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PubMed1995

Vineyard snail allergy possibly induced by sensitization to house-dust mite (Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus).

A female patient experienced a severe allergic reaction after consumption of vineyard snails. The patient proved to be sensitized to house-dust mite (HDM) and demonstrated a positive skin test and specific IgE to snail (Eobania vermiculata, Lofarma). The snail RAST was > 80% inhibited by HDM, whereas the mite RAST was < 10% inhibited by snail extract. This is possibly another example of food allergy related to primary sensitization by an aeroallergen.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2006

Host ploidy, parasitism and immune defence in a coevolutionary snail-trematode system.

We studied the role of host ploidy and parasite exposure on immune defence allocation in a snail-trematode system (Potamopyrgus antipodarum-Microphallus sp.). In the field, haemocyte (the defence cell) concentration was lowest in deep-water habitats where infection is relatively low and highest in shallow-water habitats where infection is common. Because the frequency of asexual triploid snails is positively correlated with depth, we also experimentally studied the role of ploidy by exposing both diploid sexual and triploid asexual snails to Microphallus eggs. We found that triploid snails had lower haemocyte concentrations than did diploids in both parasite-addition and parasite-free treatments. We also found that both triploids and diploids increased their numbers of large granular haemocytes at similar rates after parasite exposure. Because triploid P. antipodarum have been shown to be more resistant to allopatric parasites than diploids, the current results suggest that the increased resistance of triploids is because of intrinsic genetic properties rather than to greater allocation to defence cells. This finding is consistent with recent theory on the advantages of increased ploidy for hosts combating coevolving parasites.

Animals↗

PubMed1997

Molecular and phenotypic features of aeromonads isolated from snails (Helix aspersa) affected with a new summer disease.

Forty-four aeromonads were isolated during the summer of 1994 from snails (Helix aspersa) affected or not by a newly described disease. Snta 1 rRNA gene restriction patterns (ribotyping) and nine selected conventional phenotypic tests were performed to retrospectively determine relationships among these isolates regarding the disease. Results from ribotyping were found highly discriminant in strain differentiation and suggest the possible existence of a group of Aeromonas associated with the disease. Biochemical and molecular characterizations indicated that most of these disease-associated aeromonads could belong to the phenospecies A. hydrophila. Phenospecies of aeromonads from healthy snails were distinct from those isolated from diseased snails and could be identified as A. caviae or remained undetermined. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first report of a probable pathogenic aeromonad found in snails, extending the host-pathogen spectrum of Aeromonas.

Aeromonas↗

PubMed2005

Palatability of Thlaspi caerulescens for snails: influence of zinc and glucosinolates.

* The hypothesis that zinc (Zn) hyperaccumulation defends Thlaspi caerulescens against herbivores is tested with the snail Helix aspersa. We investigated the effects of leaf zinc, cadmium, glucosinolate, nitrogen and dry matter concentrations on the feeding preferences of snails. * Four T. caerulescens populations from southern France (two from metalliferous and two from normal soils) were grown on low- and high-Zn soils to obtain contrasting leaf Zn concentrations. Plants were also collected in the field, and binary feeding choices involving low- and high-Zn leaves were conducted. * Foliar Zn, Cd, N and dry matter concentrations did not affect the feeding choices of snails, whereas glucosinolate had a significant negative effect on herbivore preferences. Compared with metallicolous plants, nonmetallicolous ones appeared to be better protected against snails, whatever their Zn concentration. * These results do not support the defence hypothesis, as glucosinolates appear to decrease the degree of herbivory when Zn does not.

Animals↗

PubMed2005

Drought, snails, and large-scale die-off of southern U.S. salt marshes.

Salt marshes in the southeastern United States have recently experienced massive die-off, one of many examples of widespread degradation in marine and coastal ecosystems. Although intense drought is thought to be the primary cause of this die-off, we found snail grazing to be a major contributing factor. Survey of marsh die-off areas in three states revealed high-density fronts of snails on die-off edges at 11 of 12 sites. Exclusion experiments demonstrated that snails actively converted marshes to exposed mudflats. Salt addition and comparative field studies suggest that drought-induced stress and grazers acted synergistically and to varying degrees to cause initial plant death. After these disturbances, snail fronts formed on die-off edges and subsequently propagated through healthy marsh, leading to cascading vegetation loss. These results, combined with model analyses, reveal strong interactions between increasing climatic stress and grazer pressure, both potentially related to human environmental impacts, which amplify the likelihood and intensity of runaway collapse in these coastal systems.

