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Zhao F, Huang Z, He B, Liu K, Li J, Liu Z, Lin G. Comparative genomics of two Asian medicinal leeches Hirudo nipponia and Hirudo tianjinensis: With emphasis on antithrombotic genes and their corresponding proteins. Int J Biol Macromol 2024; 270:132278. [PMID: 38750856 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.132278] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2023] [Revised: 05/07/2024] [Accepted: 05/08/2024] [Indexed: 05/18/2024]
Abstract
Leeches secrete various biologically active substances which have important medical and pharmaceutical values in antithrombotic treatments. Here, we provide a high quality genome of two Asian medicinal leeches Hirudo nipponia and Hirudo tianjinensis, based on which, we identified 22 antithrombotic gene families, including fourteen coagulation inhibitors, four platelet aggregation inhibitors, three fibrinolysis enhancers, and one tissue penetration enhancer. The total numbers of antithrombotic genes were similar between H. nipponia (N = 86) and H. tianjinensis (N = 83). Molecular evolution analysis showed that no significant differences were detected between the two species in any of the three selection indices (dN, dS, and dN/dS), nor in the number of sites under positive/purifying selection. RNA-Seq based gene expression analysis showed that the overall expression patterns of the antithrombotic gene families were not significantly deviated between the two species. Our results indicated that there were rather close similarities between the two leeches on genomic characteristics, especially for the molecular evolution and expression of antithrombotic genes. Our study provides the most comprehensive collection of antithrombotic biomacromolecules from the two Asian medicinal leeches to date. These results will greatly facilitate the research and application of leech derivatives for medical and pharmaceutical purposes of thrombosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fang Zhao
- School of Life Sciences, Jinggangshan University, Ji'an 343009, China
| | - Zuhao Huang
- School of Life Sciences, Jinggangshan University, Ji'an 343009, China
| | - Bo He
- School of Life Sciences, Jinggangshan University, Ji'an 343009, China
| | - Kaiqing Liu
- Engineering Research Center for Exploitation and Utilization of Leech Resources in Universities of Yunnan Province, School of Agronomy and Life Sciences, Kunming University, Kunming 650214, China
| | - Junyu Li
- Department of Ultrasonography, People's Hospital of Fengdu County, Chongqing City, Fengdu 408200, China
| | - Zichao Liu
- Engineering Research Center for Exploitation and Utilization of Leech Resources in Universities of Yunnan Province, School of Agronomy and Life Sciences, Kunming University, Kunming 650214, China; Yunnan Key Laboratory of Biodiversity Information, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650223, China.
| | - Gonghua Lin
- School of Life Sciences, Jinggangshan University, Ji'an 343009, China.
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Liu Z, Zhao F, Huang Z, Hu Q, Meng R, Lin Y, Qi J, Lin G. Revisiting the Asian Buffalo Leech ( Hirudinaria manillensis) Genome: Focus on Antithrombotic Genes and Their Corresponding Proteins. Genes (Basel) 2023; 14:2068. [PMID: 38003011 PMCID: PMC10671345 DOI: 10.3390/genes14112068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2023] [Revised: 11/05/2023] [Accepted: 11/10/2023] [Indexed: 11/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Leeches are well-known annelids due to their obligate blood-feeding habits. Some leech species secrete various biologically active substances which have important medical and pharmaceutical value in antithrombotic treatments. In this study, we provided a high-quality genome of the Asian buffalo leech (Hirudinaria manillensis), based on which we performed a systematic identification of potential antithrombotic genes and their corresponding proteins. Combining automatic and manual prediction, we identified 21 antithrombotic gene families including fourteen coagulation inhibitors, three platelet aggregation inhibitors, three fibrinolysis enhancers, and one tissue penetration enhancer. A total of 72 antithrombotic genes, including two pseudogenes, were identified, including most of their corresponding proteins forming three or more disulfide bonds. Three protein families (LDTI, antistasin, and granulin) had internal tandem repeats containing 6, 10, and 12 conserved cysteines, respectively. We also measured the anticoagulant activities of the five identified hirudins (hirudin_Hman1 ~ hirudin_Hman5). The results showed that three (hirudin_Hman1, hirudin_Hman2, and hirudin_Hman5), but not the remaining two, exhibited anticoagulant activities. Our study provides the most comprehensive collection of antithrombotic biomacromolecules from a leech to date. These results will greatly facilitate the research and application of leech derivatives for medical and pharmaceutical purposes in the treatment of thrombotic diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zichao Liu
- Engineering Research Center for Exploitation and Utilization of Leech Resources in Universities of Yunnan Province, School of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Kunming University, Kunming 650214, China; (Z.L.); (Q.H.); (R.M.)
| | - Fang Zhao
- School of Life Sciences, Jinggangshan University, Ji’an 343009, China; (F.Z.); (Z.H.); (Y.L.)
| | - Zuhao Huang
- School of Life Sciences, Jinggangshan University, Ji’an 343009, China; (F.Z.); (Z.H.); (Y.L.)
| | - Qingmei Hu
- Engineering Research Center for Exploitation and Utilization of Leech Resources in Universities of Yunnan Province, School of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Kunming University, Kunming 650214, China; (Z.L.); (Q.H.); (R.M.)
| | - Renyuan Meng
- Engineering Research Center for Exploitation and Utilization of Leech Resources in Universities of Yunnan Province, School of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Kunming University, Kunming 650214, China; (Z.L.); (Q.H.); (R.M.)
| | - Yiquan Lin
- School of Life Sciences, Jinggangshan University, Ji’an 343009, China; (F.Z.); (Z.H.); (Y.L.)
| | - Jianxia Qi
- Nujiang Management Bureau of Gaoligongshan National Nature Reserve, Nujiang 673199, China;
| | - Gonghua Lin
- School of Life Sciences, Jinggangshan University, Ji’an 343009, China; (F.Z.); (Z.H.); (Y.L.)
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Shi P, Wei J, You H, Chen S, Tan F, Lu Z. Cloning, characterization, and heterologous expression of a candidate Hirudin gene from the salivary gland transcriptome of Hirudo nipponia. Sci Rep 2023; 13:4943. [PMID: 36973525 PMCID: PMC10042815 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-32303-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2022] [Accepted: 03/25/2023] [Indexed: 03/29/2023] Open
Abstract
AbstractHirudin is a pharmacologically active substance in leeches with potent blood anticoagulation properties. Although recombinant hirudin production isolated from Hirudo medicinalis Linnaeus and Hirudinaria manillensis Lesson is known, to our knowledge, this study is the first to report recombinant hirudin expression and production from Hirudo nipponia Whitman. Thus, the present study aimed to clone and characterize the full-length cDNA of a candidate hirudin gene (c16237_g1), which is localized on the salivary gland transcriptome of H. nipponia, and further evaluate its recombinant production using a eukaryotic expression system. The 489-bp cDNA possessed several properties of the hirudin “core” motifs associated with binding to the thrombin catalytic pocket. A fusion expression vector (pPIC9K-hirudin) was constructed and successfully transformed into Pichia pastoris strain GS115 via electroporation. Sodium dodecyl sulphate–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and western blot analysis confirmed hirudin expression. The recombinant protein was expressed with a yield of 6.68 mg/L culture. Mass spectrometry analysis further confirmed target protein expression. The concentration and antithrombin activity of purified hirudin were 1.67 mg/mL and 14,000 ATU/mL, respectively. These findings provide a basis for further elucidating the molecular anticoagulation mechanism of hirudin, and address China’s growing market demand for engineered H. nipponia-derived hirudin and hirudin-based drugs.
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Karataş E, Ceylan M, Dernekbaşı S. Effects of mammalian blood with different glucose levels on reproduction, growth and survival of the southern medicinal leech, Hirudo verbana Carena, 1820. Anim Reprod Sci 2022; 243:107030. [PMID: 35780744 DOI: 10.1016/j.anireprosci.2022.107030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2022] [Revised: 06/13/2022] [Accepted: 06/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Medicinal leeches are generally fed using pure mammalian blood. In the present study reproduction, growth and survival of medicinal leeches (Hirudo spp.) fed by mammalian blood with modified glucose level were investigated for the first time. Leeches were fed by cattle blood in a final glucose level of 152 mg/dL (control group; Glucose-free), 200 mg/dL (G200 group), 300 mg/dL (G300 group), 500 mg/dL (G500 group), 750 mg/dL (G750 group), 1000 mg/dL (G1000 group), 2500 mg/dL (G2500 group) and 5000 mg/dL (G5000 group) with the addition of D-Glucose Monohydrate. Greatest growth performance was determined in the G2500 group with a specific growth rate of 2.34% (final body weight: 10.37 ± 3.86 g) (P < 0.05). A quadratic increase was observed in the body weight values of the leeches depending on the glucose dose (Plinear and Pquadratic < 0.05). The greatest survival and gravidity rates were 89% and 38%, respectively, in the G750 group (P < 0.05). The increased glucose level caused a sharp decrease in the survival and gravidity rates of leeches. The glucose level did not significantly effected the cocoon and offspring productivity (P > 0.05). According to the broken line model, optimum glucose levels based on growth, survival rate and gravidity rate were 2461 mg/dL, 750.0 mg/dL and 749.9 mg/dL, respectively. The study showed that, although the optimum growth performance was obtained in the G2500 group, blood with glucose level of 750 mg/dL should be used for profitable medicinal leech culture considering survival and gravidity rates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emin Karataş
- Department of Aquaculture, Faculty of Fisheries, University of Sinop, Turkey.
