A review of complementary mechanisms which protect the developing marsupial pouch young

Edwards, M. J.; Hinds, Lyn A.; Deane, Elizabeth M.; Deakin, Janine E.

doi:10.1016/j.dci.2012.03.013

Cited by 39 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 80 publications

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“…Recently, the echidna milk protein gene, EchAMP which is highly expressed in both short-beaked echidna and platypus mammary cells during lactation has been identified as an antibacterial protein which is implicated in milk protein-mediated innate immunity (Bisana et al 2013). The marsupials do not lay eggs but like the monotremes have a very short gestation (Renfree and Shaw 2001), and give birth to a highly altricial young without functional immunological tissues and the young is exposed to nonsterile environment (Edwards and Deakin 2012; Edwards et al 2012). Their growth and immune system develops through an elaborate and sophisticated lactation (Renfree and Shaw 2001).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Their growth and immune system develops through an elaborate and sophisticated lactation (Renfree and Shaw 2001). Therefore, new born are heavily reliant on passive immunity through lactation by permanent attachment to one of the mother’s teats and in many marsupials within a pouch (Edwards and Deakin 2012; Edwards et al 2012). The marsupial mammary gland transfers immunoglobulins and other immune components in milk, and antimicrobial compounds secreted in the pouch for immunologically naive young to survive pathogen challenge (Edwards et al 2012; Nicholas et al 2012).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Therefore, new born are heavily reliant on passive immunity through lactation by permanent attachment to one of the mother’s teats and in many marsupials within a pouch (Edwards and Deakin 2012; Edwards et al 2012). The marsupial mammary gland transfers immunoglobulins and other immune components in milk, and antimicrobial compounds secreted in the pouch for immunologically naive young to survive pathogen challenge (Edwards et al 2012; Nicholas et al 2012). Several immune protection compounds, notably antimicrobial proteins with diverse functions have been identified in marsupial milk such as cathelicidin, whey acidic protein (WAP) four-disulfide core domain 2, β-lactoglobulin, and transferrin (Edwards et al 2012; Nicholas et al 2012).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The marsupial mammary gland transfers immunoglobulins and other immune components in milk, and antimicrobial compounds secreted in the pouch for immunologically naive young to survive pathogen challenge (Edwards et al 2012; Nicholas et al 2012). Several immune protection compounds, notably antimicrobial proteins with diverse functions have been identified in marsupial milk such as cathelicidin, whey acidic protein (WAP) four-disulfide core domain 2, β-lactoglobulin, and transferrin (Edwards et al 2012; Nicholas et al 2012). The newly hatched monotreme very much resembles that of new born marsupials (Renfree and Shaw 2001).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Monotreme Lactation Protein Is Highly Expressed in Monotreme Milk and Provides Antimicrobial Protection

Enjapoori¹,

Grant²,

Nicol³

et al. 2014

Genome Biology and Evolution

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Monotremes (platypus and echidna) are the descendants of the oldest ancestor of all extant mammals distinguished from other mammals by mode of reproduction. Monotremes lay eggs following a short gestation period and after an even briefer incubation period, altricial hatchlings are nourished over a long lactation period with milk secreted by nipple-less mammary patches located on the female’s abdomen. Milk is the sole source of nutrition and immune protection for the developing young until weaning. Using transcriptome and mass spectrometry analysis of milk cells and milk proteins, respectively, a novel Monotreme Lactation Protein (MLP) was identified as a major secreted protein in milk. We show that platypus and short-beaked echidna MLP genes show significant homology and are unique to monotremes. The MLP transcript was shown to be expressed in a variety of tissues; however, highest expression was observed in milk cells and was expressed constitutively from early to late lactation. Analysis of recombinant MLP showed that it is an N-linked glycosylated protein and biophysical studies predicted that MLP is an amphipathic, α-helical protein, a typical feature of antimicrobial proteins. Functional analysis revealed MLP antibacterial activity against both opportunistic pathogenic Staphylococcus aureus and commensal Enterococcus faecalis bacteria but showed no effect on Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus epidermidis, and Salmonella enterica. Our data suggest that MLP is an evolutionarily ancient component of milk-mediated innate immunity absent in other mammals. We propose that MLP evolved specifically in the monotreme lineage supporting the evolution of lactation in these species to provide bacterial protection, at a time when mammals lacked nipples.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Monotreme Lactation Protein Is Highly Expressed in Monotreme Milk and Provides Antimicrobial Protection

Enjapoori¹,

Grant²,

Nicol³

et al. 2014

Genome Biology and Evolution

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“…However, in spite that neonates have an undeveloped immune system (Edwards et al 2012), the birth process and the newborn marsupial are surprisingly resilient, and birth complications are rare.…”

