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Physical cues controlling seasonal immune allocation in a naturally-occurring vertebrate

Stewart, A; Hablützel, PI; Watson, HV; Brown, M; Friberg, IM; Cable, J; Jackson, JA

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Authors

A Stewart

PI Hablützel

HV Watson

M Brown

IM Friberg

J Cable



Abstract

Seasonal patterns in immunity are frequently observed in vertebrates but are poorly understood. Here we focussed on a natural piscine model, the three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus), and asked how seasonal immune allocation is driven by physical variables (time, light and heat). Using functionally-relevant gene expression metrics as a reporter of seasonal immune allocation we synchronously sampled fish monthly from the wild (two habitats), and from semi-natural outdoors mesocosms (stocked from one of the wild habitats). This was repeated across two annual cycles, with continuous within-habitat monitoring of environmental temperature and implementing a manipulation of temperature in the mesocosms. We also conducted a long-term laboratory experiment, subjecting acclimated wild fish to natural and accelerated (× 2) photoperiodic change at 7 and 15°C. The laboratory experiment demonstrated that immune allocation was independent of photoperiod and only a very modest effect, at most, was controlled by a tentative endogenous circannual rhythm. On the other hand, experimentally-determined thermal effects were able to quantitatively predict much of the summer-winter fluctuation observed in the field and mesocosms. Importantly, however, temperature was insufficient to fully predict, and occasionally was a poor predictor of, natural patterns. Thermal effects can thus be over-ridden by other (unidentified) natural environmental variation and do not take the form of an unavoidable constraint due to cold-blooded physiology. This is consistent with a context-dependent strategic control of immunity in response to temperature variation, and points to the existence of temperature-sensitive regulatory circuits that might be conserved in other vertebrates.

Citation

Stewart, A., Hablützel, P., Watson, H., Brown, M., Friberg, I., Cable, J., & Jackson, J. (2018). Physical cues controlling seasonal immune allocation in a naturally-occurring vertebrate. Frontiers in Immunology, 9, 582. https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2018.00582

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Mar 8, 2018
Online Publication Date Mar 22, 2018
Publication Date Mar 22, 2018
Deposit Date Mar 8, 2018
Publicly Available Date Mar 27, 2018
Journal Frontiers in Immunology
Publisher Frontiers Media
Volume 9
Pages 582
DOI https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2018.00582
Publisher URL http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2018.00582
Related Public URLs https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/immunology
Additional Information Projects : Thermal variation and immunity in ectothermic vertebrates

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