Towards a Mechanism for Poly(I·C) Antiviral Priming in Oysters

Viral diseases cause significant losses in aquaculture. Prophylactic measures, such as immune priming, are promising control strategies. Treatment of the Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas) with the double-stranded RNA analog poly(I·C) confers long-term protection against infection with ostreid herpesvirus 1, the causative agent of Pacific oyster mortality syndrome. In a recent article in mBio, Lafont and coauthors (M. Lafont, A. Vergnes, J. Vidal-Dupiol, J. de Lorgeril, et al., mBio 11:e02777-19, 2020, https://doi.org/10.1128/mBio.02777-19) characterized the transcriptome of oysters treated with poly(I·C). This immune stimulator induced genes related to the interferon and apoptosis pathways. This response overlaps the response to viral infection, and high expression levels of potential effector genes are maintained for up to 4 months. This work opens the door to characterization of the phenomena of immune priming in a poorly studied invertebrate model. It also highlights the importance of interferon-like responses for invertebrate antiviral immunity.