Comparative Immunology and Pathobiology

Research to combat disease-causing agents

Overview

Our mission is to unravel the biological mechanisms that enable invertebrates (e.g., crustaceans and insects) to combat disease-causing agents and tolerate environmental disturbances. Our research can be categorised broadly into two main areas, (1) immunobiology and pathobiology of commercially important shellfish and (2) prospecting insect larvae as alternative models of disease. We ask the question; ‘What makes the innate immune responses of invertebrates unique?’

Current research:

Shore crabs (Carcinus maenas) and slipper limpets (Crepidula fornicata) as reservoirs of disease
Gut pathobiology and innate immunity in the insect Galleria mellonella
Multi-functionality of oxygen-binding/transport proteins (e.g., phenoloxidases, haemocyanin)
Shellfish aquaculture and fisheries in a changing climate

Associated Research Projects

"Oysters KESS-ll MRes" 2018 - 2019 (Mumbles Oyster Company Ltd) Co-Investigator Coates, ~£20,000
"BLUEFISH - Building Resilience into Blue Growth in the Irish & Celtic Seas Fisheries & Aquaculture’’ 2017-2020 (ERDF INTERREG Ireland - Wales) Principle Investigators, Coates and Rowley, €6.6 million (http://www.bluefishproject.com/)
‘’SAFE-Aqua, Sustainable Farming for Effective Aquaculture’’ 2017 – 2020 (H2020-MSCA-RISE) Principle Investigator Coates, €0.9 million
‘’Aquaculture Research Collaboration Hub UK – Shellfish Aquaculture Group’’ 2017-2020 (BBSRC-NERC), £215,762 Principle Investigator Rowley (https://www.aquaculturehub-uk.com/)
"Galleria mellonella KESS-ll PhD" 2017 - 2021 (Golden Dairy Ltd) Principle Investigator Coates, £60,000

Affiliated Staff

Lab members:

Ms Charlotte Bryan
Dr Charlotte Davies
Ms Helena Emery
Mr Kieran Kane
Mrs Sophie Malkin
Ms Emma Quinn
Dr Jessica Thomas

Collaborative / Industry Partners

Bangor University (Dr Shelagh Malham)
University College Cork (Prof Sarah Culloty)
Universidade de São Paulo (Dr Elisa Costa Paiva)
University of Stirling (Dr Amaya Albalat; Dr Jenson Lim)

Research Groups

SEACAMS2

BANP

Research Centres

The ongoing research of the Comparative Immunology and Pathobiology Lab falls within the Natural Products and Environmental Resources, and, Marine and Freshwater Systems themes in the Department of Biosciences.

Latest Research News and Updates

BBC Wales coverage of BLUEFISH: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-41393712

Publications

Costa-Paiva, Elisa M.., Schrago, Carlos G.., Coates, Christopher J.. & Halanych, Kenneth M.. (2018).Discovery of Novel Hemocyanin-Like Genes in Metazoans. The Biological Bulletin, 000-000.

https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa43224 doi:10.1086/700181

Coates, Christopher J.. & Talbot, James. (2018). Hemocyanin-derived phenoloxidase reaction products display anti-infective properties. Developmental & Comparative Immunology 86, 47-51.

https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa39536 doi:10.1016/j.dci.2018.04.017

Lim, Jenson., Coates, Christopher J.., Seoane, Paula I.., Garelnabi, Mariam., Taylor-Smith, Leanne M.., Monteith, Pauline., Macleod, Camille L.., Escaron, Claire J.., Brown, Gordon D.., Hall, Rebecca A.. & May, Robin C.. (2018). Characterizing the Mechanisms of Nonopsonic Uptake of Cryptococci by Macrophages. The Journal of Immunology 200(10), 3539-3546.

https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa39003 doi:10.4049/jimmunol.1700790

Coates, Christopher J.., McCulloch, Claire., Betts, Joshua. & Whalley, Tim. (2018). Echinochrome A Release by Red Spherule Cells Is an Iron-Withholding Strategy of Sea Urchin Innate Immunity. Journal of Innate Immunity 10(2), 119-130.

https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa36406 doi:10.1159/000484722

