Quantification of pathogen levels is necessary to compare responses to pathogen exposure: Comment on Davy et al. “The other white‐nose syndrome transcriptome”

Field, Kenneth A.

doi:10.1002/ece3.4034

Cited by 5 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 14 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The RNA‐Seq data showed that the 12 UV‐negative biopsies contained 6,650 ± 8,190 P. destructans transcripts. The reads that map to the P. destructans transcriptome represent 0.10% ± 0.12% of the total mapped reads in the UV‐negative samples, similar to what we find in tissue samples from bats with no exposure to P. destructans (Field, ). The 12 UV‐positive biopsies contained significantly more transcripts (190,000 ± 181,000, p = 0.004, paired t test).…”

Section: Methodssupporting

confidence: 79%

Effect of torpor on host transcriptomic responses to a fungal pathogen in hibernating bats

et al. 2018

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Hibernation, the use of prolonged torpor to depress metabolism, is employed by mammals to conserve resources during extended periods of extreme temperatures and/or resource limitation. Mammalian hibernators arouse to euthermy periodically during torpor for reasons that are not well understood, and these arousals may facilitate immune processes. To determine whether arousals enable host responses to pathogens, we used dual RNA-Seq and a paired sampling approach to examine gene expression in a hibernating bat, the little brown myotis (Myotis lucifugus). During torpor, transcript levels differed in only a few genes between uninfected wing tissue and adjacent tissue infected with Pseudogymnoascus destructans, the fungal pathogen that causes white-nose syndrome. Within 70-80 min after emergence from torpor, large changes in gene expression were observed due to local infection, particularly in genes involved in pro-inflammatory host responses to fungal pathogens, but also in many genes involved in immune responses and metabolism. These results support the hypothesis that torpor is a period of relative immune dormancy and arousals allow for local immune responses in infected tissues during hibernation. Host-pathogen interactions were also found to regulate gene expression in the pathogen differently depending on the torpor state of the host. Hibernating species must balance the benefits of energy and water conservation achieved during torpor with the costs of decreased immune competence. Interbout arousals allow hibernators to optimize these, and other, trade-offs during prolonged hibernation by enabling host responses to pathogens within brief, periodic episodes of euthermy.

show abstract

Section: Methodssupporting

confidence: 79%

Effect of torpor on host transcriptomic responses to a fungal pathogen in hibernating bats

et al. 2018

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…There were, therefore, no pathogen loads to quantify in the exposed tissue (Davy et al., ). We thank Field () for confirming that P. destructans was virtually undetectable in the wing tissue of exposed M. myotis, as we also reported in our study.…”

Section: Pseudogymnoascus Destructans Did Not Invade the Tissue Of Exsupporting

confidence: 88%

“…(), “The Other White‐Nose Syndrome Transcriptome: tolerant and susceptible hosts respond differently to the pathogen Pseudogymnoascus destructans”, where we reported the outcomes of experimental exposure of little brown bats, Myotis lucifugus, and greater mouse‐eared bats, Myotis myotis, to P. destructans . Field () raises three key points: (1) that the putatively tolerant species in our experiment ( M. myotis ) did not develop infection, (2) that the reported qPCR results do not confirm the presence of the pathogen at the time of sampling, and (3) that the M. myotis tissue used for RNA sequencing did not contain the pathogen, P. destructans . These points highlight the unique challenges of studying host–pathogen interactions in environmentally persistent pathogens, and we welcome the opportunity to explicitly discuss these challenges.…”

mentioning

confidence: 88%

“…Field () expressed skepticism that our positive qPCR results from three exposed M. myotis actually indicated pathogen presence, because one of these results was at the edge of the detection limit for the qPCR assay ( Ct = 40). We appreciate the chance to clarify this point.…”

Section: Quantitative Pcr Only Detected Low Pathogen Loads On Three Ementioning

confidence: 99%

“…We thank Field () for his comments on Davy et al. (), “The Other White‐Nose Syndrome Transcriptome: tolerant and susceptible hosts respond differently to the pathogen Pseudogymnoascus destructans”, where we reported the outcomes of experimental exposure of little brown bats, Myotis lucifugus, and greater mouse‐eared bats, Myotis myotis, to P. destructans .…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Environmentally persistent pathogens present unique challenges for studies of host–pathogen interactions: Reply to Field (2018)

Davy

Donaldson

Willis

et al. 2018

Ecology and Evolution

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Resistance is futile: RNA-sequencing reveals differing responses to bat fungal pathogen in Nearctic Myotis lucifugus and Palearctic Myotis myotis

et al. 2019

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Resistance and tolerance allow organisms to cope with potentially life-threatening pathogens. Recently introduced pathogens initially induce resistance responses, but natural selection favors the development of tolerance, allowing for a commensal relationship to evolve. Mycosis by Pseudogymnoascus destructans, causing white-nose syndrome (WNS) in Nearctic hibernating bats, has resulted in population declines since 2006. The pathogen, which spread from Europe, has infected species of Palearctic Myotis for a longer period. We compared ecologically relevant responses to the fungal infection in the susceptible Nearctic M. lucifugus and less susceptible Palearctic M. myotis, to uncover factors contributing to survival differences in the two species. Samples were collected from euthermic bats during arousal from hibernation, a naturally occurring phenomenon, during which transcriptional responses are activated. We compared the whole-transcriptome responses in wild bats infected with P. destructans hibernating in their natural habitat. Our results show dramatically different local transcriptional responses to the pathogen between uninfected and infected samples from the two species. Whereas we found 1526 significantly upregulated or downregulated transcripts in infected M. lucifugus, only one transcript was downregulated in M. myotis. The upregulated response pathways in M. lucifugus include immune cell activation and migration, and inflammatory pathways, indicative of an unsuccessful attempt to resist the infection. In contrast, M. myotis appears to tolerate P. destructans infection by not activating a transcriptional response. These host-microbe interactions determine pathology, contributing to WNS susceptibility, or commensalism, promoting tolerance to fungal colonization during hibernation that favors survival. Graphic abstract

show abstract

Quantification of pathogen levels is necessary to compare responses to pathogen exposure: Comment on Davy et al. “The other white‐nose syndrome transcriptome”

Cited by 5 publications

References 14 publications

Effect of torpor on host transcriptomic responses to a fungal pathogen in hibernating bats

Effect of torpor on host transcriptomic responses to a fungal pathogen in hibernating bats

Environmentally persistent pathogens present unique challenges for studies of host–pathogen interactions: Reply to Field (2018)

Resistance is futile: RNA-sequencing reveals differing responses to bat fungal pathogen in Nearctic Myotis lucifugus and Palearctic Myotis myotis

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About