Currently, there is an increasing demand for sustainably farmed fish. However, with the rapidly expanding scale and the increase in breeding density of fish aquaculture, the aquatic environment deteriorates daily, which results in serious pathogen outbreaks and threatens the sustainable development of fish aquaculture. The application of antibiotics in aquatic environment will not only cause drug residues in fish but also endanger the health of consumers. Due to the insufficient knowledge of fish immune mechanisms, one of the major challenges that the fish industry faces is no available drug to be used during the outbreak of infectious diseases. Fish possess much less developed adaptive immune responses compared to mammals, so rely much more heavily on innate immune defenses for the control of pathogen invasion. A large number of studies have shown that innate immune system of fish has developed a battery of strategies to defend against exogenous pathogens, such strategies include cytokine production, signaling pathway modulation, and immune cell regulation. Exploring the innate immune response in fish is, therefore, an urgent need for the fish industry.
The goal of this Research Topic is to collect contributions on progress made in understanding the molecular mechanisms of fish innate immunity and its role in disease control. The scope of the topic covers immune responses against pathogens and new approaches and strategies to control fish diseases.
We welcome the submission of Original Research articles, Review, and Mini Review, that address the following sub-topics:
1. Molecular regulation of innate immune responses;
2. Antiviral/Antibacterial/Antiparasitic immune response;
3. Pattern recognition receptors;
4. Innate immune cytokine/chemokine receptors and downstream signaling pathways;
5. Innate immune cell development and functional differentiation.
Currently, there is an increasing demand for sustainably farmed fish. However, with the rapidly expanding scale and the increase in breeding density of fish aquaculture, the aquatic environment deteriorates daily, which results in serious pathogen outbreaks and threatens the sustainable development of fish aquaculture. The application of antibiotics in aquatic environment will not only cause drug residues in fish but also endanger the health of consumers. Due to the insufficient knowledge of fish immune mechanisms, one of the major challenges that the fish industry faces is no available drug to be used during the outbreak of infectious diseases. Fish possess much less developed adaptive immune responses compared to mammals, so rely much more heavily on innate immune defenses for the control of pathogen invasion. A large number of studies have shown that innate immune system of fish has developed a battery of strategies to defend against exogenous pathogens, such strategies include cytokine production, signaling pathway modulation, and immune cell regulation. Exploring the innate immune response in fish is, therefore, an urgent need for the fish industry.
The goal of this Research Topic is to collect contributions on progress made in understanding the molecular mechanisms of fish innate immunity and its role in disease control. The scope of the topic covers immune responses against pathogens and new approaches and strategies to control fish diseases.
We welcome the submission of Original Research articles, Review, and Mini Review, that address the following sub-topics:
1. Molecular regulation of innate immune responses;
2. Antiviral/Antibacterial/Antiparasitic immune response;
3. Pattern recognition receptors;
4. Innate immune cytokine/chemokine receptors and downstream signaling pathways;
5. Innate immune cell development and functional differentiation.