Coates, Christopher J.., Lim, Jenson., Harman, Katie., Rowley, Andrew F.., Griffiths, David J.., Emery, Helena. & Layton, Will. (2018). The insect, Galleria mellonella, is a compatible model for evaluating the toxicology of okadaic acid. Cell Biology and Toxicology

https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa44678 doi:10.1007/s10565-018-09448-2

Coates, Christopher J.. & Wyman, Michael. (2017). A denitrifying community associated with a major, marine nitrogen fixer. Environmental Microbiology 19, 4978-4992.

https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa36860 doi:10.1111/1462-2920.14007

Whitten, M. & Coates, C. (2017). Re-evaluation of insect melanogenesis research: Views from the dark side. Pigment Cell & Melanoma Research 30(4), 386-401.

https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa32871 doi:10.1111/pcmr.12590

Coates, Christopher. & Decker, Heinz. (2017). Immunological properties of Oxygen-Transport Proteins: Hemoglobin, Hemocyanin and Hemerythrin. Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences 74, 293-317.

https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa29476 doi:10.1007/s00018-016-2326-7

Albalat, A., Collard, A., Brucem, C., Coates, C. & Fox, C. (2016). Physiological Condition, Short-Term Survival, and Predator Avoidance Behaviour of Discarded Norway Lobsters (Nephrops norvegicus). Journal of Shellfish Research 35(4), 1053-1065.

https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa30717 doi:10.2983/035.035.0428

Johnson, L., Coates, C., Albalat, A., Todd, K. & Neil, D. (2016). Temperature-dependent morbidity of ‘nicked’ edible crab, Cancer pagurus. Fisheries Research 175, 127-131.

https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa25004 doi:10.1016/j.fishres.2015.11.024

Butt, Tariq ., Coates, Christopher., Dubovskiy, Ivan. & Ratcliffe, Norman. (2016). Entomopathogenic Fungi: New Insights into Host-Pathogen Interaction. Advances in Genetics 94, 307-364.

https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa26524 doi:10.1016/bs.adgen.2016.01.006

Zhuang, J., Coates, C., Mao, Q., Wu, Z. & Xie, L. (2016). The antagonistic effect of Banana bunchy top virus multifunctional protein B4 against Fusarium oxysporum. Molecular Plant Pathology 17(5), 669-679.

https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa23532 doi:10.1111/mpp.12319

Shinn, A., Mühlhölzl, A., Coates, C., Metochis, C. & Freeman, M. (2015). Zoothamnium duplicatum infestation of cultured horseshoe crabs (Limulus polyphemus). Journal of Invertebrate Pathology125, 81-86.

https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa21687 doi:10.1016/j.jip.2014.12.002

Zhuang, J., Coates, C., Zhu, H., Zhu, P., Wu, Z. & Xie, L. (2015). Identification of candidate antimicrobial peptides derived from abalone hemocyanin. Developmental & Comparative Immunology 49(1), 96-102.

https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa21686 doi:10.1016/j.dci.2014.11.008

Coates, C. & Albalat, A. (2014) Engaging with strategies to impede post-mortem hyperpigmentation in commercial crustaceans. In Robert M. Hay (Ed.), Shellfish; Human consumption, health implications and conservation concerns. (pp. 169-193). New York: Nova Science Publishers.

https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa21685

Coates, C. & Nairn, J. (2014). Diverse immune functions of hemocyanins. Developmental & Comparative Immunology 45(1), 43-55.

https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa21684 doi:10.1016/j.dci.2014.01.021

Coates, C., Whalley, T., Wyman, M. & Nairn, J. (2013). A putative link between phagocytosis-induced apoptosis and hemocyanin-derived phenoloxidase activation. Apoptosis 18(11), 1319-1331.

https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa21683 doi:10.1007/s10495-013-0891-x

Project Contact

Dr Christopher Coates

E-mail: c.j.coates@swansea.ac.uk

Telephone: (01792) 513296

Prof Andrew Rowley:

E-mail: a.f.rowley@swansea.ac.uk

Telephone: (01792) 295455

External Project Websites

http://cjpcoates.wixsite.com/research