Animals↗

PubMed1998

Detection of Ehrlichia risticii, the agent of Potomac horse fever, in freshwater stream snails (Pleuroceridae: Juga spp.) from northern California.

Ehrlichia DNA was identified by nested PCR in operculate snails (Pleuroceridae: Juga spp.) collected from stream water in a northern California pasture in which Potomac horse fever (PHF) is enzootic. Sequencing of PCR-amplified DNA from a suite of genes (the 16S rRNA, groESL heat shock operon, 51-kDa major antigen genes) indicated that the source organism closely resembled Ehrlichia risticii, the causative agent of PHF. The minimum percentage of Juga spp. harboring the organism in the population studied was 3.5% (2 of 57 snails). No ehrlichia DNA was found in tissues of 123 lymnaeid, physid, and planorbid snails collected at the same site. These data suggest that pleurocerid stream snails may play a role in the life cycle of E. risticii in northern California.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed2001

The mouse snail gene encodes a key regulator of the epithelial-mesenchymal transition.

Snail family genes encode DNA binding zinc finger proteins that act as transcriptional repressors. Mouse embryos deficient for the Snail (Sna) gene exhibit defects in the formation of the mesoderm germ layer. In Sna(-/-) mutant embryos, a mesoderm layer forms and mesodermal marker genes are induced but the mutant mesoderm is morphologically abnormal. Lacunae form within the mesoderm layer of the mutant embryos, and cells lining these lacunae retain epithelial characteristics. These cells resemble a columnar epithelium and have apical-basal polarity, with microvilli along the apical surface and intercellular electron-dense adhesive junctions that resemble adherens junctions. E-cadherin expression is retained in the mesoderm of the Sna(-/-) embryos. These defects are strikingly similar to the gastrulation defects observed in snail-deficient Drosophila embryos, suggesting that the mechanism of repression of E-cadherin transcription by Snail family proteins may have been present in the metazoan ancestor of the arthropod and mammalian lineages.

Abnormalities, Multiple↗

PubMed2005

Inducible expression of Snail selectively increases paracellular ion permeability and differentially modulates tight junction proteins.

Constitutive expression of the transcription factor Snail was previously shown to trigger complete epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). The aim of this study was to determine whether inducible expression of Snail could modify epithelial properties without eliciting full mesenchymal conversion. For this purpose, we expressed mouse Snail (mSnail) cDNA in Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells under the control of a doxycycline-repressible transactivator. Inducible expression of Snail did not result in overt EMT but induced a number of phenotypic alterations of MDCK cells, the most significant of which was the absence of fluid-filled blisterlike structures called "domes." To understand the mechanisms responsible for dome suppression, we assessed the effect of mSnail expression on epithelial barrier function. Although mSnail did not alter tight junction (TJ) organization and permeability to uncharged solutes, it markedly decreased transepithelial electrical resistance. In light of these findings, we evaluated the ability of MDCK cell monolayers to maintain ionic gradients and found that expression of mSnail selectively increases Na+ and Cl- permeability. Analysis of the expression of claudins, transmembrane proteins that regulate TJ ionic permeability, showed that mSnail induces a moderate decrease in claudin-2 and a substantial decrease in claudin-4 and -7 expression. Together, these results suggest that induction of mSnail selectively increases the ionic permeability of TJs by differentially modulating the expression of specific claudins.

Animals↗

PubMed2006

SYT-SSX1 and SYT-SSX2 interfere with repression of E-cadherin by snail and slug: a potential mechanism for aberrant mesenchymal to epithelial transition in human synovial sarcoma.

Synovial sarcoma is a primitive mesenchymal neoplasm characterized in almost all cases by a t(X;18) fusing the SYT transcriptional coactivator gene with either SSX1 or SSX2, with the resulting fusion gene encoding an aberrant transcriptional regulator. A subset of synovial sarcoma, predominantly cases with the SYT-SSX1 fusion, shows foci of morphologic epithelial differentiation in the form of nests of glandular epithelium. The striking spontaneous mesenchymal to epithelial differentiation in this cancer is reminiscent of a developmental switch, but the only clue to its mechanistic basis has been the observation that most cases of synovial sarcoma with glandular epithelial differentiation (GED) contain SYT-SSX1 instead of SYT-SSX2. We report here that SYT-SSX1 and SYT-SSX2 interact preferentially with Snail or Slug, respectively, and prevent these transcriptional repressors from binding to the proximal E-cadherin promoter as shown by coimmunoprecipitation and chromatin immunoprecipitation. Luciferase reporter assays reveal that SYT-SSX1 and SYT-SSX2 can respectively overcome the Snail- or Slug-mediated repression of E-cadherin transcription. This provides a mechanism by which E-cadherin expression, a prerequisite of epithelial differentiation, is aberrantly derepressed in synovial sarcoma and may also explain the association of GED with the SYT-SSX1 fusion because it interferes with Snail, the stronger repressor of the E-cadherin promoter. Thus, our data provide a mechanistic basis for the observed heterogeneity in the acquisition of epithelial characteristics in synovial sarcoma and highlight the potential role of differential interactions with Snail or Slug in modulating this phenotypic transition.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed2006

