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Matthews AE, Boves TJ, Sweet AD, Ames EM, Bulluck LP, Johnson EI, Johnson M, Lipshutz SE, Percy KL, Raybuck DW, Schelsky WM, Tonra CM, Viverette CB, Wijeratne AJ. Novel insights into symbiont population structure: Globe-trotting avian feather mites contradict the specialist-generalist variation hypothesis. Mol Ecol 2023; 32:5260-5275. [PMID: 37635403 DOI: 10.1111/mec.17115] [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: 03/13/2023] [Revised: 06/14/2023] [Accepted: 08/10/2023] [Indexed: 08/29/2023]
Abstract
Researchers often examine symbiont host specificity as a species-level pattern, but it can also be key to understanding processes occurring at the population level, which are not as well understood. The specialist-generalist variation hypothesis (SGVH) attempts to explain how host specificity influences population-level processes, stating that single-host symbionts (specialists) exhibit stronger population genetic structure than multi-host symbionts (generalists) because of fewer opportunities for dispersal and more restricted gene flow between populations. However, this hypothesis has not been tested in systems with highly mobile hosts, in which population connectivity may vary temporally and spatially. To address this gap, we tested the SGVH on proctophyllodid feather mites found on migratory warblers (family Parulidae) with contrasting host specificities, Amerodectes protonotaria (a host specialist of Protonotaria citrea) and A. ischyros (a host generalist of 17 parulid species). We used a pooled-sequencing approach and a novel workflow to analyse genetic variants obtained from whole genome data. Both mite species exhibited fairly weak population structure overall, and contrary to predictions of the SGVH, the generalist was more strongly structured than the specialist. These results may suggest that specialists disperse more freely among conspecifics, whereas generalists sort according to geography. Furthermore, our results may reflect an unexpected period for mite transmission - during the nonbreeding season of migratory hosts - as mite population structure more closely reflects the distributions of hosts during the nonbreeding season. Our findings alter our current understanding of feather mite biology and highlight the potential for studies to explore factors driving symbiont diversification at multiple evolutionary scales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alix E Matthews
- College of Sciences and Mathematics and Molecular Biosciences Program, Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, Arkansas, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, Arkansas, USA
| | - Than J Boves
- Department of Biological Sciences, Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, Arkansas, USA
| | - Andrew D Sweet
- Department of Biological Sciences, Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, Arkansas, USA
| | - Elizabeth M Ames
- School of Environment and Natural Resources, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | - Lesley P Bulluck
- Center for Environmental Studies, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, USA
| | - Erik I Johnson
- Audubon Delta, National Audubon Society, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
| | - Matthew Johnson
- Audubon South Carolina, National Audubon Society, Harleyville, South Carolina, USA
| | - Sara E Lipshutz
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, USA
- Department of Biology, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Katie L Percy
- Audubon Delta, National Audubon Society, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
- United States Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Addis, Louisiana, USA
| | - Douglas W Raybuck
- Department of Biological Sciences, Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, Arkansas, USA
- Department of Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Wendy M Schelsky
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior, School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana-Champaign, Illinois, USA
- Prairie Research Institute, Illinois Natural History Survey, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Illinois, USA
| | - Christopher M Tonra
- School of Environment and Natural Resources, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | - Catherine B Viverette
- Center for Environmental Studies, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, USA
| | - Asela J Wijeratne
- Department of Biological Sciences, Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, Arkansas, USA
