Increased expression of the potential proapoptotic molecule DD2 and increased synthesis of leukotriene B4 during allograft rejection in a marine sponge.

Sponges (Porifera) are a classical model to study the events during tissue transplantation. Applying the 'insertion technique' autografts from the marine sponge Geodia cydonium fuse within 5 days. In contrast, allografts are rejected and destroyed. Here we show that during allograft rejection the cells in the grafts undergo apoptosis; 5 days after transplantation 46% of the cells show signs of apoptosis. In a previous study it was shown that during this process a tumor necrosis factor-like molecule is induced in allo- and xenografts. Molecules grouped to the superfamily of tumor necrosis factor receptors and a series of associated adapter molecules contain the characteristic death domain. Therefore, we screened for a cDNA encoding such a domain. Here we report on the first invertebrate molecule from Geodia cydonium comprising a death domain. The potential proapoptotic molecule DD2, with a calculated Mr of 24 970, possesses in contrast to all known mammalian death domain-containing proteins two such domains with highest similarity to the death domain present in human Fas/APO-1. The expression of this gene is not detectable in control tissue but strongly upregulated in allografts; only very low expression is seen in autografts. Parallel with the increase of the expression of the potential proapoptotic molecule DD2 in allografts the level of LTB4 drastically increases from 2.5 pg/mg of protein (controls) to 389 pg LTB4/mg during a period of 5 days after transplantation; the level of LTB4 in autografts does not change. Very likely in response to inflammatory reactions the LTB4 metabolizing enzyme LTB4 12-hydroxy-dehydrogenase is expressed both in auto- and allografts. These results demonstrate that sponges are provided with apoptotic pathways, similar to those present in deuterostomes and apparently absent in protostomes, which are composed of molecules comprising a death domain. In addition, it is suggested that in sponges LTB4 is one metabolite which is involved in the initiation of apoptosis. It is postulated that the potential proapoptotic effect of LTB4 is prevented in auto-grafts by the expression of the LTB4 12-hydroxy-dehydrogenase.