Genetic profiling of epithelial cells expressing E-cadherin repressors reveals a distinct role for Snail, Slug, and E47 factors in epithelial-mesenchymal transition.

The transcription factors Snail, Slug, and bHLH E47 have been recently described as direct repressors of E-cadherin and inducers of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and invasion when overexpressed in epithelial cells. Although a role of those factors in tumor progression and invasion has been proposed, whether the different repressors play distinct or redundant roles in the tumorigenic process has not been established. To further investigate this important issue, we have analyzed the gene expression profiling of Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) epithelial cells expressing the different repressors (MDCK-Snail, MDCK-Slug, and MDCK-E47 cells) versus control MDCK cells by cDNA microarrays. A total of 243 clones (228 genes and 15 expressed sequence tags) were found to be differentially expressed between either of the three MDCK-derived cell lines and control MDCK cells. Twenty two of the candidate genes were validated by Northern blot, Western blot, immunofluorescence, and promoter analyses in cell lines and by immunohistochemistry in xenografted tumors. Gene clustering analysis indicated that about a third of the 243 candidate genes were common to MDCK cells expressing Snail, Slug, or E47 factors, whereas the rest of the genes were regulated in only one or two cell types. Differentially regulated genes include those related to EMT (45 genes), transcriptional regulation (18 genes), cell proliferation and signaling (54 genes), apoptosis (12 genes), and angiogenesis (9 genes). These results indicate that Snail, Slug, and E47 transcription factors induce common and specific genetic programs, supporting a differential role of the factors in tumor progression and invasion.

Animals↗

PubMed2005

Experimental control of Biomphalaria pfeifferi, the intermediate host of Schistosoma mansoni, by the ampullariid snail Lanistes varicus.

The biological control of the snail hosts of the trematodes that cause human schistosomiasis appears to be a promising method for achieving sustainable reductions in the transmission of the parasites. The possibility of using the Ghanaian strain of an ampullariid snail, Lanistes varicus, for the biological control of the main snail host of Schistosoma mansoni , Biomphalaria pfeifferi, has now been investigated in laboratory-based experiments. Adult and 2-week-old L. varicus were found to feed voraciously on the egg masses and juveniles of B. pfeifferi (from the Tono irrigation canals in northern Ghana). When single L. varicus were exposed to 20-200 egg masses, they consumed all of the masses over 24 h (if adult) or about 50% of them over 4 days (if 2-week-old juveniles). The effect of the secretions of the ampullariid on the reproduction, growth and mortality of B. pfeifferi was also investigated, by maintaining the two snail species in the same aquarium but separated by nylon netting. The presence of L. varicus in the same aquarium reduced the number of egg masses produced by each B. pfeifferi, although, curiously, the presence of a single L. varicus in the aquarium appeared to have more of an impact, on the egg-mass deposition by 20 B. pfeifferi, than the presence of five or more of the ampullariids. It appears that, under laboratory conditions at least, the Ghanaian stain of L. varicus has the potential to limit populations of B. pfeifferi.

Animals↗

PubMed2005

The Snail genes as inducers of cell movement and survival: implications in development and cancer.

The functions of the Snail family of zinc-finger transcription factors are essential during embryonic development. One of their best-known functions is to induce epithelial to mesenchymal transitions (EMTs), which convert epithelial cells into migratory mesenchymal cells. In recent years, many orthologues of the Snail family have been identified throughout the animal kingdom, and their study is providing new clues about the EMT-dependent and -independent functions of Snail proteins. Here, we discuss these functions and how they influence cell behaviour during development and during diseases such as metastatic cancer. From these findings, we propose that Snail genes act primarily as survival factors and inducers of cell movement, rather than as inducers of EMT or cell fate.

