INNATEMEM PROJECT
Harnessing innate immune training for enhanced disease resistance in marine bivalves
Marine bivalves are one of the most popular and iconic seafoods. They are found all over the world and marine bivalve aquaculture is an expanding industry globally. However, bivalve farming is constantly at risk because of its high dependency on environmental conditions and bivalves are particularly susceptible to environmental contaminants as they filter large volumes of seawater to feed and at the same time may concentrate pathogens and biotoxins (released by red algae blooms) that can cause disease and food-borne poisoning in humans.
The project
Aims to extend understanding of bivalve immunity by a) identifying and comparing innate immunity and innate immune memory in the mantle and haemocytes, b) establish how immune training modifies the mantle and haemocyte response to infection, c) characterize the role of the mantle microbiome in immunity and how it changes with immune training.
Our bivalve model
We are studying the Mediterranean mussel (Mytillus galloprovinciallis), the second most economically valuable farmed bivalve species globally.
The team
João Cardoso
(PI)
Deborah Power
(Co-PI)
Jennifer Mc Shane
(Research technician)
Maoxiao Peng
(Member)
Zhi Li
(Member)
Babak Najafpour
(Member)
Our students
Tatiana Alberto
(Biochemestry Degree)
Thesis: Characterization of the immune response of the Mediterranean mussel (Mytilus galloprovincialis) to the presence of bacteria of the genus Vibrio
Debora Ramos
(Biotechnology Degree)
Thesis: Caracterização da atividade de enzimas associadas à biomineralização da concha no mexilhão do Mediterrâneo (Mytilus galloprovincialis) em diferentes condições de stress
Pedro Ramos
(Marine Biology Degree)
Thesis: Caracterização da atividade de enzimas envolvidas na resposta imune no mexilhão do Mediterrâneo (Mytilus galloprovincialis) em diferentes condições de stress.
Our Activities
Injecting musses
injecting mussel
After injection
Drilling the shell
Experimental setting
Sampling mussel tissues
Heamocytes assays
Enzymatic assays
Outreach activities in Local schools
Ciência Viva students 2024
Manuel and Gabriel (high school students) joined our team this summer within the Ciencia Viva 2024
Phagocytosis assay of mussel haemocytes
Image of the bacteria (green) and hemocytes (nucleus in blue). Several aggregates with fragments of bacteria inside are visible.
EMBO workshop: Establishing state-of-the-art mollusc genomics
STEM-Mc Shane-Comparison of the.mp4Being SEA-EU conference, Malta April 2024
Check out here our video presentation
New student joined our project
Hanne Hoornaert from Belgium is doing her ERASMUS Traineeship for 3 month with us and is contributing to our project!
Project: Understanding and exploring mechanisms to enhance the immune defence in marine aquaculture bivalves
Seminars in Schools
We joined the outreach Cientificamente Provavel Programme and presented seminar to the youngs about the importance of marine bivalves in the environment and the impact of environmental factors, pollutants and bacteria on their life and health and the consequences for human health and aquaculture!
We have also extended this activity to the Programa Escolas Azuis in Angola!
We have reached more than 100 students!
Conferences
Mc Shane J., Alberto T., Power DM and Cardoso JCR.COMPARISON OF THE IMMUNE RESPONSE OF THE MEDITERRANEAN MUSSEL (Mytilus galloprovincialis) TO DIFFERENT BACTERIAL CHALLENGES. Being SEA-EU conference, April 2024, Malta
EMBO workshop: Establishing state-of-the-art mollusc genomics, 27-29 May 2024, Namur, Belgium
Publications (in preparation)
Pathogenic Vibrio spp. in bivalve aquaculture: current challenges and future perspectives (Review)
Role of Mantle Mucosal Tissue in the Response of Mediterranean Mussel (Mytilus galloprovincialis) to Distinct Vibrio Challenges (Research article)
Collaborations
COST ACTION application on MObilising MOlluscan GENomics (MoMoGen) (under evaluation)
Liders of Working Group 4 (WG4): Molluscan immunity and impact on aquaculture.
Funding
Project reference: 2022.08563.PTDC.
Funded by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) DOI:10.54499/2022.08563.PTDC