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Ferreira SCM, Jarquín-Díaz VH, Heitlinger E. Amplicon sequencing allows differential quantification of closely related parasite species: an example from rodent Coccidia (Eimeria). Parasit Vectors 2023; 16:204. [PMID: 37330545 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-023-05800-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2023] [Accepted: 05/03/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Quantifying infection intensity is a common goal in parasitological studies. We have previously shown that the amount of parasite DNA in faecal samples can be a biologically meaningful measure of infection intensity, even if it does not agree well with complementary counts of transmission stages (oocysts in the case of Coccidia). Parasite DNA can be quantified at relatively high throughput using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), but amplification needs a high specificity and does not simultaneously distinguish between parasite species. Counting of amplified sequence variants (ASVs) from high-throughput marker gene sequencing using a relatively universal primer pair has the potential to distinguish between closely related co-infecting taxa and to uncover the community diversity, thus being both more specific and more open-ended. METHODS We here compare qPCR to the sequencing-based amplification using standard PCR and a microfluidics-based PCR to quantify the unicellular parasite Eimeria in experimentally infected mice. We use multiple amplicons to differentially quantify Eimeria spp. in a natural house mouse population. RESULTS We show that sequencing-based quantification has high accuracy. Using a combination of phylogenetic analysis and the co-occurrence network, we distinguish three Eimeria species in naturally infected mice based on multiple marker regions and genes. We investigate geographical and host-related effects on Eimeria spp. community composition and find, as expected, prevalence to be largely explained by sampling locality (farm). Controlling for this effect, the novel approach allowed us to find body condition of mice to be negatively associated with Eimeria spp. abundance. CONCLUSIONS We conclude that amplicon sequencing provides the underused potential for species distinction and simultaneous quantification of parasites in faecal material. The method allowed us to detect a negative effect of Eimeria infection on the body condition of mice in the natural environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susana C M Ferreira
- Division of Computational Systems Biology, Center for Microbiology and Ecological Systems Science, University of Vienna, Djerassipl. 1, 1030, Vienna, Austria.
- Institute for Biology. Department of Molecular Parasitology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (HU), Philippstr. 13, Haus 14, 10115, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Víctor Hugo Jarquín-Díaz
- Institute for Biology. Department of Molecular Parasitology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (HU), Philippstr. 13, Haus 14, 10115, Berlin, Germany
- Leibniz-Institut Für Zoo- Und Wildtierforschung (IZW) im Forschungsverbund Berlin E.V., Alfred-Kowalke-Straße 17, 10315, Berlin, Germany
- Experimental and Clinical Research Center, a cooperation between the Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association and the Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Experimental and Clinical Research Center, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität Zu Berlin, Lindenberger Weg 80, 13125, Berlin, Germany
- Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association (MDC), Berlin, Germany
| | - Emanuel Heitlinger
- Institute for Biology. Department of Molecular Parasitology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (HU), Philippstr. 13, Haus 14, 10115, Berlin, Germany
- Leibniz-Institut Für Zoo- Und Wildtierforschung (IZW) im Forschungsverbund Berlin E.V., Alfred-Kowalke-Straße 17, 10315, Berlin, Germany
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Couso-Pérez S, Pardavila X, Carro F, Ares-Mazás E, Gómez-Couso H. First report of Eimeria myoxi in the garden dormouse (Eliomys quercinus Linnaeus, 1766) from Doñana Natural Area (Andalusia, SW Spain). Parasitol Int 2023; 94:102740. [PMID: 36804597 DOI: 10.1016/j.parint.2023.102740] [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: 09/27/2022] [Revised: 01/30/2023] [Accepted: 02/13/2023] [Indexed: 02/21/2023]
Abstract
