Traits of social immune memory in a fungus-growing superorganism
Carregando...
Arquivos
Data
2023-04-17
Autores
Título da Revista
ISSN da Revista
Título de Volume
Editor
Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp)
Resumo
O sistema imunológico é crucial para a defesa dos organismos contra patógenos. Da mesma forma, mecanismos imunológicos análogos evoluíram para combater pressões semelhantes em superorganismos. Reter informações de infecções anteriores e usá-las para regular a higiene são alguns dos mecanismos imunológicos convergentes encontrados em insetos sociais. Entretanto, ainda é deconhecido se esses mecanismos atuam de forma semelhante à memória imunológica. Neste estudo, avaliamos a memória imunológica no nível da colônia, desafiando a formiga cortadeira, Atta sexdens, com exposições homólogas e heterólogas aos fungos entomopatogênicos, Metarhizium anisopliae e Beauveria bassiana, e aos fungos micoantagonistas, Fusarium oxysporum e Trichoderma spirale. Contabilizando o comportamento das formigas, avaliamos a capacidade de A. sexdens de (i) intensificar a sua higiene coletiva, (ii) se a mesma ocorre rapidamente, (iii) quanto tempo dura essa capacidade nas colônias e (iv) o grau de especificidade para intensificar as respostas higienicas. A sanitização foi aprimorada para os quatro fungos inoculados, com incertezas acerca da velocidade de reação contra todos eles. A capacidade de provocar tais ações reguladas durou até 30 dias, quando expusemos o mesmo fungo pela terceira vez, mas não em colônias que o receberam após 60 dias. Em geral, as colônias mostraram um grau de especificidade imunológica ao diminuir a higiene quando expostas secundariamente a um fungo desconhecido. Nossos resultados destacam que A. sexdens possui algumas características de memória imunológica contra patógenos fúngicos, com base na dinâmica de suas respostas em nível de colônia sob contínuas infecções secundárias.
The immune system is crucial for organisms to defend against pathogens. Likewise, analogous immune mechanisms evolved to confront similar pressures at the superorganismal level. Retain information from previous infections and use it to upregulate hygiene are some of the convergent immune mechanisms found in social insects. Whether it extends to immunological memory is still elusive. Here we evaluate immune memory at the colonylevel by challenging the leaf-cutting ant Atta sexdens with homologous and heterologous exposures to the entomopathogenic fungi Metarhizium anisopliae and Beauveria bassiana, and the mycoantagonistic fungi Fusarium oxysporum and Trichoderma spirale. By measuring ants’ behaviors, we bounce the capacity of A. sexdens to (i) enhance their collective hygiene, (ii) whether it occurs faster, (iii) how long this capacity lasts in the colonies, and (iv) the degree of specificity to increase responses. Sanitization was enhanced to the four challenged fungi, with unclear signs of velocity against all of them. The capacity to elicit upregulated hygienic actions lasted for up to 30 days when we exposed the same fungus for a third time, but not in colonies that received it after 60 days. Overall, colonies showed a degree of immune specificity by decreasing hygiene when exposed secondarily to a distinct fungus. Our results highlight that A. sexdens have some traits of immunological memory against fungi pathogens, based on the dynamics of their colony-level responses under secondary infections.
The immune system is crucial for organisms to defend against pathogens. Likewise, analogous immune mechanisms evolved to confront similar pressures at the superorganismal level. Retain information from previous infections and use it to upregulate hygiene are some of the convergent immune mechanisms found in social insects. Whether it extends to immunological memory is still elusive. Here we evaluate immune memory at the colonylevel by challenging the leaf-cutting ant Atta sexdens with homologous and heterologous exposures to the entomopathogenic fungi Metarhizium anisopliae and Beauveria bassiana, and the mycoantagonistic fungi Fusarium oxysporum and Trichoderma spirale. By measuring ants’ behaviors, we bounce the capacity of A. sexdens to (i) enhance their collective hygiene, (ii) whether it occurs faster, (iii) how long this capacity lasts in the colonies, and (iv) the degree of specificity to increase responses. Sanitization was enhanced to the four challenged fungi, with unclear signs of velocity against all of them. The capacity to elicit upregulated hygienic actions lasted for up to 30 days when we exposed the same fungus for a third time, but not in colonies that received it after 60 days. Overall, colonies showed a degree of immune specificity by decreasing hygiene when exposed secondarily to a distinct fungus. Our results highlight that A. sexdens have some traits of immunological memory against fungi pathogens, based on the dynamics of their colony-level responses under secondary infections.
Descrição
Palavras-chave
Memória imunológica, Imunologia social, Patógenos, Especificidade, Attini, Immunological memory, Social immunity, Pathogens, Specificity, Attini ants