| | - Mustafa Ceylan
- Medicinal Leech Application and Research Center, Isparta University of Applied Sciences, Isparta, Turkey; Department of Basic Science, Faculty of Eğirdir Fisheries, Isparta University of Applied Sciences, Isparta, Turkey
| | - Seval Dernekbaşı
- Department of Aquaculture, Faculty of Fisheries, University of Sinop, Turkey
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Ayhan H, Özyurt Koçakoğlu N, Candan S. Functional morphology of the suckers and teeth of the medicinal leech Hirudo verbana Carena, 1820 (Annelida; Clitellata; Hirudinida): A scanning electron microscope study. Microsc Res Tech 2021; 84:2930-2935. [PMID: 34263498 DOI: 10.1002/jemt.23851] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2021] [Revised: 05/12/2021] [Accepted: 05/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
In this study, the triple jaws and suckers of the leeches belonging to the Hirudo verbana Carena, 1820 (Annelida; Clitellata; Hirudinida) were examined using the stereomicroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. In H. verbana, suckers are seen on the first annulus and last annulus of the body. The mouth opens in the center of the front suction cup, and behind this opening is a movable triple jaw apparatus with many teeth. The posterior sucker disc consists of the last seven body segments and lacks an opening. The shape of the jaw is trignatous. The pharynx is equally located around of the three muscular jaws. The jaws are muscular covered with cuticle and carry a row of teeth arranged at the tip. In this study, it was determined that secretory canal holes were identified between the teeth. The results show that the size of teeth determines long-term bleeding so revealing the structure and working mechanism of the teeth has importance for medicinal leeches. At the same time, the difference of teeth and jaw structures of leeches may be a criterion in the classification of medicinal leeches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hüseyin Ayhan
- Vocational School of Health Services, Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt University, Ankara, Turkey
| | | | - Selami Candan
- Science Faculty, Department of Biology Ankara, Gazi University, Ankara, Turkey
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Iwama RE, Tessler M, Siddall ME, Kvist S. The Origin and Evolution of Antistasin-like Proteins in Leeches (Hirudinida, Clitellata). Genome Biol Evol 2021; 13:evaa242. [PMID: 33527140 PMCID: PMC7851590 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evaa242] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/15/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Bloodfeeding is employed by many parasitic animals and requires specific innovations for efficient feeding. Some of these innovations are molecular features that are related to the inhibition of hemostasis. For example, bloodfeeding insects, bats, and leeches release proteins with anticoagulatory activity through their salivary secretions. The antistasin-like protein family, composed of serine protease inhibitors with one or more antistasin-like domains, is tightly linked to inhibition of hemostasis in leeches. However, this protein family has been recorded also in non-bloodfeeding invertebrates, such as cnidarians, mollusks, polychaetes, and oligochaetes. The present study aims to 1) root the antistasin-like gene tree and delimit the major orthologous groups, 2) identify potential independent origins of salivary proteins secreted by leeches, and 3) identify major changes in domain and/or motif structure within each orthologous group. Five clades containing leech antistasin-like proteins are distinguishable through rigorous phylogenetic analyses based on nine new transcriptomes and a diverse set of comparative data: the trypsin + leukocyte elastase inhibitors clade, the antistasin clade, the therostasin clade, and two additional, unnamed clades. The antistasin-like gene tree supports multiple origins of leech antistasin-like proteins due to the presence of both leech and non-leech sequences in one of the unnamed clades, but a single origin of factor Xa and trypsin + leukocyte elastase inhibitors. This is further supported by three sequence motifs that are exclusive to antistasins, the trypsin + leukocyte elastase inhibitor clade, and the therostasin clade, respectively. We discuss the implications of our findings for the evolution of this diverse family of leech anticoagulants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rafael Eiji Iwama
- Department of Natural History, Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Michael Tessler
- Department of Biology, St. Francis College, Brooklyn, New York, USA
- Division of Invertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, New York, USA
- Sackler Institute for Comparative Genomics, American Museum of Natural History, New York, New York, USA
| | | | - Sebastian Kvist
- Department of Natural History, Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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Singh SK, Rajoria K. Medical leech therapy in Ayurveda and biomedicine - A review. J Ayurveda Integr Med 2020; 11:554-564. [PMID: 30709686 PMCID: PMC7772495 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaim.2018.09.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2018] [Revised: 09/28/2018] [Accepted: 09/30/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Medicinal leech therapy or Hirudino therapy have roots back in ancient civilization. It was a prevalent form of therapy in various ailments. The novel Ayurveda text Sushruta Samhita devoted a complete chapter on hirudino therapy. In the early 20th century this therapy had a major setback due to origin and evolution of antibiotics. There was a discontinuity in the flow of knowledge about this therapy. Then, resumed and revived after few recent decades, due to its contribution in reconstructive surgeries. During this period, the research work on various aspects have been conducted. The present paper summarizes the various aspects of medicinal leech therapy both from Ayurveda text and the present knowledge and to enable the fraternity to use the both source for benefits of humankind.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarvesh Kumar Singh
- Department of Panchakarma, National Institute of Ayurveda, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India.
| | - Kshipra Rajoria
- Department of Panchakarma, National Institute of Ayurveda, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India
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Song Q, Liu H, Zhen H, Zhao B. Autophagy and its role in regeneration and remodeling within invertebrate. Cell Biosci 2020; 10:111. [PMID: 32974004 PMCID: PMC7507827 DOI: 10.1186/s13578-020-00467-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2020] [Accepted: 08/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Acting as a cellular cleaner by packaging and transporting defective proteins and organelles to lysosomes for breakdown, autophagic process is involved in the regulation of cell remodeling after cell damage or cell death in both vertebrate and invertebrate. In human, limitations on the regenerative capacity of specific tissues and organs make it difficult to recover from diseases. Comprehensive understanding on its mechanism within invertebrate have strong potential provide helpful information for challenging these diseases. Method In this study, recent findings on the autophagy function in three invertebrates including planarian, hydra and leech with remarkable regenerative ability were summarized. Furthermore, molecular phylogenetic analyses of DjATGs and HvATGs were performed on these three invertebrates compared to that of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Caenorhabditis elegans, Drosophila melanogaster, Mus musculus and Homo sapiens. Results In comparison with Scerevisiae, C elegans, D melanogaster, M musculus and human, our analysis exhibits the following characteristics of autophagy and its function in regeneration within invertebrate. Phylogenetical analysis of ATGs revealed that most autophagy-related genes (ATGs) were highly similar to their homologs in other species, which indicates that autophagy is a highly conservative biological function in both vertebrate and invertebrate. Structurally, almost all the core amino acids necessary for the function of ATG8 in mammal were observed in invertebrate HvATG8s and DjATG8s. For instance, ubiquitin-like domain as a signature structure in each ATG8, was observed in all ATG8s in three invertebrates. Basically, autophagy plays a key role in the regulation of regeneration in planarian. DjATG8-2 and DjATG8-3 associated with mTOR signaling pathway are sophisticated in the invertebrate tissue/organ regeneration. Furthermore, autophagy is involved in the pathway of neutralization of toxic molecules input from blood digestion in the leech. Conclusions The recent investigations on autophagy in invertebrate including planarian, hydra and leech suggest that autophagy is evolutionally conserved from yeast to mammals. The fundamental role of its biological function in the invertebrate contributing to the regeneration and maintenance of cellular homeostasis in these three organisms could make tremendous information to confront life threatening diseases in human including cancers and cardiac disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qian Song
- Laboratory of Developmental and Evolutionary Biology, Shandong University of Technology, Zibo, 255049 Shandong China
| | - Hongjin Liu
- Laboratory of Developmental and Evolutionary Biology, Shandong University of Technology, Zibo, 255049 Shandong China
| | - Hui Zhen
- Laboratory of Developmental and Evolutionary Biology, Shandong University of Technology, Zibo, 255049 Shandong China
| | - Bosheng Zhao
- Laboratory of Developmental and Evolutionary Biology, Shandong University of Technology, Zibo, 255049 Shandong China
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Draft genome of the European medicinal leech Hirudo medicinalis (Annelida, Clitellata, Hirudiniformes) with emphasis on anticoagulants. Sci Rep 2020; 10:9885. [PMID: 32555498 PMCID: PMC7303139 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-66749-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2020] [Accepted: 04/28/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The European medicinal leech has been used for medicinal purposes for millennia, and continues to be used today in modern hospital settings. Its utility is granted by the extremely potent anticoagulation factors that the leech secretes into the incision wound during feeding and, although a handful of studies have targeted certain anticoagulants, the full range of anticoagulation factors expressed by this species remains unknown. Here, we present the first draft genome of the European medicinal leech, Hirudo medicinalis, and estimate that we have sequenced between 79–94% of the full genome. Leveraging these data, we searched for anticoagulation factors across the genome of H. medicinalis. Following orthology determination through a series of BLAST searches, as well as phylogenetic analyses, we estimate that fully 15 different known anticoagulation factors are utilized by the species, and that 17 other proteins that have been linked to antihemostasis are also present in the genome. We underscore the utility of the draft genome for comparative studies of leeches and discuss our results in an evolutionary context.