This work reports for the first time the presence and molecular characterization of Eimeria myoxi in the garden dormouse (Eliomys quercinus) from the Doñana Natural Area (Andalusia, SW Spain). Fresh faecal samples were collected from a total of 28 garden dormice, which were caught following current guidelines for the ethical use of animals in research, and processing by a standard flotation technique with saturated saline solution. Then, wet drops were examined microscopically, and the number of oocysts was semi-quantified. Eimeria oocysts were observed in 16 of the 28 (57.1%) faecal samples, showing most of them a very low number of oocysts (≤1 oocyst per microscopic field × 400). The unsporulated oocysts visualized in 16 faecal samples were subspherical and of length 19.2 ± 1.2 μm and width 17.4 ± 1.1 μm, being morphologically compatible with E. myoxi. This finding was supported by molecular analysis of the small subunit ribosomal RNA (SSU-rRNA) gene, identifying the same species in 22 of the 28 (78.6%) dormice, including 15 samples in which oocyst size was compatible with E. myoxi. Moreover, the subsequent analyses of the apicoplast open reading frame 470 (ORF470) and the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) genes confirmed the molecular identification of the isolates as E. myoxi. The phylogeny analyses were consistent with previous phylogenetic studies and support the existence of three lineages of rodent-infecting Eimeria species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seila Couso-Pérez
- Laboratory of Parasitology, Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Santiago de Compostela, Campus Vida, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, A Coruña, Spain; Nanotechnology and Integrated BioEngineering Centre, School of Engineering, Ulster University, Belfast Campus, 2-24 York Street, Belfast BT15 1AP, United Kingdom
| | - Xosé Pardavila
- Doñana Biological Station (EBD-CSIC), Avenida Américo Vespucio s/n 41001, Sevilla, Spain
| | - Francisco Carro
- Doñana Biological Station (EBD-CSIC), Avenida Américo Vespucio s/n 41001, Sevilla, Spain
| | - Elvira Ares-Mazás
- Laboratory of Parasitology, Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Santiago de Compostela, Campus Vida, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, A Coruña, Spain
| | - Hipólito Gómez-Couso
- Laboratory of Parasitology, Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Santiago de Compostela, Campus Vida, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, A Coruña, Spain; Research Institute on Chemical and Biological Analysis, University of Santiago de Compostela, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, A Coruña, Spain.
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Fu M, He P, OuYang X, Yu Y, Wen B, Zhou D, Xiong X, Yuan Q, Jiao J. Novel genotypes of Coxiella burnetii circulating in rats in Yunnan Province, China. BMC Vet Res 2022; 18:204. [PMID: 35624449 PMCID: PMC9137106 DOI: 10.1186/s12917-022-03310-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2022] [Accepted: 05/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Coxiella burnetii (Cb) is the causative agent of the zoonotic disease Q fever which is distributed worldwide. Molecular typing of Cb strains is essential to find out the infectious source and prevent Q fever outbreaks, but there has been a lack of typing data for Cb strains in China. The aim of this study was to investigate the genotypes of Cb strains in wild rats in Yunnan Province, China. RESULTS Eighty-six wild rats (Rattus flavipectus) were collected in Yunnan Province and 8 of the 86 liver samples from the wild rats were positive in Cb-specific quantitative PCR (qPCR). The Cb strains from the 8 rats were then typed into 3 genotypes using 10-spacer multispacer sequence typing (MST), and 2 of the 3 genotypes were recognized as novel ones. Moreover, the Cb strains in the wild rats were all identified as genotype 1 using 6-loci multilocus variable number of tandem repeat analysis (MLVA). CONCLUSIONS This is the first report of genotypic diversity of Cb strains from wild rats in China. Further studies are needed to explore the presence of more genotypes and to associate the genotypes circulating in the wildlife-livestock interaction with those causing human disease to further expand on the epidemiological aspects of the pathogen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mengjiao Fu
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Peisheng He
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, People's Republic of China.,Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, People's Republic of China
| | - Xuan OuYang
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Yonghui Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Bohai Wen
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Dongsheng Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiaolu Xiong
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Qinghong Yuan
- Yunnan Institute of Endemic Diseases Control and Prevention, Yunnan Provincial Key Laboratory of Natural Focal Disease Control and Prevention, Yunnan, People's Republic of China.
