Abstract

Acute serum amyloid A (A-SAA) has been considered a major acute-phase reactant and an effector of innate immunity in all vertebrates. The work presented here shows that the expression of A-SAA is strongly induced in a wide variety of immune-relevant tissues in rainbow trout, either naturally infected with Flavobacterium psychrophilum or challenged with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or CpG oligonucleotides (CpG ODN). Nevertheless, A-SAA was undetectable by Western blot either in the plasma or in high-density lipoprotein (HDL) of infected or challenged fish, using either an anti-mouse SAA1 IgG or an anti-trout A-SAA peptide serum, which recognise both the intact recombinant trout A-SAA and fragments derived from it. However, the anti-peptide serum was the immunoreactive in all primary defence barriers and in mononuclear cells of head kidney, spleen and liver. These findings reveal that, unlike mammalian SAA, trout A-SAA does not increase significantly in the plasma of diseased fish, suggesting it is more likely to be involved in local defence. © 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.