Abstract
Commensal bacteria co-exist on the mucosal surfaces of all vertebrates. The host's mucosal immune system must tolerate commensals while fighting pathogens. One of the mechanisms used by the mucosal immune system to maintain homeostasis is the secretion of immunoglobulins (Igs) across epithelial barriers, which is achieved via the polymeric immunoglobulin receptor (pIgR). Rainbow trout pIgR is known to transport IgT and IgM across epithelia. However, other biological functions for trout pIgR or trout secretory component (tSC) remain unknown. This study investigates the interaction of tSC with commensal bacteria, pathogenic bacteria and a fungal pathogen. Our results show that the majority of trout skin and gut bacteria are coated in vivo by tSC. In vitro, tSC present in mucus coats trout commensal isolates such as Microbacterium sp., Staphylococcus warneri, Flectobacillus major, Arthrobacter stackebrantii, and Flavobacterium sp. and the pathogens Vibrio anguillarum and Edwardsiella ictaluri with coating levels ranging from 8% to 70%. Moreover, we found that the majority of tSC is in free form in trout mucus and free tSC is able to directly bind bacteria. We propose that binding of free SC to commensal bacteria is a key and conserved mechanism for maintenance of microbial communities in vertebrate mucosal surfaces.