| | - Jun Jiao
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
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Balard A, Heitlinger E. Shifting focus from resistance to disease tolerance: A review on hybrid house mice. Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e8889. [PMID: 35571751 PMCID: PMC9077717 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8889] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2021] [Revised: 04/11/2022] [Accepted: 04/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Parasites have been proposed to modulate the fitness of hybridizing hosts in part based on observations in the European house mouse hybrid zone (HMHZ), a tension zone in which hybrids show reduced fitness. We here review evidence (1) for parasite load differences in hybrid versus parental mice and (2) for health and fitness effects of parasites promoting or preventing introgression and hybridization. The question of relative resistance or susceptibility of hybrids to parasites in the HMHZ has long been controversial. Recent field studies found hybrids to be more resistant than mice from parental subspecies against infections with pinworms and protozoans (Eimeria spp.). We argue that the field studies underlying the contradictory impression of hybrid susceptibility have limitations in sample size, statistical analysis and scope, focusing only on macroparasites. We suggest that weighted evidence from field studies indicate hybrid resistance. Health is a fitness component through which resistance can modulate overall fitness. Resistance, however, should not be extrapolated directly to a fitness effect, as the relationship between resistance and health can be modulated by tolerance. In our own recent work, we found that the relationship between health and resistance (tolerance) differs between infections with the related species E. falciformis and E. ferrisi. Health and tolerance need to be assessed directly and the choice of parasite has made this difficult in previous experimental studies of house mice. We discuss how experimental Eimeria spp. infections in hybrid house mice can address resistance, health and tolerance in conjunction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice Balard
- Department of Molecular ParasitologyInstitute for BiologyHumboldt University Berlin (HU)BerlinGermany
- Research Group Ecology and Evolution of Molecular Parasite‐Host InteractionsLeibniz‐Institut for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW) im Forschungsverbund Berlin e.V.BerlinGermany
| | - Emanuel Heitlinger
- Department of Molecular ParasitologyInstitute for BiologyHumboldt University Berlin (HU)BerlinGermany
- Research Group Ecology and Evolution of Molecular Parasite‐Host InteractionsLeibniz‐Institut for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW) im Forschungsverbund Berlin e.V.BerlinGermany
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Surface Waters and Urban Brown Rats as Potential Sources of Human-Infective Cryptosporidium and Giardia in Vienna, Austria. Microorganisms 2021; 9:microorganisms9081596. [PMID: 34442675 PMCID: PMC8400309 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms9081596] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2021] [Revised: 07/13/2021] [Accepted: 07/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Cryptosporidium and Giardia are waterborne protozoa that cause intestinal infections in a wide range of warm-blooded animals. Human infections vary from asymptomatic to life-threatening in immunocompromised people, and can cause growth retardation in children. The aim of our study was to assess the prevalence and diversity of Cryptosporidium and Giardia in urban surface water and in brown rats trapped in the center of Vienna, Austria, using molecular methods, and to subsequently identify their source and potential transmission pathways. Out of 15 water samples taken from a side arm of the River Danube, Cryptosporidium and Giardia (oo)cysts were detected in 60% and 73% of them, with concentrations ranging between 0.3-4 oocysts/L and 0.6-96 cysts/L, respectively. Cryptosporidium and Giardia were identified in 13 and 16 out of 50 rats, respectively. Eimeria, a parasite of high veterinary importance, was also identified in seven rats. Parasite co-ocurrence was detected in nine rats. Rat-associated genotypes did not match those found in water, but matched Giardia previously isolated from patients with diarrhea in Austria, bringing up a potential role of rats as sources or reservoirs of zoonotic pathogenic Giardia. Following a One Health approach, molecular typing across potential animal and environmental reservoirs and human cases gives an insight into environmental transmission pathways and therefore helps design efficient surveillance strategies and relevant outbreak responses.
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Genetic and biological characterisation of three cryptic Eimeria operational taxonomic units that infect chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus). Int J Parasitol 2021; 51:621-634. [PMID: 33713650 PMCID: PMC8186487 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpara.2020.12.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2020] [Revised: 12/16/2020] [Accepted: 12/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
Biology and genetics suggest cryptic Eimeria Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs) from chickens are new species. New Eimeria spp. that infect chickens are pathogenic and require control. Anticoccidial vaccination of chickens does not control three new Eimeria spp.