Section: Future Directionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sex allocation, terminal investment and the effects of environmental constraints on maternal investment in subtropical antechinus

Faundes¹

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School of Biological Sciences iiCover photo: Female subtropical antechinus named Olive, born in 2012, hand-reared by Daniela Parra-Faundes and released back to the wild on mid-January 2013. This picture was taken three weeks after she was released. Photo: Daniela Parra-Faundes iii AbstractThis thesis addresses questions on sex allocation, life history strategies and costs of reproduction using experimental manipulations of litter sex ratios and field data on ecology and behaviour of the subtropical antechinus (Antechinus subtropicus).In chapter 2, I investigate two major adaptive hypotheses to explain sex ratio bias at birth: the Trivers-Willard Hypothesis (TWH) and the Local Resource Competition Hypothesis (LRCH). I show that sons are more costly to produce than daughters because they have fast growth rates and there are greater survival costs to mothers when they wean more sons. Mothers that naturally produced male-biased litters were slightly heavier than mothers that gave birth to female-biased litters. These results are consistent with the TWH, which states that mothers with more resources to invest benefit by producing high quality competitive sons that will reproduce. However, after increasing the natural bias of litter sex ratios, mothers were able to increase investment to meet demands of rearing more sons than they had naturally produced, without compromising offspring growth.These results are inconsistent with a key prediction of the TWH, that females give birth to the number of sons that they can afford to raise. Also inconsistent with the TWH, malebiased litters grew more quickly after the sex ratio manipulation and, were more likely to survive to weaning. The LRCH predicts that mothers in poor condition should reduce competition from the sex that competes the most, by allocating more to sons than to daughters, as females often remain in their natal home range after weaning. In support of the LRCH, large litter size was associated with slower growth rate in daughters, but not sons. These results differ from previous cross fostering manipulations to test sex allocation in mammals, which have unequivocally supported the TWH.In chapter 3 I examine changes in reproductive performance and survival with age in females. Senescence and terminal investment are two major models to understand effects of age on reproduction. Reproductive investment and success declines with age if senescence occurs, and investment in young increases near the end of life if terminal investment occurs, improving offspring performance at a cost to mothers. I show that older subtropical antechinuses females are not reproductively senescent. On the contrary, females had a greater investment ability and an overall improvement in reproductive performance with age. Older mothers increased investment in their second litters, and were able to produce high quality, large, fast growing offspring that were also more likely iv to survive that the offspring from younger females. However, this greater maternal reduced their own survival. These...

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Histological Development of the Immune Tissues of a Marsupial, the Red‐Tailed Phascogale (Phascogale calura)

Borthwick

Old

2015

The Anatomical Record

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Red-tailed phascogale (Phascogale calura) pouch young at birth were relatively underdeveloped in comparison with their eutherian counterparts, and the lymphoid tissues of the immune system were found to be histologically immature. The phascogale thymus rapidly developed in the first few days of pouch life and was quickly populated with lymphocytes. By the end of pouch life, involution of the thymus was underway. The bone marrow started to develop in the early stage of pouch life, although adipocytes and megakaryocytes were not observed until slightly later. The liver was hematopoietic from birth and reached histological maturity toward the end of pouch life. The lymph nodes were difficult to detect macroscopically because of their small size, but were easily identified microscopically later in pouch life, particularly in the mesentery, and these lymph nodes exhibited germinal centers by the end of pouch life. The early spleen was predominately mesenchymal, but exhibited some erythropoiesis. Follicles with well-developed germinal centers were not observed until the latest stage of pouch life. Although intraepithelial lymphocytes were detected in the intestines early in pouch life, the discrete lymphoid aggregates and Peyer's patches characteristic of the gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT) were not detected until later in pouch life. This is the first report of histological development in phascogale pouch young, as well as the first report of the thymus, bone marrow, and lymph nodes in this dasyurid species at any age. Anat Rec, 299:207-219, 2016. V C 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

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A review of complementary mechanisms which protect the developing marsupial pouch young

Cited by 39 publications

References 80 publications

Monotreme Lactation Protein Is Highly Expressed in Monotreme Milk and Provides Antimicrobial Protection

Monotreme Lactation Protein Is Highly Expressed in Monotreme Milk and Provides Antimicrobial Protection

Sex allocation, terminal investment and the effects of environmental constraints on maternal investment in subtropical antechinus

Histological Development of the Immune Tissues of a Marsupial, the Red‐Tailed Phascogale (Phascogale calura)

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