Animals↗

PubMed2002

Overexpression of Snail family members highlights their ability to promote chick neural crest formation.

The Snail gene family of transcription factors plays crucial roles in different morphogenetic processes during the development of vertebrate and invertebrate embryos. In previous studies of function interference for one of the family members, Slug, we showed its involvement and neural crest formation in the chick embryo. Now we have carried out a series of gain-of-function experiments in which we show that Slug overexpression in the neural tube of the chick embryo induces an increase in neural crest production. The analysis of electroporated embryos shows that Slug can induce the expression of rhoB and an increase in the number of HNK-1-positive migratory cells, indicating that it lies upstream of them in the genetic cascade of neural crest development. The increase in neural crest production after Slug overexpression was confined to the cranial region, indicating that the mechanisms of crest induction somehow differ between head and trunk. The expression of the two vertebrate family members, Slug and Snail, is peculiar with respect to the neural crest. Slug is not expressed in the premigratory crest in the mouse, whereas it is expressed in this cell population in the chick and the opposite is true for Snail ( Sefton, M., Sánchez, S. and Nieto M. A. (1998) Development 125, 3111-3121). This raises the question of whether they can be functionally equivalent. To test this hypothesis both intra- and interspecies, we have performed a series of ectopic expression experiments by electroporating chick and mouse Snail in the chick embryo hindbrain. We observe that both genes elicit the same responses in the neural tube. Our results indicate that they can be functionally equivalent, although the embryos show a higher response to the endogenous gene, chick Slug.

Animals↗

PubMed2002

The Snail repressor positions Notch signaling in the Drosophila embryo.

The maternal Dorsal nuclear gradient initiates the differentiation of the mesoderm, neurogenic ectoderm and dorsal ectoderm in the precellular Drosophila embryo. Each tissue is subsequently subdivided into multiple cell types during gastrulation. We have investigated the formation of the mesectoderm within the ventral-most region of the neurogenic ectoderm. Previous studies suggest that the Dorsal gradient works in concert with Notch signaling to specify the mesectoderm through the activation of the regulatory gene sim within single lines of cells that straddle the presumptive mesoderm. This model was confirmed by misexpressing a constitutively activated form of the Notch receptor, Notch(IC), in transgenic embryos using the eve stripe2 enhancer. The Notch(IC) stripe induces ectopic expression of sim in the neurogenic ectoderm where there are low levels of the Dorsal gradient. sim is not activated in the ventral mesoderm, due to inhibition by the localized zinc-finger Snail repressor, which is selectively expressed in the ventral mesoderm. Additional studies suggest that the Snail repressor can also stimulate Notch signaling. A stripe2-snail transgene appears to induce Notch signaling in 'naïve' embryos that contain low uniform levels of Dorsal. We suggest that these dual activities of Snail, repression of Notch target genes and stimulation of Notch signaling, help define precise lines of sim expression within the neurogenic ectoderm.

Animals↗

PubMed2005

Expression of the transcription factors snail, slug, and twist and their clinical significance in human breast cancer.

BACKGROUND: Slug, Snail, and Twist are transcription factors that regulate the expression of tumor suppressors such as E-cadherin. We examined the distribution and expression of these three molecules together with the methylation of the Twist gene promoter in human breast cancer to elucidate their clinical significance. METHODS: Frozen sections from breast cancer primary tumors (tumor, n = 114; background, n = 30) were immunostained with Slug, Snail, and Twist antibodies. RNA was reverse-transcribed, quantified, and analyzed by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (Q-PCR). Results were expressed as copy number of transcript per 50 ng of RNA (standardized against beta-actin). RESULTS: Immunohistochemistry revealed that all three molecules were stained in mammary tissues, with an increase in Twist within tumor tissues; this was supported by Q-PCR analysis. Q-PCR analysis showed that Slug was elevated with increasing tumor grade and prognostic indices. Twist was elevated with increasing nodal involvement (tumor-node-metastasis status). Conversely, Snail was reduced in expression corresponding with prognostic indices and tumor grade. Increased levels of Slug were associated with tumors from patients with metastatic disease or disease recurrence, and increased expression of Twist was associated with tumors from patients who had died from breast cancer. It is interesting to note that Snail expression was significantly reduced in patients with a poor outcome and those who had node-positive tumors. In addition, tumors exhibited methylation of the Twist promoter. CONCLUSIONS: These data demonstrate that all three transcription factors have inappropriate expression in breast cancer and that this may play a part in the progression of human breast tumors.

