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21 pages, 10 figures.-- This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License, Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are the most widespread class of membrane-bound innate immune receptors, responsible of specific pathogen recognition and production of immune effectors through the activation of intracellular signaling cascades. The repertoire of TLRs was analyzed in 85 metazoans, enriched on molluscan species, an underrepresented phylum in previous studies. Following an ancient evolutionary origin, suggested by the presence of TLR genes in Anthozoa (Cnidaria), these receptors underwent multiple independent gene family expansions, the most significant of which occurred in bivalve molluscs. Marine mussels (Mytilus spp.) had the largest TLR repertoire in the animal kingdom, with evidence of several lineage-specific expanded TLR subfamilies with different degrees of orthology conservation within bivalves. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that bivalve TLR repertoires were more diversified than their counterparts in deuterostomes or ecdysozoans. The complex evolutionary history of TLRs, characterized by lineage-specific expansions and losses, along with episodic positive selection acting on the extracellular recognition domains, suggests that functional diversification might be a leading evolutionary force. We analyzed a comprehensive transcriptomic data set from Mytilus galloprovincialis and built transcriptomic correlation clusters with the TLRs expressed in gills and in hemocytes. The implication of specific TLRs in different immune pathways was evidenced, as well as their specific modulation in response to different biotic and abiotic stimuli. We propose that, in a similar fashion to the remarkable functional specialization of vertebrate TLRs, the expansion of the TLR gene family in bivalves attends to a functional specification motivated by the biological particularities of these organisms and their living environment, This research was funded by Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (PID2021-124955OB-I00) and by Agencia Galega de Innovación (IN607B 2022/13). A.S. was supported by a Spanish AEI/EU-FSE predoctoral contract PRE2019-090760

13 pages, 8 figures, 1 table.--Open Access, Graphene oxide (GO) has attracted increasing interest for biomedical applications owing to its outstanding properties such as high specific surface area, ability to bind functional molecules for therapeutic purposes and solubility, together with mechanical resistance and good thermal conductivity. The combination of GO with other biomaterials, such as calcium phosphate (CaP) and biodegradable polymers, presents a promising strategy for bone tissue engineering. Presently, the development of these advanced biomaterials benefits from the use of additive manufacturing techniques, such as 3D printing. In this study, we develop a 3D printed PLA:CaP:GO scaffold for bone tissue engineering. First, GO was characterised alone by XPS to determine its main bond contributions and C : O ratio. Secondly, we determined the GO dose which ensures the absence of toxicity, directly exposed in vitro (human osteoblast-like cells MG-63) and in vivo (zebrafish model). In addition, GO was microinjected in the zebrafish to evaluate its effect on immune cells, quantifying the genetic expression of the main markers. Results indicated that the GO tested (C : O of 2.14, 49.50% oxidised, main bonds: C–OH, C–O–C) in a dose ≤0.25 mg mL−1 promoted MG63 cells viability percentages above 70%, and in a dose ≤0.10 mg mL−1 resulted in the absence of toxicity in zebrafish embryos. The immune response evaluation reinforced this result. Finally, the optimised GO dose (0.10 mg mL−1) was combined with polylactic acid (PLA) and CaP to obtain a 3D printed PLA:CaP:GO scaffold. Physicochemical characterisation (SEM/EDS, XRD, FT-Raman, nano-indentation) was performed and in vivo tests confirmed its biocompatibility, enabling a novel approach for bone tissue-related applications, This research was financially supported by BIOHEAT project (PID 2020-115415RB-100, Ministerio Ciencia e Innovación España), Xunta de Galicia ED431C 2021/49 and IN607B 2022/13 Program for Consolidación e estructuración de unidades de investigación competitivas (GRC and GPC). Pérez-Davila, S. and Lama, R. are grateful for funding support from Xunta de Galicia pre-doctoral grants (ED481A 2019/314 and IN606A-2017/011, respectively). Universidade de Vigo is acknowledged for funding for the open access charge

Siete investigadores del CSIC de los grupos de investigación especializados en acuicultura están incluidos en el listado de la Universidad de Stanford que recoge el 2% de los investigadores más influyentes en el mundo (World’s Top 2% Scientists 2022) en su última edición de 2022. [...]

Poster.-- Close Encounters IIM (3rd Kind), Vigo, 23 June 2022

Poster.-- 4th Congress of the International Society of Fish & Shellfish Immunology, December 12-15, 2022, Bode, Norway, Piscidin family consist of fish-specific antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) with broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity and immunomodulatory properties. The implementation of peptides as therapeutic agents in diets presents some drawbacks. Remarkably, their poor stability hinders their supply and application in biological systems since their amide bonds can be easily proteolyzed by enzymes or hydrolyzed, which leads to short halflives and their fast elimination. In this study, polyethylene oxide (PEO)/bovine serum albumin (BSA) and PEO/lysozyme (LYS) electrospun nanofibers were loaded with 0.1 % (w/w) Piscidin 1 (PIS) from Dicentrarchus labrax. The obtained nanofibers were characterized by FESEM, FTIR and SOS-PAGE. The results showed that BSA, LYS and PIS are homogeneously distributed in the nanofibers, not degraded, and their structure is maintained after the electrospinning process. The antimicrobial activity of the nanofibers was evaluated against gram-negative (A. salmonicida, E. coli) and gram-positive (B. circulans, B. subtilis, S. epidermidis) bacteria by the broth dilution method, showing that the growth of all tested species was inhibited. In conclusion, BSA/PEO/PIS and LYS/PEO/PIS nanofibers are promising candidates to be used for antimicrobial applications such as functional diets, Funding sources RTI2018-101969-J-I00 (MCIN/AEl/10.13039/501100011033 and "ERDF A way of making Europe") and MetDisFish (EMFAF and MAPA).