More than 68 billion chickens were produced globally in 2018, emphasising their major contribution to the production of protein for human consumption and the importance of their pathogens. Protozoan Eimeria spp. are the most economically significant parasites of chickens, incurring global costs of more than UK £10.4 billion per annum. Seven Eimeria spp. have long been recognised to infect chickens, with three additional cryptic operational taxonomic units (OTUs) first described more than 10 years ago. As the world’s farmers attempt to reduce reliance on routine use of antimicrobials in livestock production, replacing drugs that target a wide range of microbes with precise species- and sometimes strain-specific vaccines, the breakthrough of cryptic genetic types can pose serious problems. Consideration of biological characteristics including oocyst morphology, pathology caused during infection and pre-patent periods, combined with gene-coding sequences predicted from draft genome sequence assemblies, suggest that all three of these cryptic Eimeria OTUs possess sufficient genetic and biological diversity to be considered as new and distinct species. The ability of these OTUs to compromise chicken bodyweight gain and escape immunity induced by current commercially available anticoccidial vaccines indicates that they could pose a notable threat to chicken health, welfare, and productivity. We suggest the names Eimeria lata n. sp., Eimeria nagambie n. sp. and Eimeria zaria n. sp. for OTUs x, y and z, respectively, reflecting their appearance (x) or the origins of the first isolates of these novel species (y, z).
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Ren B, Schmid M, Scheiner M, Mollenkopf HJ, Lucius R, Heitlinger E, Gupta N. Toxoplasma and Eimeria co-opt the host cFos expression for intracellular development in mammalian cells. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2021; 19:719-731. [PMID: 33510872 PMCID: PMC7817532 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2020.12.045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2020] [Revised: 12/30/2020] [Accepted: 12/31/2020] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Gene expression profiles differ significantly between Toxoplasma and Eimeria-infected host cells. Several distinct and shared host-signaling cascades are regulated by coccidian parasites. cFos is one of the few host transcripts mutually regulated during infection by both pathogens. Host cFos is required for optimal in vitro development of E. falciformis and T. gondii. Transcriptomics of parasitized wild-type and cFos-/- host cells reveals a perturbation of cFos network.
Successful asexual reproduction of intracellular pathogens depends on their potential to exploit host resources and subvert antimicrobial defense. In this work, we deployed two prevalent apicomplexan parasites of mammalian cells, namely Toxoplasma gondii and Eimeria falciformis, to identify potential host determinants of infection. Expression analyses of the young adult mouse colonic (YAMC) epithelial cells upon infection by either parasite showed regulation of several distinct transcripts, indicating that these two pathogens program their intracellular niches in a tailored manner. Conversely, parasitized mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) displayed a divergent transcriptome compared to corresponding YAMC epithelial cells, suggesting that individual host cells mount a fairly discrete response when encountering a particular pathogen. Among several host transcripts similarly altered by T. gondii and E. falciformis, we identified cFos, a master transcription factor, that was consistently induced throughout the infection. Indeed, asexual growth of both parasites was strongly impaired in MEF host cells lacking cFos expression. Last but not the least, our differential transcriptomics of the infected MEFs (parental and cFos-/- mutant) and YAMC epithelial cells disclosed a cFos-centered network, underlying signal cascades, as well as a repertoire of nucleotides- and ion-binding proteins, which presumably act in consort to acclimatize the mammalian cell and thereby facilitate the parasite development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bingjian Ren
- Department of Molecular Parasitology, Institute of Biology, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany
| | - Manuela Schmid
- Department of Molecular Parasitology, Institute of Biology, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany
| | - Mattea Scheiner
- Department of Molecular Parasitology, Institute of Biology, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany
| | - Hans-Joachim Mollenkopf
- Microarray and Genomics Core Facility, Max-Planck Institute for Infection Biology, Berlin, Germany
| | - Richard Lucius
- Department of Molecular Parasitology, Institute of Biology, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany
| | - Emanuel Heitlinger