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Babenko VV, Podgorny OV, Manuvera VA, Kasianov AS, Manolov AI, Grafskaia EN, Shirokov DA, Kurdyumov AS, Vinogradov DV, Nikitina AS, Kovalchuk SI, Anikanov NA, Butenko IO, Pobeguts OV, Matyushkina DS, Rakitina DV, Kostryukova ES, Zgoda VG, Baskova IP, Trukhan VM, Gelfand MS, Govorun VM, Schiöth HB, Lazarev VN. Draft genome sequences of Hirudo medicinalis and salivary transcriptome of three closely related medicinal leeches. BMC Genomics 2020; 21:331. [PMID: 32349672 PMCID: PMC7191736 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-020-6748-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2019] [Accepted: 04/21/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Salivary cell secretion (SCS) plays a critical role in blood feeding by medicinal leeches, making them of use for certain medical purposes even today. RESULTS We annotated the Hirudo medicinalis genome and performed RNA-seq on salivary cells isolated from three closely related leech species, H. medicinalis, Hirudo orientalis, and Hirudo verbana. Differential expression analysis verified by proteomics identified salivary cell-specific gene expression, many of which encode previously unknown salivary components. However, the genes encoding known anticoagulants have been found to be expressed not only in salivary cells. The function-related analysis of the unique salivary cell genes enabled an update of the concept of interactions between salivary proteins and components of haemostasis. CONCLUSIONS Here we report a genome draft of Hirudo medicinalis and describe identification of novel salivary proteins and new homologs of genes encoding known anticoagulants in transcriptomes of three medicinal leech species. Our data provide new insights in genetics of blood-feeding lifestyle in leeches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vladislav V Babenko
- Federal Research and Clinical Centre of Physical-Chemical Medicine of Federal Medical Biological Agency, 1a Malaya Pirogovskaya Str, Moscow, 119435, Russia.
| | - Oleg V Podgorny
- Federal Research and Clinical Centre of Physical-Chemical Medicine of Federal Medical Biological Agency, 1a Malaya Pirogovskaya Str, Moscow, 119435, Russia
- Koltzov Institute of Developmental Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, 26 Vavilov str, Moscow, 119334, Russia
| | - Valentin A Manuvera
- Federal Research and Clinical Centre of Physical-Chemical Medicine of Federal Medical Biological Agency, 1a Malaya Pirogovskaya Str, Moscow, 119435, Russia
- Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, 9 Institutskiy per., Dolgoprudny, Moscow Region, 141700, Russia
| | - Artem S Kasianov
- Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, 9 Institutskiy per., Dolgoprudny, Moscow Region, 141700, Russia
- Vavilov Institute of General Genetics, Russian Academy of Sciences, 3 Gubkina str, Moscow, 119991, Russia
| | - Alexander I Manolov
- Federal Research and Clinical Centre of Physical-Chemical Medicine of Federal Medical Biological Agency, 1a Malaya Pirogovskaya Str, Moscow, 119435, Russia
| | - Ekaterina N Grafskaia
- Federal Research and Clinical Centre of Physical-Chemical Medicine of Federal Medical Biological Agency, 1a Malaya Pirogovskaya Str, Moscow, 119435, Russia
- Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, 9 Institutskiy per., Dolgoprudny, Moscow Region, 141700, Russia
| | - Dmitriy A Shirokov
- Federal Research and Clinical Centre of Physical-Chemical Medicine of Federal Medical Biological Agency, 1a Malaya Pirogovskaya Str, Moscow, 119435, Russia
| | - Alexey S Kurdyumov
- Federal Research and Clinical Centre of Physical-Chemical Medicine of Federal Medical Biological Agency, 1a Malaya Pirogovskaya Str, Moscow, 119435, Russia
| | - Dmitriy V Vinogradov
- A.A. Kharkevich Institute for Information Transmission Problems, Russian Academy of Sciences, 19 Bol'shoi Karetnyi per, Moscow, 127051, Russia
- Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, 3 Nobelya Ulitsa str, Moscow, 121205, Russia
| | - Anastasia S Nikitina
- Federal Research and Clinical Centre of Physical-Chemical Medicine of Federal Medical Biological Agency, 1a Malaya Pirogovskaya Str, Moscow, 119435, Russia
- Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, 9 Institutskiy per., Dolgoprudny, Moscow Region, 141700, Russia
| | - Sergey I Kovalchuk
- Federal Research and Clinical Centre of Physical-Chemical Medicine of Federal Medical Biological Agency, 1a Malaya Pirogovskaya Str, Moscow, 119435, Russia
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 16/10 Miklukho-Maklaya str, Moscow, 117997, Russia
| | - Nickolay A Anikanov
- Federal Research and Clinical Centre of Physical-Chemical Medicine of Federal Medical Biological Agency, 1a Malaya Pirogovskaya Str, Moscow, 119435, Russia
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 16/10 Miklukho-Maklaya str, Moscow, 117997, Russia
| | - Ivan O Butenko
- Federal Research and Clinical Centre of Physical-Chemical Medicine of Federal Medical Biological Agency, 1a Malaya Pirogovskaya Str, Moscow, 119435, Russia
| | - Olga V Pobeguts
- Federal Research and Clinical Centre of Physical-Chemical Medicine of Federal Medical Biological Agency, 1a Malaya Pirogovskaya Str, Moscow, 119435, Russia
| | - Daria S Matyushkina
- Federal Research and Clinical Centre of Physical-Chemical Medicine of Federal Medical Biological Agency, 1a Malaya Pirogovskaya Str, Moscow, 119435, Russia
| | - Daria V Rakitina
- Federal Research and Clinical Centre of Physical-Chemical Medicine of Federal Medical Biological Agency, 1a Malaya Pirogovskaya Str, Moscow, 119435, Russia
| | - Elena S Kostryukova
- Federal Research and Clinical Centre of Physical-Chemical Medicine of Federal Medical Biological Agency, 1a Malaya Pirogovskaya Str, Moscow, 119435, Russia
| | - Victor G Zgoda
- V.N. Orekhovich Research Institute of Biomedical Chemistry, Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, 10 Pogodinskaja str, Moscow, 119832, Russia
| | - Isolda P Baskova
- Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 1-12 Leninskie Gory, Moscow, 119991, Russia
| | - Vladimir M Trukhan
- I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University of the Ministry of Healthcare of the Russian Federation (Sechenovskiy University), Trubetskaya str., 8-2, Moscow, 119991, Russia
| | - Mikhail S Gelfand
- A.A. Kharkevich Institute for Information Transmission Problems, Russian Academy of Sciences, 19 Bol'shoi Karetnyi per, Moscow, 127051, Russia
- Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, 3 Nobelya Ulitsa str, Moscow, 121205, Russia
- Faculty of Computer Science, National Research University Higher School of Economics, 20 Myasnitskaya str, Moscow, 101000, Russia
- Faculty of Bioengineering and Bioinformatics, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 1-73 Leninskie Gory, Moscow, 119991, Russia
| | - Vadim M Govorun
- Federal Research and Clinical Centre of Physical-Chemical Medicine of Federal Medical Biological Agency, 1a Malaya Pirogovskaya Str, Moscow, 119435, Russia
- Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, 9 Institutskiy per., Dolgoprudny, Moscow Region, 141700, Russia
| | - Helgi B Schiöth
- I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University of the Ministry of Healthcare of the Russian Federation (Sechenovskiy University), Trubetskaya str., 8-2, Moscow, 119991, Russia
- Functional Pharmacology, Department of Neuroscience, Uppsala University, Husargatan 3, Uppsala, 75124, Sweden
| | - Vassili N Lazarev
- Federal Research and Clinical Centre of Physical-Chemical Medicine of Federal Medical Biological Agency, 1a Malaya Pirogovskaya Str, Moscow, 119435, Russia
- Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, 9 Institutskiy per., Dolgoprudny, Moscow Region, 141700, Russia
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Lemke S, Vilcinskas A. European Medicinal Leeches-New Roles in Modern Medicine. Biomedicines 2020; 8:biomedicines8050099. [PMID: 32349294 PMCID: PMC7277884 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines8050099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2020] [Revised: 04/18/2020] [Accepted: 04/24/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Before the advent of modern medicine, natural resources were widely used by indigenous populations for the prevention and treatment of diseases. The associated knowledge, collectively described as folk medicine or traditional medicine, was largely based on trial-and-error testing of plant extracts (herbal remedies) and the use of invertebrates, particularly medicinal maggots of the blowfly Lucilia sericata and blood-sucking leeches. The widespread use of traditional medicine in the West declined as scientific advances allowed reproducible testing under controlled conditions and gave rise to the modern fields of biomedical research and pharmacology. However, many drugs are still derived from natural resources, and interest in traditional medicine has been renewed by the ability of researchers to investigate the medical potential of diverse species by high-throughput screening. Likewise, researchers are starting to look again at the benefits of maggot and leech therapy, based on the hypothesis that the use of such animals in traditional medicine is likely to reflect the presence of specific bioactive molecules that can be developed as drug leads. In this review, we consider the modern medical benefits of European medicinal leeches based on the systematic screening of their salivary proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Lemke
- Institute for Insect Biotechnology, Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 26-32, D-35392 Giessen, Germany;
| | - Andreas Vilcinskas
