Immunity in Sea Turtles: Review of a Host-Pathogen Arms Race Millions of Years in the Running
The immune system of sea turtles is not completely understood. Sea turtles (as reptiles) bridge a unique evolutionary gap, being ectothermic vertebrates like fish and amphibians and amniotes like birds and mammals. Turtles are ectotherms; thus, their immune system is influenced by environmental cond...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-02-01
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| Series: | Animals |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/4/556 |
| _version_ | 1797622862427717632 |
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| author | Alana Nash Elizabeth J. Ryan |
| author_facet | Alana Nash Elizabeth J. Ryan |
| author_sort | Alana Nash |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The immune system of sea turtles is not completely understood. Sea turtles (as reptiles) bridge a unique evolutionary gap, being ectothermic vertebrates like fish and amphibians and amniotes like birds and mammals. Turtles are ectotherms; thus, their immune system is influenced by environmental conditions like temperature and season. We aim to review the turtle immune system and note what studies have investigated sea turtles and the effect of the environment on the immune response. Turtles rely heavily on the nonspecific innate response rather than the specific adaptive response. Turtles’ innate immune effectors include antimicrobial peptides, complement, and nonspecific leukocytes. The antiviral defense is understudied in terms of the diversity of pathogen receptors and interferon function. Turtles also mount adaptive responses to pathogens. Lymphoid structures responsible for lymphocyte activation and maturation are either missing in reptiles or function is affected by season. Turtles are a marker of health for their marine environment, and their immune system is commonly dysregulated because of disease or contaminants. Fibropapillomatosis (FP) is a tumorous disease that afflicts sea turtles and is thought to be caused by a virus and an environmental factor. We aim, by exploring the current understanding of the immune system in turtles, to aid the investigation of environmental factors that contribute to the pathogenesis of this disease and provide options for immunotherapy. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T09:16:15Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-b2882936cfdf4dfe93ec9a6990f378f1 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-2615 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T09:16:15Z |
| publishDate | 2023-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Animals |
| spelling | doaj.art-b2882936cfdf4dfe93ec9a6990f378f12023-11-16T18:38:14ZengMDPI AGAnimals2076-26152023-02-0113455610.3390/ani13040556Immunity in Sea Turtles: Review of a Host-Pathogen Arms Race Millions of Years in the RunningAlana Nash0Elizabeth J. Ryan1Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Limerick, V94 T9PX Limerick, IrelandDepartment of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Limerick, V94 T9PX Limerick, IrelandThe immune system of sea turtles is not completely understood. Sea turtles (as reptiles) bridge a unique evolutionary gap, being ectothermic vertebrates like fish and amphibians and amniotes like birds and mammals. Turtles are ectotherms; thus, their immune system is influenced by environmental conditions like temperature and season. We aim to review the turtle immune system and note what studies have investigated sea turtles and the effect of the environment on the immune response. Turtles rely heavily on the nonspecific innate response rather than the specific adaptive response. Turtles’ innate immune effectors include antimicrobial peptides, complement, and nonspecific leukocytes. The antiviral defense is understudied in terms of the diversity of pathogen receptors and interferon function. Turtles also mount adaptive responses to pathogens. Lymphoid structures responsible for lymphocyte activation and maturation are either missing in reptiles or function is affected by season. Turtles are a marker of health for their marine environment, and their immune system is commonly dysregulated because of disease or contaminants. Fibropapillomatosis (FP) is a tumorous disease that afflicts sea turtles and is thought to be caused by a virus and an environmental factor. We aim, by exploring the current understanding of the immune system in turtles, to aid the investigation of environmental factors that contribute to the pathogenesis of this disease and provide options for immunotherapy.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/4/556eco-immunologyreptilesea-turtlefibropapillomatosisinnate and adaptive immunity |
| spellingShingle | Alana Nash Elizabeth J. Ryan Immunity in Sea Turtles: Review of a Host-Pathogen Arms Race Millions of Years in the Running Animals eco-immunology reptile sea-turtle fibropapillomatosis innate and adaptive immunity |
| title | Immunity in Sea Turtles: Review of a Host-Pathogen Arms Race Millions of Years in the Running |
| title_full | Immunity in Sea Turtles: Review of a Host-Pathogen Arms Race Millions of Years in the Running |
| title_fullStr | Immunity in Sea Turtles: Review of a Host-Pathogen Arms Race Millions of Years in the Running |
| title_full_unstemmed | Immunity in Sea Turtles: Review of a Host-Pathogen Arms Race Millions of Years in the Running |
| title_short | Immunity in Sea Turtles: Review of a Host-Pathogen Arms Race Millions of Years in the Running |
| title_sort | immunity in sea turtles review of a host pathogen arms race millions of years in the running |
| topic | eco-immunology reptile sea-turtle fibropapillomatosis innate and adaptive immunity |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/4/556 |
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