Comparative transcriptomics reveals different grades of susceptibility to a bacterial infection in bivalves

Because of their filtering activity, bivalve species are constantly exposed to the wide presence of pathogenic microorganisms in seawater. In this work, the transcriptomic response after a waterborne bacterial infection with Vibrio splendidus was analyzed in hemolymph hemocytes from three bivalve species present in the same environment in Galicia: mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis), cockles (Cerastoderma edule) and clams (Ruditapes decussatus). A clear transcriptomic immune modulation was observed in mussels and cockles, with shared responses such as immune recognition, inflammation, and oxidative stress. However, there were apparent differences, such as retrotransposons' regulation and apoptosis inhibition, exclusive to mussels. On the contrary, clams had very few modulated genes and almost no response to the infection. Metatranscriptomics showed each species' bacterial microbiome signature and a very high prevalence of Vibrio in the non-responsive clam individuals. These Vibrio reads were retrieved and used for a dual transcriptomics approach that revealed modulated bacterial genes related to their virulence in the clam samples, indicating that the bacteria could be in control of this interaction. This work showed that there are clear differences between the innate immune systems of different bivalves to the same infection and could indicate a greater vulnerability of the clam to certain bacterial pathogens.