- Institute for Insect Biotechnology, Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 26-32, D-35392 Giessen, Germany;
- Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology IME, Department of Bioresources, Ohlebergsweg 12, D-35392 Giessen, Germany
- Correspondence:
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13
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Xiong L, Wang S, Wang Q, Wang J. Reproduction efficiency of the leech Whitmania pigra and multiple paternity revealed by microsatellite analyses. INVERTEBR REPROD DEV 2020. [DOI: 10.1080/07924259.2020.1748731] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Liangwei Xiong
- Department of Aquatic Science and Technology, Jiangsu Agri-animal Husbandry Vocational College, Taizhou, P.R. China
| | - Shuaibing Wang
- Department of Aquatic Science and Technology, Jiangsu Agri-animal Husbandry Vocational College, Taizhou, P.R. China
| | - Quan Wang
- Department of Aquatic Science and Technology, Jiangsu Agri-animal Husbandry Vocational College, Taizhou, P.R. China
| | - Jianguo Wang
- Department of Aquatic Science and Technology, Jiangsu Agri-animal Husbandry Vocational College, Taizhou, P.R. China
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14
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Phillips AJ, Salas-Montiel R, Kvist S, Oceguera-Figueroa A. Phylogenetic Position and Description of a New Species of Medicinal Leech from the Eastern United States. J Parasitol 2019. [PMID: 31414949 DOI: 10.1645/18-119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
A new species of medicinal leech, Macrobdella mimicus n. sp., is described from specimens collected in Maryland; this is the first description of a North American macrobdellid since 1975. Superficially, the new species resembles the well-known Macrobdella decora, as both species possess 4 accessory pores arranged symmetrically on the ventral surface, yet the new species is distinguished from M. decora in possessing 4-4½ annuli (rather than 3½) between the gonopores and 4 annuli (rather than 5 annuli) between the female gonopore and the first pair of accessory pores. Phylogenetic analyses, based on 2 mitochondrial and 2 nuclear loci for a set of closely related taxa, confirms the placement of the new species within the family Macrobdellidae and places it as the sister taxon to M. decora and M. diplotertia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna J Phillips
- 1 Department of Invertebrate Zoology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, 10th Street and Constitution Avenue Northwest, Washington, DC 20560-0163
| | - Ricardo Salas-Montiel
- 2 Posgrado en Ciencias Biológicas, Instituto de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. Tercer Circuito s/n, Ciudad Universitaria, Copilco, Coyoacán, A.P. 70-153, C.P. 04510, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Sebastian Kvist
- 3 Royal Ontario Museum, 100 Queen's Park, Toronto, Ontario M5S 2C6, Canada, and Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, 25 Willcocks Street, Toronto, ON M5S 2B4, Canada
| | - Alejandro Oceguera-Figueroa
- 4 Laboratorio de Helmintología. Instituto de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. Tercer Circuito s/n, Ciudad Universitaria, Copilco, Coyoacán, A.P. 70-153, C.P. 04510, Mexico City, Mexico
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15
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Li T, Ma J, Xu Z, Wang S, Wang N, Shao S, Yang W, Huang L, Liu Y. Transcriptomic Analysis of the Influence of Methanol Assimilation on the Gene Expression in the Recombinant Pichia pastoris Producing Hirudin Variant 3. Genes (Basel) 2019; 10:genes10080606. [PMID: 31409011 PMCID: PMC6722669 DOI: 10.3390/genes10080606] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2019] [Accepted: 08/07/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Hirudin and its variants, as strong inhibitors against thrombin, are present in the saliva of leeches and are recognized as potent anticoagulants. However, their yield is far from the clinical requirement up to now. In this study, the production of hirudin variant 3 (HV3) was successfully realized by cultivating the recombinant Pichia pastoris GS115/pPIC9K-hv3 under the regulation of the promoter of AOX1 encoding alcohol oxidase (AOX). The antithrombin activity in the fermentation broth reached the maximum value of 5000 ATU/mL. To explore an effective strategy for improving HV3 production in the future, we investigated the influence of methanol assimilation on the general gene expression in this recombinant by transcriptomic study. The results showed that methanol was partially oxidized into CO2, and the rest was converted into glycerone-P which subsequently entered into central carbon metabolism, energy metabolism, and amino acid biosynthesis. However, the later metabolic processes were almost all down-regulated. Therefore, we propose that the up-regulated central carbon metabolism, energy, and amino acid metabolism should be beneficial for methanol assimilation, which would accordingly improve the production of HV3.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tao Li
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Fermentation Microbiology, Ministry of Education, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Industrial Microbiology, The College of Biotechnology, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin 300457, China
- College of Basic Science, Tianjin Agricultural University, Tianjin 300384, China
| | - Jieying Ma
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Fermentation Microbiology, Ministry of Education, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Industrial Microbiology, The College of Biotechnology, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin 300457, China
| | - Zehua Xu
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Fermentation Microbiology, Ministry of Education, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Industrial Microbiology, The College of Biotechnology, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin 300457, China
| | - Shuang Wang
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Fermentation Microbiology, Ministry of Education, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Industrial Microbiology, The College of Biotechnology, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin 300457, China
| | - Nan Wang
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Fermentation Microbiology, Ministry of Education, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Industrial Microbiology, The College of Biotechnology, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin 300457, China
| | - Shulin Shao
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Fermentation Microbiology, Ministry of Education, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Industrial Microbiology, The College of Biotechnology, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin 300457, China
| | - Wei Yang
- College of Basic Science, Tianjin Agricultural University, Tianjin 300384, China
| | - Lin Huang
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Fermentation Microbiology, Ministry of Education, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Industrial Microbiology, The College of Biotechnology, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin 300457, China
| | - Yihan Liu
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Fermentation Microbiology, Ministry of Education, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Industrial Microbiology, The College of Biotechnology, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin 300457, China.
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16
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Investigation of reproductive efficiency, growth performance and survival of the southern medicinal leech, Hirudo verbana Carena, 1820 fed with mammalian and poultry blood. Anim Reprod Sci 2019; 206:27-37. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anireprosci.2019.05.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2019] [Revised: 05/01/2019] [Accepted: 05/08/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
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The salivary transcriptome of Limnobdella mexicana (Annelida: Clitellata: Praobdellidae) and orthology determination of major leech anticoagulants. Parasitology 2019; 146:1338-1346. [PMID: 31148528 DOI: 10.1017/s0031182019000593] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Bloodfeeding requires several adaptations that allow the parasite to feed efficiently. Leeches and other hematophagous animals have developed different mechanisms to inhibit hemostasis, one of the main barriers imposed by their hosts. Limnobdella mexicana is a member of the leech family Praobdellidae, a family of host generalists known for their preference to attach on mucosal membranes of mammals, such as those in nasopharyngeal cavities, bladders and ocular orbits. Previous studies have hypothesized a positive relationship between diversity of anticoagulants and diversity of hosts in bloodfeeding leeches. However, orthology determination of putative anticoagulants and the lack of standardization of sequencing effort and method hinder comparisons between publicly available transcriptomes generated in different laboratories. In the present study, we examine the first transcriptome of a praobdellid leech and identify 15 putative anticoagulants using a phylogeny-based inference approach, amino-acid conservation, Pfam domains and BLAST searches. Our phylogenetic analyses suggest that the ancestral leech was able to inhibit factor Xa and that some hirudins that have been reported in previous studies on leech anticoagulants may not be orthologous with the archetypal hirudin.
