Résumé
The major economic and environmental consequences of recurring mortalities affecting the Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas have initiated many research projects aiming at understanding these phenomena. The solutions anticipated to deal with these mortalities are mainly based on mass selection breeding programs but preventive treatments are still lacking. However, over the last decade, studies have been accumulating revealing the adaptive capabilities of innate immunity, the only component of defense mechanisms in invertebrates. Numerous findings have shown that a wide range of invertebrates can develop innate immune memory (also called immune priming) leading to improved survival during a second encounter with a pathogen. In this context, we undertook to study the possibilities of acting against mortalities by stimulating immune capacities of oysters.In the present study, we show that the exposure of oyster juveniles to an immunostimulant (a viral mimic called poly (I: C)) can lead to enhanced survival capacities (up to 100%) following OsHV-1 infection or during a mortality episode in the field. That protection is specific to viral protection as poly(I:C) fails to protect oyster against a pathogenic bacteria. We also show that this priming phenomenon is durable as it can last more than 4 months suggesting for the first time the existence of mechanisms of immune memory in this invertebrate species. Finally, analysis of the molecular pathways underlying that protection using dual RNAseq, revealed that priming was based on the triggering of a strong and sustained antiviral response limiting replication of the virus, thus allowing the protection of oysters on the long term. Altogether these results bring new insights into the oyster capacities to build an innate immune memory, its adaptive capacities and provide a platform to further explore novel strategies to help mitigate disease threats upon marine bivalves.