian health of vertebrates.

AB - BackgroundCircadian rhythms of host immune activity and their microbiomes are likely pivotal to health and disease resistance. The integration of chronotherapeutic approaches to disease mitigation in managed animals, however, is yet to be realised. In aquaculture, light manipulation is commonly used to enhance growth and control reproduction but may have unknown negative consequences for animal health. Infectious diseases are a major barrier to sustainable aquaculture and understanding the circadian dynamics of fish immunity and crosstalk with the microbiome is urgently needed. ResultsHere, using rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) as a model, we combine 16S rRNA metabarcoding, metagenomic sequencing and direct mRNA quantification methods to simultaneously characterise the circadian dynamics of skin clock and immune gene expression, and daily changes of skin microbiota. We demonstrate daily rhythms in fish skin immune expression and microbiomes, that are modulated by photoperiod and parasitic lice infection. We identify putative associations of host clock and immune gene profiles with microbial composition. Our results suggest circadian perturbation that shifts the magnitude and timing of immune and microbiota activity, is detrimental to fish health. ConclusionsThe substantial circadian dynamics and fish host expression-microbiome relationships we find represents a valuable foundation for investigating the utility of chronotherapies in aquaculture, and more broadly contributes to our understanding of the role of microbiomes in circadian health of vertebrates.

KW - Circadian Rhythm

KW - Clock gene expression

KW - Microbiome

KW - Parasite infection

KW - Fish

KW - Aquaculture

KW - Photoperiod

KW - Immunity

KW - Metagenome

U2 - 10.1186/s40168-021-01160-4

DO - 10.1186/s40168-021-01160-4

M3 - Article

C2 - 34782020

VL - 9

JO - Microbiome

JF - Microbiome

SN - 2049-2618

IS - 1

M1 - 222

ER -