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Müller C, Lukas P, Lemke S, Hildebrandt JP. Hirudin and Decorsins of the North American Medicinal Leech Macrobdella decora: Gene Structure Reveals Homology to Hirudins and Hirudin-Like Factors of Eurasian Medicinal Leeches. J Parasitol 2019. [DOI: 10.1645/18-117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Christian Müller
- Animal Physiology and Biochemistry, Zoological Institute and Museum, University of Greifswald, 17489 Greifswald, Germany
| | - Phil Lukas
- Animal Physiology and Biochemistry, Zoological Institute and Museum, University of Greifswald, 17489 Greifswald, Germany
| | - Sarah Lemke
- Animal Physiology and Biochemistry, Zoological Institute and Museum, University of Greifswald, 17489 Greifswald, Germany
| | - Jan-Peter Hildebrandt
- Animal Physiology and Biochemistry, Zoological Institute and Museum, University of Greifswald, 17489 Greifswald, Germany
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19
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Khan MS, Guan D, Kvist S, Ma L, Xie J, Xu S. Transcriptomics and differential gene expression in Whitmania pigra (Annelida: Clitellata: Hirudinida: Hirudinidae): Contrasting feeding and fasting modes. Ecol Evol 2019; 9:4706-4719. [PMID: 31031937 PMCID: PMC6476756 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.5074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2019] [Revised: 02/26/2019] [Accepted: 02/27/2019] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
The medicinal utility of leeches has been demonstrated through decades of use in modern hospital settings, mainly as relievers of venous congestion following flap or digit replantation surgery. In the present study, we sequence and annotate (through BLAST- and Gene Ontology-based approaches) the salivary transcriptome of the nonblood feeding hirudinid Whitmania pigra and assess the differential gene expression of anticoagulation factors (through both quantitative real-time PCR [qRT-PCR] and in silico-based methods) during feeding and fasting conditions. This was done in order to evince the diversity of putative anticoagulation factors, as well as estimate the levels of upregulation of genes immediately after feeding. In total, we found sequences with demonstrated orthology (via both phylogenetic analyses and BLAST-based approaches) to seven different proteins that have previously been linked to anticoagulatory capabilities-eglin C, bdellin, granulin, guamerin, hyaluronidase, destabilase I, and lipocalin. All of these were recovered from leeches both in the fasting and in the feeding conditions, but all show signs of upregulation in the feeding leeches. Interestingly, our RNA-seq effort, coupled with a hypergeometric test, indicated that the differentially expressed genes were disproportionately involved in three main immunological pathways (endocytosis, peroxisome regulation, and lysosome regulation). The results and implications of the finding of anticoagulants in this nonblood feeding leech and the putative upregulation of anticoagulation factors after feeding are briefly discussed in an evolutionary context.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - De‐Long Guan
- College of Life SciencesShaanxi Normal UniversityXi'anChina
| | - Sebastian Kvist
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyUniversity of TorontoTorontoOntarioCanada
- Department of Natural HistoryRoyal Ontario MuseumTorontoOntarioCanada
| | - Li‐Bin Ma
- College of Life SciencesShaanxi Normal UniversityXi'anChina
| | - Juan‐Ying Xie
- School of Computer ScienceShaanxi Normal UniversityXi'anChina
| | - Sheng‐Quan Xu
- College of Life SciencesShaanxi Normal UniversityXi'anChina
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20
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Liu Z, Zhao F, Tong X, Liu K, Wang B, Yang L, Ning T, Wang Y, Zhao F, Wang D, Wang D. Comparative transcriptomic analysis reveals the mechanism of leech environmental adaptation. Gene 2018; 664:70-77. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2018.04.063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2017] [Revised: 03/09/2018] [Accepted: 04/20/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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21
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Tessler M, Marancik D, Champagne D, Dove A, Camus A, Siddall ME, Kvist S. Marine Leech Anticoagulant Diversity and Evolution. J Parasitol 2018; 104:210-220. [PMID: 29505345 DOI: 10.1645/17-64] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Leeches (Annelida: Hirudinea) possess powerful salivary anticoagulants and, accordingly, are frequently employed in modern, authoritative medicine. Members of the almost exclusively marine family Piscicolidae account for 20% of leech species diversity, and they feed on host groups (e.g., sharks) not encountered by their freshwater and terrestrial counterparts. Moreover, some species of Ozobranchidae feed on endangered marine turtles and have been implicated as potential vectors for the tumor-associated turtle herpesvirus. In spite of their ecological importance and unique host associations, there is a distinct paucity of data regarding the salivary transcriptomes of either of these families. Using next-generation sequencing, we profiled transcribed, putative anticoagulants and other salivary bioactive compounds that have previously been linked to blood feeding from 7 piscicolid species (3 elasmobranch feeders; 4 non-cartilaginous fish feeders) and 1 ozobranchid species (2 samples). In total, 149 putative anticoagulants and bioactive loci were discovered in varying constellations throughout the different samples. The putative anticoagulants showed a broad spectrum of described antagonistic pathways, such as inhibition of factor Xa and platelet aggregation, which likely have similar bioactive roles in marine fish and turtles. A transcript with homology to ohanin, originally isolated from king cobras, was found in Cystobranchus vividus but is otherwise unknown from leeches. Estimation of selection pressures for the putative anticoagulants recovered evidence for both positive and purifying selection along several isolated branches in the gene trees, and positive selection was also estimated for a few select codons in a variety of marine species. Similarly, phylogenetic analyses of the amino acid sequences for several anticoagulants indicated divergent evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Tessler
- 1 Richard Gilder Graduate School, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th Street, New York, New York 10024.,2 Sackler Institute for Comparative Genomics, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th Street, New York, New York 10024.,3 Division of Invertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th Street, New York, New York 10024
| | - David Marancik
- 4 Department of Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, 501 D. W. Brooks Drive, Athens, Georgia 30602
| | - Donald Champagne
- 5 Department of Entomology, University of Georgia, 413 Biological Sciences Building, Athens, Georgia 30602
| | - Alistair Dove
- 6 Georgia Aquarium, 225 Baker Street, Atlanta, Georgia 30313
| | - Alvin Camus
- 4 Department of Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, 501 D. W. Brooks Drive, Athens, Georgia 30602
| | - Mark E Siddall
- 2 Sackler Institute for Comparative Genomics, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th Street, New York, New York 10024.,3 Division of Invertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th Street, New York, New York 10024
| | - Sebastian Kvist
- 7 Royal Ontario Museum, 100 Queen's Park, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 2C6, Canada.,8 Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, 25 Willcocks Street, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 3B2, Canada
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22
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Langer SV, Vezsenyi KA, de Carle D, Beresford DV, Kvist S. Leeches (Annelida: Hirudinea) from the far north of Ontario: distribution, diversity, and diagnostics. CAN J ZOOL 2018. [DOI: 10.1139/cjz-2017-0078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Leeches have a worldwide distribution, yet numerous geographical regions remain to be adequately surveyed. Here, we present leech species records for one of these regions: the far north of Ontario, Canada. This region is primarily wetland habitat and includes two of Ontario’s three ecozones. Morphological examinations, as well as a single instance of successful DNA amplification with subsequent molecular identification, allowed us to identify representatives of 12 species from two predatory families (Erpobdellidae and Haemopidae) and one parasitic family (Glossiphoniidae) among samples of 130 individuals. To provide a more inclusive list of species records for this remote region, our data were also augmented by 25 largely unpublished collection records (for 102 individuals) from the Canadian Museum of Nature, which revealed the presence of an additional species. We comment on finds of particular interest in our sampling with comparison to relevant literature and provide new distribution data for these species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah V. Langer
- Environmental and Life Sciences Graduate Program, Trent University, 1600 West Bank Drive, Peterborough, ON K9J 7B8, Canada
| | - Kathryn A. Vezsenyi
- Environmental and Life Sciences Graduate Program, Trent University, 1600 West Bank Drive, Peterborough, ON K9J 7B8, Canada
| | - Danielle de Carle
- Department of Natural History, Royal Ontario Museum, 100 Queen’s Park, Toronto, ON M5S 2C6, Canada
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, 25 Willcocks Street, Toronto, ON M5S 3B2, Canada
| | - David V. Beresford
- Biology Department, Trent University, 1600 West Bank Drive, Peterborough, ON K9J 7B8, Canada
| | - Sebastian Kvist
- Department of Natural History, Royal Ontario Museum, 100 Queen’s Park, Toronto, ON M5S 2C6, Canada
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, 25 Willcocks Street, Toronto, ON M5S 3B2, Canada
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23
