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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Stuttgart, Arkansas » Harry K. Dupree Stuttgart National Aquaculture Research Cntr » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #359178
Research Project: The Role of Mucosal Surfaces and Microflora in Immunity and Disease Prevention

Location: Harry K. Dupree Stuttgart National Aquaculture Research Cntr

Title: Catfish mucus changes the Flavobacterium columnare transcriptome

Author
item Lange, Miles
item Abernathy, Jason
item Farmer, Bradley

Submitted to: Book of Abstracts World Aquaculture Society
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/21/2019
Publication Date: 3/11/2019
Citation: Lange, M.D., Abernathy, J.W., Farmer, B.D. 2019. Catfish mucus changes the Flavobacterium columnare transcriptome [abstract]. Aquaculture 2019, March 7-11, 2019, New Orleans, Louisana. p. 602.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Flavobacterium columnare, the causative agent of columnaris disease, severely impacts the production of freshwater finfish species. Efforts to better understand F. columnare biological processes, including the contribution of biofilm formation to disease are ongoing. Our objective was to determine how catfish mucus affects the development of F. columnare biofilms. We demonstrate that catfish mucus stimulates in vitro biofilm formation among different F. columnare isolates. Global changes in planktonic and biofilm gene expression were then evaluated using high-throughput RNA sequencing. The analysis of F. columnare transcriptomes after the addition of mucus revealed significant differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between the planktonic and biofilm states. DEGs common among biofilms were enriched for gene ontology groups including signal transduction, ligand binding and cellular homeostasis and are likely necessary for biofilm formation. Iron acquisition systems included TonB dependent receptor and ferroxidase genes were expressed among all biofilms, while siderophore synthesis genes were only expressed in mucus-stimulated biofilms. The current analysis of F. columnare transcriptomes adds valuable information about the basic biological processes that occur during the planktonic and biofilm states. These results add valuable information into the physiological processes behind the planktonic-to-biofilm states. This work serves as a basis for future studies on understanding how biofilms are established and how they contribute to disease progression.