Granulocyte dynamics: a key player in the immune priming effects of crickets

This study investigates immune priming effects associated with granulocytes in crickets through a comprehensive analysis. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis reveals a significant contrast in survival rates, with the heat-killed ( )-primed group exhibiting an impressive ~80% survival rate compared to the PBS buffer-primed group with only ~10% survival 60 hours post live infection. Hemocyte analysis underscores elevated hemocyte counts, particularly in granulocytes of the killed -primed group, suggesting a correlation between the heat-killed priming and heightened immune activation. Microscopy techniques further explore granulocyte morphology, unveiling distinctive immune responses in the killed -primed group characterized by prolonged immune activation, heightened granulocyte activity, phagocytosis, and extracellular trap formation, contributing to enhanced survival rates. In particular, after 24 hours of injecting live , most granulocytes in the PBS buffer-primed group exhibited extracellular DNA trap cell death (ETosis), while in the killed -primed group, the majority of granulocytes were observed to maintain highly activated extracellular traps, sustaining the immune response. Gene expression analysis supports these findings, revealing differential regulation of immune-related genes such as antibacterial humoral response, detection of bacterial lipopeptides, and cellular response to bacteria lipopeptides. Additionally, the heat-killed -primed group, the heat-killed -primed group, and the PBS-primed group were re-injected with live 2 and 9 days post priming. Two days later, only the PBS-primed group displayed low survival rates. After injecting live 9 days later, the heat-killed -primed group surprisingly showed a similarly low survival rate, while the heat-killed -primed group exhibited a high survival rate of ~60% after 60 hours, with actively moving and healthy crickets. In conclusion, this research provides valuable insights into both short-term and long-term immune priming effects in crickets, contributing to our understanding of invertebrate immunity with potential applications in public health.