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Liu Z, Wang Y, Tong X, Su Y, Yang L, Wang D, Zhao Y. De novo assembly and comparative transcriptome characterization of Poecilobdella javanica provide insight into blood feeding of medicinal leeches. Mol Omics 2018; 14:352-361. [DOI: 10.1039/c8mo00098k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Leeches (family Hirudinidae) are classic model invertebrates used in diverse clinical treatments, such as reconstructive microsurgery, hypertension, and gangrene treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zichao Liu
- Department of Life Science & Technology, Kunming University, Kunming Key Laboratory of Hydroecology Restoration of Dianchi Lake, Key Laboratory of Special Biological Resource Development & Utilization of Universities in Yunnan Province
- Kunming
- China
| | - Yanjie Wang
- Jules Stein Eye Institute, Department of Ophthalmology, University of California
- Los Angeles
- USA
| | - Xiangrong Tong
- Department of Life Science & Technology, Kunming University, Kunming Key Laboratory of Hydroecology Restoration of Dianchi Lake, Key Laboratory of Special Biological Resource Development & Utilization of Universities in Yunnan Province
- Kunming
- China
| | - Yuan Su
- Department of Life Science & Technology, Kunming University, Kunming Key Laboratory of Hydroecology Restoration of Dianchi Lake, Key Laboratory of Special Biological Resource Development & Utilization of Universities in Yunnan Province
- Kunming
- China
| | - Lijiang Yang
- Department of Life Science & Technology, Kunming University, Kunming Key Laboratory of Hydroecology Restoration of Dianchi Lake, Key Laboratory of Special Biological Resource Development & Utilization of Universities in Yunnan Province
- Kunming
- China
| | - Debin Wang
- Department of Life Science & Technology, Kunming University, Kunming Key Laboratory of Hydroecology Restoration of Dianchi Lake, Key Laboratory of Special Biological Resource Development & Utilization of Universities in Yunnan Province
- Kunming
- China
| | - Yuqi Zhao
- Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of California, Los Angeles
- Los Angeles
- USA
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Verdes A, Simpson D, Holford M. Are Fireworms Venomous? Evidence for the Convergent Evolution of Toxin Homologs in Three Species of Fireworms (Annelida, Amphinomidae). Genome Biol Evol 2018; 10:249-268. [PMID: 29293976 PMCID: PMC5778601 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evx279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/23/2017] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Amphinomids, more commonly known as fireworms, are a basal lineage of marine annelids characterized by the presence of defensive dorsal calcareous chaetae, which break off upon contact. It has long been hypothesized that amphinomids are venomous and use the chaetae to inject a toxic substance. However, studies investigating fireworm venom from a morphological or molecular perspective are scarce and no venom gland has been identified to date, nor any toxin characterized at the molecular level. To investigate this question, we analyzed the transcriptomes of three species of fireworms-Eurythoe complanata, Hermodice carunculata, and Paramphinome jeffreysii-following a venomics approach to identify putative venom compounds. Our venomics pipeline involved de novo transcriptome assembly, open reading frame, and signal sequence prediction, followed by three different homology search strategies: BLAST, HMMER sequence, and HMMER domain. Following this pipeline, we identified 34 clusters of orthologous genes, representing 13 known toxin classes that have been repeatedly recruited into animal venoms. Specifically, the three species share a similar toxin profile with C-type lectins, peptidases, metalloproteinases, spider toxins, and CAP proteins found among the most highly expressed toxin homologs. Despite their great diversity, the putative toxins identified are predominantly involved in three major biological processes: hemostasis, inflammatory response, and allergic reactions, all of which are commonly disrupted after fireworm stings. Although the putative fireworm toxins identified here need to be further validated, our results strongly suggest that fireworms are venomous animals that use a complex mixture of toxins for defense against predators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aida Verdes
- Department of Chemistry, Hunter College Belfer Research Center, and The Graduate Center, Program in Biology, Chemistry and Biochemistry, City University of New York
- Department of Invertebrate Zoology, Sackler Institute for Comparative Genomics, American Museum of Natural History, New York, New York
- Departamento de Biología (Zoología), Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain
| | - Danny Simpson
- Department of Population Health, New York University School of Medicine
| | - Mandë Holford
- Department of Chemistry, Hunter College Belfer Research Center, and The Graduate Center, Program in Biology, Chemistry and Biochemistry, City University of New York
- Department of Invertebrate Zoology, Sackler Institute for Comparative Genomics, American Museum of Natural History, New York, New York
- Department of Biochemistry, Weill Cornell Medical College, Cornell University
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25
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Lemke S, Müller C, Hildebrandt JP. Be ready at any time: postprandial synthesis of salivary proteins in salivary gland cells of the haematophagous leech Hirudo verbana. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2017; 219:1139-45. [PMID: 27103675 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.135509] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2015] [Accepted: 02/03/2016] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Sanguivorous leeches are ectoparasites having access to body fluids of potential hosts only infrequently. During feeding, salivary proteins are released from unicellular salivary glands into the wound. These substances, among them anti-coagulants, anti-inflammatory or anti-microbial agents, allow these animals proper feeding and long-term storage of host blood in their crops for several months. Using histological, protein biochemical and molecular techniques, we investigated whether synthesis of salivary proteins and refilling of salivary gland cells occur immediately after feeding or later when stored nutrients in the crop are getting scarce. The results of the histological analyses showed that gland cell area was significantly smaller right after feeding when compared with those in unfed animals. This parameter recovered quickly and reached the control level at 1 week after feeding. 2D gel electrophoresis and analysis of the abundance of individual proteins in extracts of leech tissues revealed that a subset of proteins that had been present in extracts of unfed animals virtually disappeared during feeding, but re-appeared within 1 week of feeding (most probably secretory proteins) while another subset did not change during the experimental period (most probably housekeeping proteins). Semi-quantitative PCR analysis of hirudin cDNA prepared from leech RNA samples revealed that the amount of hirudin transcripts increased immediately after feeding, peaked at 5 days after feeding and declined to control values thereafter. Our results indicate that bloodsucking leeches synthesize salivary proteins and refill their salivary gland cell reservoirs within a week of a blood meal to be prepared for another feeding opportunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Lemke
- Animal Physiology and Biochemistry, Zoological Institute and Museum, Ernst Moritz Arndt University, Felix-Hausdorff-Strasse 1, Greifswald D-17487, Germany
| | - Christian Müller
- Animal Physiology and Biochemistry, Zoological Institute and Museum, Ernst Moritz Arndt University, Felix-Hausdorff-Strasse 1, Greifswald D-17487, Germany
| | - Jan-Peter Hildebrandt
- Animal Physiology and Biochemistry, Zoological Institute and Museum, Ernst Moritz Arndt University, Felix-Hausdorff-Strasse 1, Greifswald D-17487, Germany
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26
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Ceylan M, Küçükkara R, Akçimen U, Yener O. Reproduction efficiency of the Horse Leech, Haemopis sanguisuga (Linnaeus, 1758). INVERTEBR REPROD DEV 2017. [DOI: 10.1080/07924259.2017.1318096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Mustafa Ceylan
- Department of Medicinal Leech Research, Fisheries Research Institute, Isparta, Turkey
| | - Ramazan Küçükkara
- Department of Medicinal Leech Research, Fisheries Research Institute, Isparta, Turkey
| | - Ufuk Akçimen
- Department of Medicinal Leech Research, Fisheries Research Institute, Isparta, Turkey
| | - Osman Yener
- Bahri Dagdas International Agricultural Research Institute, Konya, Turkey
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Hirudins and hirudin-like factors in Hirudinidae: implications for function and phylogenetic relationships. Parasitol Res 2016; 116:313-325. [PMID: 27785600 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-016-5294-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2016] [Accepted: 10/12/2016] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
Haematophagous leeches express a broad variety of bioactive factors that are released from the salivary gland cells into the wound of a host during feeding. Among these, hirudin is probably the best studied factor and, moreover, the only one that has successfully made the transition from nature to clinical use. Many components of the leech saliva still remain either poorly characterized or yet completely unknown. Only recently, a new class of leech-derived factors has been discovered in Hirudo medicinalis, the hirudin-like factors (HLFs). HLFs comprise typical structural features of hirudin but lack others. We were able to verify the expression of HLFs not only in two additional species of the genus Hirudo, but also in Hirudinaria manillensis. Various phylogenetic analyses based on gene and protein sequences support a sister group relationship between hirudins and HLFs. Although potential molecular targets of HLFs remain unknown, the presence of multiple isoforms in individual leeches of different genera points to key functions in the regulation of several processes associated with the blood-sucking life style of leeches.
