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Variations of immune parameters in terrestrial isopods: a matter of gender, aging and Wolbachia

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Abstract

Ecological factors modulate animal immunocompetence and potentially shape the evolution of their immune systems. Not only environmental parameters impact on immunocompetence: Aging is one major cause of variability of immunocompetence between individuals, and sex-specific levels of immunocompetence have also been frequently described. Moreover, a growing core of data put in light that vertically transmitted symbionts can dramatically modulate the immunocompetence of their hosts. In this study, we addressed the influence of gender, age and the feminising endosymbiont Wolbachia (wVulC) on variations in haemocyte density, total PO activity and bacterial load in the haemolymph of the terrestrial isopod Armadillidium vulgare. This host–symbiont system is of particular interest to address this question since: (1) wVulC was previously shown as immunosuppressive in middle-aged females and (2) wVulC influences sex determination. We show that age, gender and Wolbachia modulate together immune parameters in A. vulgare. However, wVulC, which interacts with aging, appears to be the prominent factor interfering with both PO activity and haemocyte density. This interference with immune parameters is not the only aspect of wVulC virulence on its host, as reproduction and survival are also altered.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Sébastien Moreau for advice in adapting PO measurement to terrestrial isopods and Maryline Raimond for technical assistance. We thank Richard Cordaux, Jessica Dittmer and three anonymous referees for their comments on a previous version of this manuscript. This research was funded by the CNRS, the Université de Poitiers and the Agence Nationale de la Recherche (EndoSymbArt ANR-06-BLAN-0316).

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  1. Laboratoire Ecologie, Evolution, Symbiose, UMR CNRS 6556, Université de Poitiers, 40 avenue du recteur Pineau, 86022, Poitiers cedex, France

    Mathieu Sicard, Frédéric Chevalier, Mickaël De Vlechouver, Didier Bouchon, Pierre Grève & Christine Braquart-Varnier

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  1. Mathieu Sicard
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  2. Frédéric Chevalier
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  3. Mickaël De Vlechouver
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  4. Didier Bouchon
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  5. Pierre Grève
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  6. Christine Braquart-Varnier
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Correspondence to Mathieu Sicard.

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Sicard, M., Chevalier, F., De Vlechouver, M. et al. Variations of immune parameters in terrestrial isopods: a matter of gender, aging and Wolbachia . Naturwissenschaften 97, 819–826 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00114-010-0699-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00114-010-0699-2

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