Early swelling response to phytohemagglutinin is lower in older toads

PeerJ

article

Francisco Javier Zamora-Camacho¹  Mar Comas³ 

[1] Department of Biological Sciences, Dartmouth College;Department of Biogeography and Global Change, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales ,(MNCN), Spanish National Research Council;Department of Integrative Ecology, Estación Biológica de Doñana ,(EBD), Spanish National Research Council

关键词: Ageing;    Amphibian;    Epidalea calamita;    Global decline;    Phytohaemagglutinin;   

DOI  :  10.7717/peerj.6104

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Inra

【 摘 要 】

The effects of age on performance of life-history traits are diverse, but a common outcome is senescence, an irreversible deterioration of physical and physiological capabilities of older individuals. Immune response is potentially bound to senescence. However, little is known about immune response ageing in amphibians. In this work, we test the hypothesis that amphibian early immune response is reduced in older individuals. To this end, we captured adult natterjack toads (Epidalea calamita) and inoculated them with phytohemagglutinin, an innocuous protein that triggers a skin-swelling immune response whose magnitude is directly proportional to the ability of the individual to mount an immune response. We measured early swelling immune response (corresponding to an innate-response stage) hourly, for six hours, and we calculated the area under the curve (AUC) for each individual’s time series, as a measure of immune response magnitude incorporating time. We estimated toad age by means of phalanx skeletochronology. Swelling and AUC decreased with age. Therefore, in accordance with our predictions, early immune response seems subject to senescence in these toads. Reduced ability to get over infections due to senescence of immune respose might be—together with a worse functioning of other organs and systems—among the causes of lower survival of older specimens.

【 授权许可】

CC BY