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Figueiredo C, Alves J, Carvalho C, Sarmento A. An unusual cause of chest discomfort: case report of oesophageal hirudiniasis. J Parasit Dis 2016; 41:596-598. [PMID: 28615887 DOI: 10.1007/s12639-016-0829-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2016] [Accepted: 08/20/2016] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Hirudiniasis is caused by sanguivorous leeches feeding on mucous membranes with possible severe obstructive or haemorrhagic manifestations. Few cases have been reported in humans, and most occur in tropical countries. A seventy-year-old female patient presented to our Emergency Department (ED) with retrosternal discomfort. She was taking warfarin for a mechanical prosthetic heart valve. While in the ED, a leech was spontaneously extruded from her mouth, with symptomatic resolution. Endoscopy revealed an area of previous leech attachment in the distal oesophageal, without severe bleeding. Albeit uneventful, this case could have had a devastating outcome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristóvão Figueiredo
- Infectious Diseases Department and Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade do Porto, Centro Hospitalar São João, Alameda Professor Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
| | - Joana Alves
- Infectious Diseases Department and Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade do Porto, Centro Hospitalar São João, Alameda Professor Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
| | - Cláudia Carvalho
- Infectious Diseases Department and Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade do Porto, Centro Hospitalar São João, Alameda Professor Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
| | - António Sarmento
- Infectious Diseases Department and Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade do Porto, Centro Hospitalar São João, Alameda Professor Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
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Kvist S, Oceguera-Figueroa A, Tessler M, Jiménez-Armenta J, Freeman RM, Giribet G, Siddall ME. When predator becomes prey: investigating the salivary transcriptome of the shark-feeding leechPontobdella macrothela(Hirudinea: Piscicolidae). Zool J Linn Soc 2016. [DOI: 10.1111/zoj.12473] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian Kvist
- Department of Natural History; Royal Ontario Museum; 100 Queen's Park Toronto ON M5S 2C6 Canada
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; University of Toronto; 25 Willcocks Street Toronto ON M5S 3B2 Canada
| | - Alejandro Oceguera-Figueroa
- Laboratorio de Helmintología; Departamento de Zoología; Instituto de Biología; Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; Coyoacán Mexico City 04510 Mexico
| | - Michael Tessler
- Richard Gilder Graduate School; American Museum of Natural History; Central Park West at 79th Street New York NY 10024 USA
- Sackler Institute for Comparative Genomics; American Museum of Natural History; Central Park West at 79th Street New York NY 10024 USA
| | - Jossué Jiménez-Armenta
- Laboratorio de Helmintología; Departamento de Zoología; Instituto de Biología; Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; Coyoacán Mexico City 04510 Mexico
| | | | - Gonzalo Giribet
- Museum of Comparative Zoology & Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology; Harvard University; Cambridge MA 02138 USA
| | - Mark E. Siddall
- Sackler Institute for Comparative Genomics; American Museum of Natural History; Central Park West at 79th Street New York NY 10024 USA
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Wang Y, White MM, Kvist S, Moncalvo JM. Genome-Wide Survey of Gut Fungi (Harpellales) Reveals the First Horizontally Transferred Ubiquitin Gene from a Mosquito Host. Mol Biol Evol 2016; 33:2544-54. [PMID: 27343289 PMCID: PMC5026252 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msw126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Harpellales, an early-diverging fungal lineage, is associated with the digestive tracts of aquatic arthropod hosts. Concurrent with the production and annotation of the first four Harpellales genomes, we discovered that Zancudomyces culisetae, one of the most widely distributed Harpellales species, encodes an insect-like polyubiquitin chain. Ubiquitin and ubiquitin-like proteins are universally involved in protein degradation and regulation of immune response in eukaryotic organisms. Phylogenetic analyses inferred that this polyubiquitin variant has a mosquito origin. In addition, its amino acid composition, animal-like secondary structure, as well as the fungal nature of flanking genes all further support this as a horizontal gene transfer event. The single-copy polyubiquitin gene from Z. culisetae has lower GC ratio compared with homologs of insect taxa, which implies homogenization of the gene since its putatively ancient transfer. The acquired polyubiquitin gene may have served to improve important functions within Z. culisetae, by perhaps exploiting the insect hosts' ubiquitin-proteasome systems in the gut environment. Preliminary comparisons among the four Harpellales genomes highlight the reduced genome size of Z. culisetae, which corroborates its distinguishable symbiotic lifestyle. This is the first record of a horizontally transferred ubiquitin gene from disease-bearing insects to the gut-dwelling fungal endobiont and should invite further exploration in an evolutionary context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Wang
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada Department of Natural History, Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Merlin M White
- Department of Biological Sciences, Boise State University
| | - Sebastian Kvist
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada Department of Natural History, Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Jean-Marc Moncalvo
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada Department of Natural History, Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, ON, Canada
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Liu F, Guo QS, Shi HZ, Cheng BX, Lu YX, Gou L, Wang J, Shen WB, Yan SM, Wu MJ. Genetic variation in Whitmania pigra, Hirudo nipponica and Poecilobdella manillensis, three endemic and endangered species in China using SSR and TRAP markers. Gene 2015; 579:172-82. [PMID: 26743128 DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2015.12.055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2015] [Revised: 11/30/2015] [Accepted: 12/27/2015] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Leeches are not only important medicinal animals worldwide but also are endangered. We aimed to (i) explore the level of genetic diversity within/among populations of three leeches, (ii) assess genetic differentiation among these three leeches, and (iii) discuss an appropriate strategy for conserving leech germplasm. A total of 315 individuals of Whitmania pigra, Hirudo nipponica and Poecilobdella manillensis from 21 populations were collected in China and Vietnam. The genetic structure and genetic diversity among and within the 21 populations were evaluated using target region amplified polymorphism (TRAP) and simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers. Sixteen pairs of TRAP primers generated a total of 398 fragments, of which 396 (99.50%) were polymorphic; fourteen pairs of SSR primers generated a total of 60 fragments, of which 59 (98.33%) were polymorphic. Shannon's index (I) and Nei's gene diversity index (H) for the three leeches were high at the species level (I=0.4980 and H=0.3323 for TRAPs, I=0.4487 and H=0.2969 for SSRs in W. pigra; I=0.4147/0.3769, H=0.2788/0.2566 for H. nipponica; and I=0.4616/0.4717, H=0.3099/0.3203 for P. manillensis). However, low genetic diversity was determined at the population level; the average genetic diversity measures within populations were H=0.1767/0.1376, I=0.2589/0.2043 for W. pigra, H=0.2149/0.2021, I=0.3184/0.3000 for H. nipponica and H=0.2850/0.2724, I=0.4152/0.3967 for P. manillensis. We conclude that there was limited gene exchange within/among populations and species, as the gene flow number (Nm) was 0.5493/0.5807. However, for all three species, the genetic diversity was different at the population level. Gene differentiation (Gst) and Nm were 0.4682 /0.5364 and 0.5678/0.4321 for W. pigra, 0.2294/0.2127 and 1.6797/1.8512 for H. nipponica and 0.1214/0.1496 and 3.6202/2.8412 for P. manillensis. STRUCTURE analysis, Unweighted Pair-Group Method with Arithmetic means (UPGMA) cluster analysis and Principal Coordinates Analysis (PCOA) all yielded similar results. The isolation-by-distance pattern was not significant for any of the three species by the Mantel test. These data emphasize the need for management, conservation, and rehabilitation of this animal species. Finally, an appropriate strategy for conserving leech is proposed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fei Liu
- Institute of Chinese Medicinal Materials, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, PR China; Biology Post-doctoral Mobile Stations, College of Life Science, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, PR China; Key Laboratory for Aquaculture and Ecology of Coastal Pool of Jiangsu Province, Yancheng Institute of Technology, Yancheng 224051, PR China
| | - Qiao-Sheng Guo
- Institute of Chinese Medicinal Materials, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, PR China
| | - Hong-Zhuan Shi
- Institute of Chinese Medicinal Materials, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, PR China.
| | - Bo-Xing Cheng
- Institute of Chinese Medicinal Materials, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, PR China
| | - Yu-Xi Lu
- Institute of Chinese Medicinal Materials, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, PR China
| | - Ling Gou
- Institute of Chinese Medicinal Materials, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, PR China
| | - Jia Wang
- Institute of Chinese Medicinal Materials, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, PR China
| | - Wen-Biao Shen
- Biology Post-doctoral Mobile Stations, College of Life Science, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, PR China
| | - Shi-Meng Yan
- Institute of Chinese Medicinal Materials, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, PR China
| | - Man-Jun Wu
- Institute of Chinese Medicinal Materials, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, PR China
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Phillips CD, Baker RJ. Secretory Gene Recruitments in Vampire Bat Salivary Adaptation and Potential Convergences With Sanguivorous Leeches. Front Ecol Evol 2015. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2015.00122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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33
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Siddall ME, Brugler MR, Kvist S. Comparative Transcriptomic Analyses of Three Species of Placobdella (Rhynchobdellida: Glossiphoniidae) Confirms a Single Origin of Blood Feeding in Leeches. J Parasitol 2015; 102:143-50. [PMID: 26535976 DOI: 10.1645/15-802] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
One of the recalcitrant questions regarding the evolutionary history of clitellate annelids involves the feeding preference of the common ancestor of extant rhynchobdellid (proboscis bearing) and arhynchobdellid (jaw bearing) leeches. Whereas early evidence, based on morphological data, pointed towards independent acquisitions of blood feeding in the 2 orders, molecular-based phylogenetic data suggest that the ancestor of modern leeches was a sanguivore. Here, we use a comparative transcriptomic approach in order to increase our understanding of the diversity of anticoagulation factors for 3 species of the genus Placobdella, for which comparative data have been lacking, and inspect these in light of archetypal anticoagulant data for both arhynchobdellid and other rhynchobdellid species. Notwithstanding the varying levels of host specificity displayed by the 3 different species of Placobdella, transcriptomic profiles with respect to anticoagulation factors were largely similar -this despite the fact that Placobdella kwetlumye only retains a single pair of salivary glands, as opposed to the 2 pairs more common in the genus. Results show that 9 different anticoagulant proteins and an additional 5 putative antihemostasis proteins are expressed in salivary secretions of the 3 species. In particular, an ortholog of the archetypal, single-copy, anticoagulant hirudin (not previously available as comparative data for rhynchobdellids) is present in at least 2 of 3 species examined, corroborating the notion of a single origin of blood feeding in the ancestral leech.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark E Siddall
- Sackler Institute for Comparative Genomics, and Division of Invertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th Street, New York, New York 10024
| | - Mercer R Brugler
- Sackler Institute for Comparative Genomics, and Division of Invertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th Street, New York, New York 10024
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Amorim AMXP, de Oliveira UC, Faria F, Pasqualoto KFM, Junqueira-de-Azevedo IDLM, Chudzinski-Tavassi AM. Transcripts involved in hemostasis: Exploring salivary complexes from Haementeria vizottoi leeches through transcriptomics, phylogenetic studies and structural features. Toxicon 2015; 106:20-9. [PMID: 26363292 DOI: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2015.09.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2015] [Revised: 08/27/2015] [Accepted: 09/07/2015] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Throughout evolution, parasites have adapted in order to successfully intervene in the host defense, producing specific peptides and proteins. Interestingly, these peptides and proteins have been exploited as potential drug candidates against several diseases. Furthermore, biotechnology studies and cDNA libraries have remarkably contributed to identify potentially bioactive molecules. In this regard, herein, a cDNA library of salivary complexes from Haementeria vizottoi leeches was constructed, the transcriptome was characterized and a phylogenetic analysis was performed considering antistasin-like and antiplatelet-like proteins. Hundred twenty three transcripts were identified coding for putative proteins involved in animal feeding (representing about 10% of the expression level). These sequences showed similarities with myohemerythrins, carbonic anhydrases, anticoagulants, antimicrobials, proteases and protease inhibitors. The phylogenetic analysis, regarding antistasin-like and antiplatetlet-like proteins, revealed two main clades in the Rhynchobdellida leeches. As expected, the sequences from H. vizottoi have presented high similarities with those types of proteins. Thus, our findings could be helpful not only to identify new coagulation inhibitors, but also to better understand the biological composition of the salivary complexes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Fernanda Faria
- Laboratório de Bioquímica e Biofísica, Instituto Butantan, Av. Vital Brazil, 1500, CEP: 05.503-900, São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | | | - Ana Marisa Chudzinski-Tavassi
- Laboratório de Bioquímica e Biofísica, Instituto Butantan, Av. Vital Brazil, 1500, CEP: 05.503-900, São Paulo, Brazil; Departamento de Bioquímica, Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP), São Paulo, Brazil.
