Phycoerythrin from Colaconema sp. Has Immunostimulatory Effects on the Whiteleg Shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei and Increases Resistance to Vibrio parahaemolyticus and White Spot Syndrome Virus

Abstract

We investigated whether phycoerythrin (PE), a pigment sourced from marine algae, could act as an immunomodulatory agent in whiteleg shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei). To this end, PE was extracted and purified from a PE-rich macroalgae, Colaconema sp. Our in vitro analysis demonstrated that PE enhanced prophenoloxidase and phagocytosis activity but inhibited the production of reactive oxygen species in hemocytes. Additionally, the PE signal could be detected using an in vivo imaging system after its injection into the ventral sinus of the cephalothorax of whiteleg shrimp. The expression profiles of fourteen immune-related genes were monitored in hemocytes from whiteleg shrimp injected with 0.30 μg of PE per gram of body weight, and crustin, lysozyme, penaiedin 4, and anti-lipopolysaccharide factor showed up-regulated post-stimulation. The induction of immune genes and enhancement of innate immune parameters by PE may explain the higher survival rates for shrimp that received different doses of PE prior to being challenged with Vibrio parahaemolyticus or white spot syndrome virus compared to controls. Combined, these results show that PE from Colaconema sp. can differentially stimulate the immune response of whiteleg shrimp in vitro and in vivo and could potentially be used as an immunomodulator in shrimp culture.

Comparison of Production and Fluorescence Characteristics of Phycoerythrin from Three Strains of Porphyridium

“…The histidine conformation at position 88α of phycoerythrin altered when the pH of the buffer changed from 5 to 8, resulting in an obvious change in the absorption spectrum [ 32 ]. The relative fluorescence intensity decreased exponentially with the decreasing phycoerythrin concentration, which was inconsistent with that reported by Lee et al (2021) [ 4 ]. The purified phycoerythrin solution (the purity was 4.3) of Colaconema sp.…”

“…Currently, it is widely used as fluorescent dye. Additionally, the potential functions of phycoerythrin were reported, including modulating the gut microbiota [ 1 ], inducing apoptosis of cancer cells [ 2 ], regulating immunity [ 3 , 4 ], anti-allergy and anti-aging [ 5 ]. Thus, phycoerythrin is considered as a natural high-value product in future.…”

Phycobiliproteins: Structural aspects, functional characteristics, and biotechnological perspectives

“…In vivo , PE induce immune genes and enhance the innate immune parameters. Potential immunomodulator in shrimp culture to prevent the Vibrio parahaemolyticus or white spot syndrome virus [133] Anti-metabolic diseases Porphyridium purpureum / Peptide from PE reduce the foam cell formation, intracellular lipid accumulation and the secretion of TNF-α and IL-6 in RAW 264.7 cell line by targeting the scavenging receptors CD36, SRA1, and Map Kinase p38. Prevention atherogenic foam cell formation.…”

R-Phycoerythrin from Colaconema formosanum (Rhodophyta), an Anti-Allergic and Collagen Promoting Material for Cosmeceuticals

“…The alga was cultured in incubators (Tominaga, Taipei City, Taiwan) at 20 ± 1 • C, 60 ± 10 µmol photons m −2 s −1 (light-emitting diode, LED white light), and a 12:12 h light:dark photoperiod in a 5 L beaker with 4L of sterilized PES seawater medium (30 psu) for several days to obtain a working sample. Next, the method to extract R-PE from C. formosanum in this study was modified from the method reported by Lee et al [24]. First, phycobiliproteins were extracted from the fresh alga C. formosanum (100 g wet weight) in 1 L of phosphate-buffered saline (PBS, pH 7.4) at 4 • C. To prevent phycobiliprotein degradation during the experiments, 5 mM NaN 3 and 4 mM EDTA were added to PBS.…”

“…With the high protein (30% of dry weight) and high R-PE contents (5 mg g −1 dw) found for this species [22], C. formosanum exhibits immense industrial advantages for R-PE extraction, and it is expected to make the market price of R-PE more affordable. Furthermore, our group has reported a method to purify R-PE extracted from C. formosanum [24]. To our knowledge, effects of R-PE from C. formosanum on mammalian cells as well as its potential as a new biomaterial in the cosmetics industry have not yet been explored.…”