Meeting Abstract
Bat immune systems may first recognize Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd), the causative agent of white-nose syndrome (WNS), in the skin where the pathogen invades, and characteristics of immune defense may help explain differential disease and mortality across species. Yet, baseline expression levels of immune system components (e.g. those that survey for pathogenic intruders) and mechanisms of skin immune response upon exposure to Pd are not well described among species. We optimized high throughput mass spectrometry (MS) based proteomics analysis using pools of three 2mm wing biopsies (average mass = 140 µg ± 62 µg) collected from each of 155 bats across five species variably impacted by WNS. Our sample collection was designed to include two endangered species showing resistance to WNS and to sample susceptible species within and outside the affected area. Average total protein yield across all samples was 2.6% ± 2.6%. Nearly half of our samples (~47%) provided the ideal mass (>2 µg) needed for mass spectrometry. We are comparing MS results to generate skin protein profiles of resistant and susceptible species and are specifically targeting small antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), which may underlie resistance and lead to an effective control. At least two species included in our study, Eptesicus fuscus and Myotis lucifugus, can be distinguished by their skin proteomes, which include differences in AMPs. Our results are being used to uncover mechanisms by which some species are protected from invasion by Pd and to predict how susceptible species may recover from Pd exposure.
