Identifying the antiviral responses of oysters to mitigate disease in aquaculture

传染病对水产养殖食品生产构成最大威胁。特别是牡蛎病毒引起的疾病正在世界范围内蔓延。过去十年全球牡蛎产量下降的原因是一种疱疹病毒导致欧洲、亚洲和大洋洲的太平洋牡蛎（长牡蛎）产量大幅下降。太平洋牡蛎是加拿大种植的最赚钱的贝类。这种疱疹病毒尚未在加拿大水域被发现。然而，全球水产养殖的扩张、国际船只流动的增加和海洋的变化意味着加拿大贝类产业很可能在不久的将来暴露于这种疱疹病毒，并带来毁灭性的后果。牡蛎的免疫系统传统上被认为缺乏免疫记忆，这意味着它们不能接种疫苗对抗病毒性疾病。有证据表明，无脊椎动物具有一种原始形式的免疫记忆，称为“先天免疫记忆”，这引发了比较免疫学最近的范式转变。最近的研究，包括我自己的研究，已经发现了太平洋牡蛎对疱疹病毒感染的先天免疫记忆的证据。本研究将研究牡蛎的先天免疫记忆，以更好地了解这种抗病毒反应的机制基础。表观遗传学和蛋白质组学技术将结合表征牡蛎内和多代免疫启动。通过确定牡蛎免疫训练的机制基础，该项目的预期结果是使整个牡蛎作物免疫以抵抗病毒性疾病。这将有助于加拿大贝类产业避免与疱疹病毒爆发相关的数百万美元损失。

Infectious disease poses the biggest threat to production of food by aquaculture. In particular, diseases caused by oyster viruses are spreading around the world. The decline in global production of oysters in the last decade is contributed to a herpesvirus that decimated Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas) production in Europe, Asia and Oceania. The Pacific oyster is the most lucrative shellfish grown in Canada. This herpesvirus has not yet been detected in Canadian waters. However, the global expansion of aquaculture, increasing international vessel movements and changing oceans means it is likely that the Canadian shellfish industry will be exposed to this herpesvirus in the near-future with devastating consequences.*** The oyster's immune system has traditionally been viewed to lack immune memory, meaning they could not be vaccinated against viral diseases. A recent paradigm shift in comparative immunology was triggered by evidence that invertebrates have a primitive-form of immune-memory, termed innate immune memory'. Recent research, including my own, has identified evidence of innate immune memory in Pacific oysters against herpesvirus infection. This research will investigate innate immune memory in the oyster to better understand the mechanistic basis of this antiviral response. Epigenetic and proteomic techniques will be coupled to characterize within and multi-generational immune-priming in the oyster. By identifying the mechanistic basis of trained immunity in oysters, an expected outcome of this project is the knowledge to immunize entire crops of oysters against viral diseases. This will help the Canadian shellfish industry to avoid multi-million dollar losses associated with herpesvirus outbreaks.