Using viromes to predict novel immune proteins in non-model organisms

Area of Science:

• Immunology
• Marine Biology
• Bioinformatics

Background:

• Immune system research is limited to a few model organisms, leaving most of Earth's biodiversity unexplored.
• Characterizing immunity in non-model organisms requires innovative approaches beyond traditional molecular tools.
• Viruses can alter host immune responses through protein expression, offering a potential avenue for discovery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a metagenomic sequencing pipeline for identifying host immune proteins in non-model organisms.
• To apply this pipeline to reef-building corals, which lack conventional genetic and cell culture tools.
• To discover novel coral immune proteins and components involved in pathogen sensing and apoptosis.

Main Methods:

• Generated a mock human virome and compared it to the human proteome using tBLASTn to identify known immune proteins.
• Applied the same pipeline to viromes isolated from reef-building corals, comparing them against the predicted coral proteome.
• Utilized bioinformatics analysis to predict host immune components from viral and host genomic data.

Main Results:

• The human virome analysis identified 36 proteins involved in immunity.
• The coral virome analysis identified 2503 coral proteins, including those associated with pathogen sensing and apoptosis.
• Discovered 159 coral proteins predicted to be involved in immunity but lacking current functional annotation.

Conclusions:

• Metagenomic sequencing of viral communities is an effective strategy for identifying host immune proteins, even in organisms lacking traditional research tools.
• This novel pipeline facilitates rapid prediction of immune components and holds potential for discovering new immune proteins across diverse species.
• The findings significantly advance our understanding of coral immunity and provide a scalable method for immunological research in non-model systems.