Breast Neoplasms↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Xanthine oxidase and xanthine dehydrogenase from an estivating land snail.

During arousal from estivation in land snails, Otala lactea, active metabolic functions are restored within minutes and oxygen consumption increases dramatically. During the transition from the hypoxic conditions of estivation to normoxia it is possible that xanthine oxidase (XO) in hepatopancreas contributes to the observed lipid peroxidation. Using a fluorometric assay that is based on the oxidation of pterin, the activities and some properties of XO and XO+XDH (sum of XO and xanthine dehydrogenase activities) were measured in hepatopancreas extracts. Km values for pterin for XO and XO+XDH were 9 and 6 microM, respectively, and the Km of XDH for methylene blue was 5 microM. Both XO+XDH and XO activities were inhibited by allopurinol (I50 = 2 microM), pre-incubation at 40 degrees C, and by 5 min H2O2 pre-exposure. Inclusion of azide in the reaction promoted a rise of approximately 70-fold in the inactivation power of H2O2 due to inhibition of high endogenous catalase activity. The I50 for H2O2 of XO+XDH and XO activities in the presence of azide was 0.04 and 0.11 mM, respectively. Unlike the situation for mammalian XO, a previous reduction of O. lactea XO (by pterin) was not necessary to make the enzyme susceptible to H2O2 effects. Interestingly, methylene blue partially prevented both heat- and H2O2-induced inactivation of XO+XDH activity. These data indicate that the formation of an enzyme-methylene blue complex induces protection against heat and oxidative damage at the FAD-active site. Both XO and XO+XDH activites were significantly higher in snails after 35 days of estivation compared with active snails 24 h after arousal from dormancy. The ratio of XO/(XO+XDH) activities was also slightly increased in estivating O. lactea (from 0.07 to 0.09; P < 0.025). XO activity was 0.03 nmol.min-1.mg protein-1 in estivating snails. Compared with hepatopancreas catalase, XO activity is probably too low to contribute significantly to the net generation of oxyradicals, and hence to peroxidative damage. Rather, the low potential of XO to induce oxidative stress may constitute an adaptive advantage for O. lactea during arousal periods.

Acclimatization↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Current concepts of snail control.

Schistosomiasis control was impossible without effective tools. Synthetic molluscicides developed in the 1950s spearheaded community level control. Snail eradication proved impossible but repeated mollusciciding to manage natural snail populations could eliminate transmission. Escalating costs, logistical complexity, its labour-intensive nature and possible environmental effects caused some concern. The arrival of safe, effective, single-dose drugs in the 1970s offered an apparently better alternative but experience revealed the need for repeated treatments to minimise reinfection in programmes relying on drugs alone. Combining treatment with mollusciciding was more successful, but broke down if mollusciciding was withdrawn to save money. The provision of sanitation and safe water to prevent transmission is too expensive in poor rural areas where schistosomiasis is endemic; rendering ineffective public health education linked to primary health care. In the tropics, moreover, children (the key group in maintaining transmission) will always play in water. Large scale destruction of natural snail habitats remains impossibly expensive (although proper design could render many new man-made habitats unsuitable for snails). Neither biological control agents nor plant molluscicides have proved satisfactory alternatives to synthetic molluscicides. Biologists can develop effective strategies for using synthetic molluscicides in different epidemiological situations if only, like drugs, their price can be reduced.

Animals↗

PubMed2006

Variation of snail's abundance in two water bodies harboring strains of Pseudosuccinea columella resistant and susceptible to Fasciola hepatica miracidial infection, in Pinar del Río Province, Cuba.

The abundance of freshwater snails in two rural sites of Pinar del Río, Cuba, which harbor Pseudosuccinea columella susceptible and resistant to miracidia of Fasciola hepatica was followed for one year. Susceptible snails were found in the most anthropic site (IPA) whereas the resistant population inhabited the most preserved one (El Azufre). Only two snail species coexisted with P. columella at IPA site (Physa cubensis and Tarebia granifera) while five species were found at El Azufre, including an endemic from that province (Hemisinus cubanianus). Populations of both resistant and susceptible snails showed stable densities throughout the year, although the susceptible strain attained higher abundance. The highest densities were observed in April-May 2004 for the susceptible population whereas the resistant strain attained its highest abundance in January 2004. No record of Fossaria cubensis was made and the thiarid T. granifera occurred only at low densities. One of the sampled sites (IPA) meets all the conditions for the first report of P. columella naturally infected with larvae of F. hepatica.

Animals↗