Parent‐Specific Transgenerational Immune Priming Enhances Offspring Defense—Unless Heat Stress Negates It All

ABSTRACT Transgenerational immune priming (TGIP) adjusts offspring's immune responses based on parental immunological experiences. It is predicted to be adaptive when parent–offspring environmental conditions match, while mismatches negate those advantages, rendering TGIP potentially costly. We...

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Main Authors: Ralf F. Schneider, Arseny Dubin, Silke‐Mareike Marten, Olivia Roth
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2024-11-01
Series:Ecology and Evolution
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.70552
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author Ralf F. Schneider
Arseny Dubin
Silke‐Mareike Marten
Olivia Roth
author_facet Ralf F. Schneider
Arseny Dubin
Silke‐Mareike Marten
Olivia Roth
author_sort Ralf F. Schneider
collection DOAJ
description ABSTRACT Transgenerational immune priming (TGIP) adjusts offspring's immune responses based on parental immunological experiences. It is predicted to be adaptive when parent–offspring environmental conditions match, while mismatches negate those advantages, rendering TGIP potentially costly. We tested these cost–benefit dynamics in the pipefish Syngnathus typhle (Syngnathidae). Because of their unique male pregnancy, egg production and rearing occur in different sexes, providing both parents multiple avenues for TGIP. Parental bacteria exposure in our pipefish was simulated through vaccinations with heat‐killed Vibrio aestuarianus before mating the fish to each other or to controls. The resulting offspring were exposed to V. aestuarianus in control or heat stress environments, after which transcriptome and microbiome compositions were investigated. Transcriptomic TGIP effects were only observed in Vibrio‐exposed offspring at control temperatures, arguing for low costs of TGIP in non‐matching microbiota environments. Transcriptomic phenotypes elicited by maternal and paternal TGIP had limited overlap and were not additive. Parentally induced transcriptomic responses were associated with immune functions, and specifically, the paternal response to the innate immune branch, possibly hinting at trained immunity. TGIP of both parents reduced the relative abundance of the experimental Vibrio in exposed offspring, showcasing its ecological benefits. Despite TGIP's significance in matching biotic environments, no TGIP‐associated phenotypes were observed for heat‐treated offspring, illustrating its limitations. Heat spikes caused by climate change thus threaten TGIP benefits, potentially increasing susceptibility to emerging marine diseases. We demonstrate the urgent need to understand how animals cope with climate‐induced changes in microbial assemblages to assess their vulnerability in light of climate change.
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spelling doaj-art-ceb5127297be41a68ec570fd20281db22025-08-20T02:34:35ZengWileyEcology and Evolution2045-77582024-11-011411n/an/a10.1002/ece3.70552Parent‐Specific Transgenerational Immune Priming Enhances Offspring Defense—Unless Heat Stress Negates It AllRalf F. Schneider0Arseny Dubin1Silke‐Mareike Marten2Olivia Roth3Department of Zoology, Marine Evolutionary Biology University of Kiel Kiel GermanyDepartment of Zoology, Marine Evolutionary Biology University of Kiel Kiel GermanyDepartment of Zoology, Marine Evolutionary Biology University of Kiel Kiel GermanyDepartment of Zoology, Marine Evolutionary Biology University of Kiel Kiel GermanyABSTRACT Transgenerational immune priming (TGIP) adjusts offspring's immune responses based on parental immunological experiences. It is predicted to be adaptive when parent–offspring environmental conditions match, while mismatches negate those advantages, rendering TGIP potentially costly. We tested these cost–benefit dynamics in the pipefish Syngnathus typhle (Syngnathidae). Because of their unique male pregnancy, egg production and rearing occur in different sexes, providing both parents multiple avenues for TGIP. Parental bacteria exposure in our pipefish was simulated through vaccinations with heat‐killed Vibrio aestuarianus before mating the fish to each other or to controls. The resulting offspring were exposed to V. aestuarianus in control or heat stress environments, after which transcriptome and microbiome compositions were investigated. Transcriptomic TGIP effects were only observed in Vibrio‐exposed offspring at control temperatures, arguing for low costs of TGIP in non‐matching microbiota environments. Transcriptomic phenotypes elicited by maternal and paternal TGIP had limited overlap and were not additive. Parentally induced transcriptomic responses were associated with immune functions, and specifically, the paternal response to the innate immune branch, possibly hinting at trained immunity. TGIP of both parents reduced the relative abundance of the experimental Vibrio in exposed offspring, showcasing its ecological benefits. Despite TGIP's significance in matching biotic environments, no TGIP‐associated phenotypes were observed for heat‐treated offspring, illustrating its limitations. Heat spikes caused by climate change thus threaten TGIP benefits, potentially increasing susceptibility to emerging marine diseases. We demonstrate the urgent need to understand how animals cope with climate‐induced changes in microbial assemblages to assess their vulnerability in light of climate change.https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.70552broad‐nosed pipefishecologymicrobiomeSyngnathus typhletrained immunitytranscriptome
spellingShingle Ralf F. Schneider
Arseny Dubin
Silke‐Mareike Marten
Olivia Roth
Parent‐Specific Transgenerational Immune Priming Enhances Offspring Defense—Unless Heat Stress Negates It All
Ecology and Evolution
broad‐nosed pipefish
ecology
microbiome
Syngnathus typhle
trained immunity
transcriptome
title Parent‐Specific Transgenerational Immune Priming Enhances Offspring Defense—Unless Heat Stress Negates It All
title_full Parent‐Specific Transgenerational Immune Priming Enhances Offspring Defense—Unless Heat Stress Negates It All
title_fullStr Parent‐Specific Transgenerational Immune Priming Enhances Offspring Defense—Unless Heat Stress Negates It All
title_full_unstemmed Parent‐Specific Transgenerational Immune Priming Enhances Offspring Defense—Unless Heat Stress Negates It All
title_short Parent‐Specific Transgenerational Immune Priming Enhances Offspring Defense—Unless Heat Stress Negates It All
title_sort parent specific transgenerational immune priming enhances offspring defense unless heat stress negates it all
topic broad‐nosed pipefish
ecology
microbiome
Syngnathus typhle
trained immunity
transcriptome
url https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.70552
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