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More than just one: multiplicity of Hirudins and Hirudin-like Factors in the Medicinal Leech, Hirudo medicinalis. Mol Genet Genomics 2015; 291:227-40. [PMID: 26267058 DOI: 10.1007/s00438-015-1100-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2015] [Accepted: 07/23/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Blood-sucking leeches like the medicinal leech, Hirudo medicinalis, have been used for medical purposes since ancient times. During feeding, medicinal leeches transfer a broad range of bioactive substances into the host's wound to prevent premature hemostasis and blood coagulation. Hirudin is probably the best known of these substances. Despite its long history of investigation, recombinant production and clinical use, there still exist conflicting data regarding the primary structure of hirudin. Entirely unclear is the potential biological significance of three different subtypes and many isoforms of hirudins that have been characterized so far. Furthermore, there is only incomplete information on their cDNA sequences and no information at all on gene structures and DNA sequences are available in the databases. Our efforts to fill these gaps revealed the presence of multiple hirudin-encoding genes in the genome of Hirudo medicinalis. We have strong evidence for the expression of all three subtypes of hirudin within individual leeches and for the expression of additional hirudins or hirudin-like factors that may have different biological functions and may be promising candidates for new drugs.
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A Rare Case of Vaginal Bleeding in a Child Due to a Leech Bite and Review of the Literature. Wilderness Environ Med 2015; 26:579-84. [PMID: 26141919 DOI: 10.1016/j.wem.2015.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2015] [Revised: 05/15/2015] [Accepted: 05/20/2015] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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Modica MV, Lombardo F, Franchini P, Oliverio M. The venomous cocktail of the vampire snail Colubraria reticulata (Mollusca, Gastropoda). BMC Genomics 2015; 16:441. [PMID: 26054852 PMCID: PMC4460706 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-015-1648-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2015] [Accepted: 05/20/2015] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Hematophagy arose independently multiple times during metazoan evolution, with several lineages of vampire animals particularly diversified in invertebrates. However, the biochemistry of hematophagy has been studied in a few species of direct medical interest and is still underdeveloped in most invertebrates, as in general is the study of venom toxins. In cone snails, leeches, arthropods and snakes, the strong target specificity of venom toxins uniquely aligns them to industrial and academic pursuits (pharmacological applications, pest control etc.) and provides a biochemical tool for studying biological activities including cell signalling and immunological response. Neogastropod snails (cones, oyster drills etc.) are carnivorous and include active predators, scavengers, grazers on sessile invertebrates and hematophagous parasites; most of them use venoms to efficiently feed. It has been hypothesized that trophic innovations were the main drivers of rapid radiation of Neogastropoda in the late Cretaceous. We present here the first molecular characterization of the alimentary secretion of a non-conoidean neogastropod, Colubraria reticulata. Colubrariids successfully feed on the blood of fishes, throughout the secretion into the host of a complex mixture of anaesthetics and anticoagulants. We used a NGS RNA-Seq approach, integrated with differential expression analyses and custom searches for putative secreted feeding-related proteins, to describe in detail the salivary and mid-oesophageal transcriptomes of this Mediterranean vampire snail, with functional and evolutionary insights on major families of bioactive molecules. Results A remarkably low level of overlap was observed between the gene expression in the two target tissues, which also contained a high percentage of putatively secreted proteins when compared to the whole body. At least 12 families of feeding-related proteins were identified, including: 1) anaesthetics, such as ShK Toxin-containing proteins and turripeptides (ion-channel blockers), Cysteine-rich secretory proteins (CRISPs), Adenosine Deaminase (ADA); 2) inhibitors of primary haemostasis, such as novel vWFA domain-containing proteins, the Ectonucleotide pyrophosphatase/phosphodiesterase family member 5 (ENPP5) and the wasp Antigen-5; 3) anticoagulants, such as TFPI-like multiple Kunitz-type protease inhibitors, Peptidases S1 (PS1), CAP/ShKT domain-containing proteins, Astacin metalloproteases and Astacin/ShKT domain-containing proteins; 4) additional proteins, such the Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme (ACE: vasopressive) and the cytolytic Porins. Conclusions Colubraria feeding physiology seems to involve inhibitors of both primary and secondary haemostasis, anaesthetics, a vasoconstrictive enzyme to reduce feeding time and tissue-degrading proteins such as Porins and Astacins. The complexity of Colubraria venomous cocktail and the divergence from the arsenal of the few neogastropods studied to date (mostly conoideans) suggest that biochemical diversification of neogastropods might be largely underestimated and worth of extensive investigation. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12864-015-1648-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Vittoria Modica
- Department of Biology and Biotechnologies "C. Darwin", Sapienza University, I-00185, Rome, Italy.
| | - Fabrizio Lombardo
- Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Sapienza University, I-00185, Rome, Italy.
| | - Paolo Franchini
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, D-78745, Konstanz, Germany.
| | - Marco Oliverio
- Department of Biology and Biotechnologies "C. Darwin", Sapienza University, I-00185, Rome, Italy.
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von Reumont BM, Campbell LI, Jenner RA. Quo vadis venomics? A roadmap to neglected venomous invertebrates. Toxins (Basel) 2014; 6:3488-551. [PMID: 25533518 PMCID: PMC4280546 DOI: 10.3390/toxins6123488] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2014] [Revised: 11/21/2014] [Accepted: 12/02/2014] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Venomics research is being revolutionized by the increased use of sensitive -omics techniques to identify venom toxins and their transcripts in both well studied and neglected venomous taxa. The study of neglected venomous taxa is necessary both for understanding the full diversity of venom systems that have evolved in the animal kingdom, and to robustly answer fundamental questions about the biology and evolution of venoms without the distorting effect that can result from the current bias introduced by some heavily studied taxa. In this review we draw the outlines of a roadmap into the diversity of poorly studied and understood venomous and putatively venomous invertebrates, which together represent tens of thousands of unique venoms. The main groups we discuss are crustaceans, flies, centipedes, non-spider and non-scorpion arachnids, annelids, molluscs, platyhelminths, nemerteans, and echinoderms. We review what is known about the morphology of the venom systems in these groups, the composition of their venoms, and the bioactivities of the venoms to provide researchers with an entry into a large and scattered literature. We conclude with a short discussion of some important methodological aspects that have come to light with the recent use of new -omics techniques in the study of venoms.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Lahcen I Campbell
- Department of Life Sciences, the Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, SW7 5BD London, UK.
| | - Ronald A Jenner
- Department of Life Sciences, the Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, SW7 5BD London, UK.
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An extract from medical leech improve the function of endothelial cells in vitro and attenuates atherosclerosis in ApoE null mice by reducing macrophages in the lesions. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2014; 455:119-25. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2014.10.135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2014] [Accepted: 10/27/2014] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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40
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Leung TLF. Fish as parasites: an insight into evolutionary convergence in adaptations for parasitism. J Zool (1987) 2014. [DOI: 10.1111/jzo.12148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- T. L. F. Leung
- Centre for Behavioural and Physiological Ecology, Zoology University of New England Armidale NSW Australia
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