- Department of Molecular Parasitology, Institute of Biology, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany.,Research Group Ecology and Evolution of Parasite Host Interactions, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Berlin, Germany
| | - Nishith Gupta
- Department of Molecular Parasitology, Institute of Biology, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany.,Department of Biological Sciences, Birla Institute of Technology and Science Pilani (BITS-P), Hyderabad, India
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Martorelli Di Genova B, Knoll LJ. Comparisons of the Sexual Cycles for the Coccidian Parasites Eimeria and Toxoplasma. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2020; 10:604897. [PMID: 33381466 PMCID: PMC7768002 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2020.604897] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2020] [Accepted: 11/12/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Toxoplasma gondii and Eimeria spp. are widely prevalent Coccidian parasites that undergo sexual reproduction during their life cycle. T. gondii can infect any warm-blooded animal in its asexual cycle; however, its sexual cycle is restricted to felines. Eimeria spp. are usually restricted to one host species, and their whole life cycle is completed within this same host. The literature reviewed in this article comprises the recent findings regarding the unique biology of the sexual development of T. gondii and Eimeria spp. The molecular basis of sex in these pathogens has been significantly unraveled by new findings in parasite differentiation along with transcriptional analysis of T. gondii and Eimeria spp. pre-sexual and sexual stages. Focusing on the metabolic networks, analysis of these transcriptome datasets shows enrichment for several different metabolic pathways. Transcripts for glycolysis enzymes are consistently more abundant in T. gondii cat infection stages than the asexual tachyzoite stage and Eimeria spp. merozoite and gamete stages compared to sporozoites. Recent breakthroughs in host-pathogen interaction and host restriction have significantly expanded the understating of the unique biology of these pathogens. This review aims to critically explore advances in the sexual cycle of Coccidia parasites with the ultimate goal of comparing and analyzing the sexual cycle of Eimeria spp. and T. gondii.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Laura J. Knoll
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States
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Blake DP, Worthing K, Jenkins MC. Exploring Eimeria Genomes to Understand Population Biology: Recent Progress and Future Opportunities. Genes (Basel) 2020; 11:E1103. [PMID: 32967167 PMCID: PMC7564333 DOI: 10.3390/genes11091103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2020] [Revised: 09/14/2020] [Accepted: 09/18/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Eimeria, protozoan parasites from the phylum Apicomplexa, can cause the enteric disease coccidiosis in all farmed animals. Coccidiosis is commonly considered to be most significant in poultry; due in part to the vast number of chickens produced in the World each year, their short generation time, and the narrow profit margins associated with their production. Control of Eimeria has long been dominated by routine chemoprophylaxis, but has been supplemented or replaced by live parasite vaccination in a minority of production sectors. However, public and legislative demands for reduced drug use in food production is now driving dramatic change, replacing reliance on relatively indiscriminate anticoccidial drugs with vaccines that are Eimeria species-, and in some examples, strain-specific. Unfortunately, the consequences of deleterious selection on Eimeria population structure and genome evolution incurred by exposure to anticoccidial drugs or vaccines are unclear. Genome sequence assemblies were published in 2014 for all seven Eimeria species that infect chickens, stimulating the first population genetics studies for these economically important parasites. Here, we review current knowledge of eimerian genomes and highlight challenges posed by the discovery of new, genetically cryptic Eimeria operational taxonomic units (OTUs) circulating in chicken populations. As sequencing technologies evolve understanding of eimerian genomes will improve, with notable utility for studies of Eimeria biology, diversity and opportunities for control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Damer P. Blake
- Pathobiology and Population Sciences, Royal Veterinary College, Hawkshead Lane, North Mymms AL9 7TA, UK
| | - Kate Worthing
- Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory, Building 1040, Agricultural Research Service, USDA, Beltsville, MD 20705, USA; (K.W.); (M.C.J.)
| | - Mark C. Jenkins
- Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory, Building 1040, Agricultural Research Service, USDA, Beltsville, MD 20705, USA; (K.W.); (M.C.J.)
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