Research Collaboration Reveals New Antiviral Function in Sense of Smell in Fish

Researchers at Texas State University, collaborating with a\r\nteam from the University of New Mexico, have discovered that fish can smell\r\nviruses, prompting fast antiviral immune responses.

Irene Salinas, associate professor in the Department of Biology\r\nat UNM, is the principal investigator of the study. Mar Huertas, assistant\r\nprofessor in the Department of Biology at Texas State, is co-PI in the National\r\nScience Foundation project sponsoring the research.The study, "Olfactory\r\nsensory neurons mediate ultrarapid antiviral immune responses in a\r\nTrkA-dependent manner," was published in the Proceedings of the\r\nNational Academy of Sciences(PNAS) and can be accessed at www.pnas.org/content/116/25/12428.

"It is a very exciting discovery because we described a\r\nnew olfactory function in vertebrates – fish can smell viruses," Huertas\r\nsaid. "Also, we are unravelling the connection between the olfactory and\r\nimmune system, which can be translated from fish to higher vertebrates. This\r\nresearch can have exciting outcomes for fish vaccination in aquaculture. Half\r\nof the fish we find in the market comes from aquaculture, and trout is one of\r\nthe main aquaculture species in the U.S. In addition, since all vertebrates\r\nshare common traits in their sense of smell and immune system, this study opens\r\na new area of research in mammal immunology.

"My role in this research was to show that fish can\r\nsmell viruses. I’m an electrophysiologist, that means that I can measure the\r\nelectric responses of the nervous system in an animal," she said.\r\n"The nose of any vertebrate (including fish) contains olfactory sensory\r\nneurons that expose their sensitive cilia to the external media. These cilia\r\ncan detect specific odorants, like perfume or food, and when this happens the\r\nolfactory receptor is activated and sends an electric signal to the brain,\r\nwhere the information is integrated."

For the study, Huertas exposed the nose of a trout to a live\r\nattenuated infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV). She recorded the\r\nneural responses, capturing the instant electric responses of the fish nose\r\nafter the detection of the pathogen – direct evidence that fish can detect\r\npathogens with their sense of smell. Huertas also demonstrated that a drug for\r\na specific receptor in the nose (the TrkA-like receptor), inhibited the fish\r\nvirus responses.

"I’m currently characterizing the electric signals in\r\nthe brain after exposure to IHNV," Huertas said. "My graduate\r\nstudent, Fabiola Mancha, is tracing a map that visualizes the neuroimmune\r\nconnection from nose to the brain using fluorescent dyes combined with the\r\nIHNV. In the future, I aim to characterize the neural signals (neurohormones)\r\nthat can activate the brain immune system."

These findings shed new light on immunological responses in\r\nvertebrates and could influence the design and delivery of future nasal\r\nvaccines. The research is funded by the United States Department of Agriculture\r\nand a 2018 National Science Foundation grant.

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Other contributors to the research study included Ali\r\nSepahi, Salinas Lab, UNM; Aurora Kraus, Salinas Lab, UNM; Elisa Casadei,\r\nSalinas Lab, UNM; Cecelia Kelly, Salinas Lab, UNM; Christopher Johnston,\r\nassociate professor in the Department of Biology, UNM; Pilar Muñoz, professor in\r\nthe Department of Animal Health, University of Murcia, Spain, and Victoriano\r\nMulero, professor in the Department of Cell Biology and Histology, University\r\nof Murcia, Spain.

Source : News Wise