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Shen Z, Yang Q, Luo L, Li T, Ke Z, Li T, Chen J, Meng X, Xiang H, Li C, Zhou Z, Chen P, Pan G. Non-coding RNAs identification and regulatory networks in pathogen-host interaction in the microsporidia congenital infection. BMC Genomics 2023; 24:420. [PMID: 37495972 PMCID: PMC10373312 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-023-09490-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2023] [Accepted: 06/28/2023] [Indexed: 07/28/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The interaction networks between coding and non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) including long non-coding RNA (lncRNA), covalently closed circular RNA (circRNA) and miRNA are significant to elucidate molecular processes of biological activities and interactions between host and pathogen. Congenital infection caused by vertical transmission of microsporidia N. bombycis can result in severe economic losses in the silkworm-feeding industry. However, little is known about ncRNAs that take place in the microsporidia congenital infection. Here we conducted whole-transcriptome RNA-Seq analyses to identify ncRNAs and regulatory networks for both N. bombycis and host including silkworm embryos and larvae during the microsporidia congenital infection. RESULTS A total of 4,171 mRNAs, 403 lncRNA, 62 circRNAs, and 284 miRNAs encoded by N. bombycis were identified, among which some differentially expressed genes formed cross-talk and are involved in N. bombycis proliferation and infection. For instance, a lncRNA/circRNA competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network including 18 lncRNAs, one circRNA, and 20 miRNAs was constructed to describe 14 key parasites genes regulation, such as polar tube protein 3 (PTP3), ricin-B-lectin, spore wall protein 4 (SWP4), and heat shock protein 90 (HSP90). Regarding host silkworm upon N. bombycis congenital infection, a total of 14,889 mRNAs, 3,038 lncRNAs, 19,039 circRNAs, and 3,413 miRNAs were predicted based on silkworm genome with many differentially expressed coding and non-coding genes during distinct developmental stages. Different species of RNAs form interacting network to modulate silkworm biological processes, such as growth, metamorphosis and immune responses. Furthermore, a lncRNA/circRNA ceRNA network consisting of 140 lncRNAs, five circRNA, and seven miRNAs are constructed hypothetically to describe eight key host genes regulation, such as Toll-6, Serpin-6, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and Caspase-8. Notably, cross-species analyses indicate that parasite and host miRNAs play a vital role in pathogen-host interaction in the microsporidia congenital infection. CONCLUSION This is the first comprehensive pan-transcriptome study inclusive of both N. bombycis and its host silkworm with a specific focus on the microsporidia congenital infection, and show that ncRNA-mediated regulation plays a vital role in the microsporidia congenital infection, which provides a new insight into understanding the basic biology of microsporidia and pathogen-host interaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zigang Shen
- State Key Laboratory of Resource Insects, Southwest University, Tiansheng Street, Chongqing, 400715, People's Republic of China
- College of Sericulture, Textile and Biomass Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, People's Republic of China
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Microsporidia Infection and Control, Southwest University, Chongqing, People's Republic of China
| | - Qiong Yang
- Sericulture and Agri-Food Research Institute, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China
| | - Lie Luo
- State Key Laboratory of Resource Insects, Southwest University, Tiansheng Street, Chongqing, 400715, People's Republic of China
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Microsporidia Infection and Control, Southwest University, Chongqing, People's Republic of China
| | - Tangxin Li
- State Key Laboratory of Resource Insects, Southwest University, Tiansheng Street, Chongqing, 400715, People's Republic of China
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Microsporidia Infection and Control, Southwest University, Chongqing, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhuojun Ke
- State Key Laboratory of Resource Insects, Southwest University, Tiansheng Street, Chongqing, 400715, People's Republic of China
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Microsporidia Infection and Control, Southwest University, Chongqing, People's Republic of China
| | - Tian Li
- State Key Laboratory of Resource Insects, Southwest University, Tiansheng Street, Chongqing, 400715, People's Republic of China
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Microsporidia Infection and Control, Southwest University, Chongqing, People's Republic of China
| | - Jie Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Resource Insects, Southwest University, Tiansheng Street, Chongqing, 400715, People's Republic of China
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Microsporidia Infection and Control, Southwest University, Chongqing, People's Republic of China
| | - Xianzhi Meng
- State Key Laboratory of Resource Insects, Southwest University, Tiansheng Street, Chongqing, 400715, People's Republic of China
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Microsporidia Infection and Control, Southwest University, Chongqing, People's Republic of China
| | - Heng Xiang
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Southwest University, Chongqing, People's Republic of China
| | - Chunfeng Li
- State Key Laboratory of Resource Insects, Southwest University, Tiansheng Street, Chongqing, 400715, People's Republic of China
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Microsporidia Infection and Control, Southwest University, Chongqing, People's Republic of China
| | - Zeyang Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Resource Insects, Southwest University, Tiansheng Street, Chongqing, 400715, People's Republic of China
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Microsporidia Infection and Control, Southwest University, Chongqing, People's Republic of China
- College of Life Sciences, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing, People's Republic of China
| | - Ping Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Resource Insects, Southwest University, Tiansheng Street, Chongqing, 400715, People's Republic of China.
- College of Sericulture, Textile and Biomass Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, People's Republic of China.
| | - Guoqing Pan
- State Key Laboratory of Resource Insects, Southwest University, Tiansheng Street, Chongqing, 400715, People's Republic of China.
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Microsporidia Infection and Control, Southwest University, Chongqing, People's Republic of China.
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Wadi L, El Jarkass HT, Tran TD, Islah N, Luallen RJ, Reinke AW. Genomic and phenotypic evolution of nematode-infecting microsporidia. PLoS Pathog 2023; 19:e1011510. [PMID: 37471459 PMCID: PMC10393165 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1011510] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2022] [Accepted: 06/24/2023] [Indexed: 07/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Microsporidia are a large phylum of intracellular parasites that can infect most types of animals. Species in the Nematocida genus can infect nematodes including Caenorhabditis elegans, which has become an important model to study mechanisms of microsporidia infection. To understand the genomic properties and evolution of nematode-infecting microsporidia, we sequenced the genomes of nine species of microsporidia, including two genera, Enteropsectra and Pancytospora, without any previously sequenced genomes. Core cellular processes, including metabolic pathways, are mostly conserved across genera of nematode-infecting microsporidia. Each species encodes unique proteins belonging to large gene families that are likely used to interact with host cells. Most strikingly, we observed one such family, NemLGF1, is present in both Nematocida and Pancytospora species, but not any other microsporidia. To understand how Nematocida phenotypic traits evolved, we measured the host range, tissue specificity, spore size, and polar tube length of several species in the genus. Our phylogenetic analysis shows that Nematocida is composed of two groups of species with distinct traits and that species with longer polar tubes infect multiple tissues. Together, our work details both genomic and trait evolution between related microsporidia species and provides a useful resource for further understanding microsporidia evolution and infection mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lina Wadi
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | | | - Tuan D Tran
- Department of Biology, San Diego State University, San Diego, California, United States of America
| | - Nizar Islah
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Robert J Luallen
- Department of Biology, San Diego State University, San Diego, California, United States of America
| | - Aaron W Reinke
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
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Huang Q, Mirjalali H, Zhou Z. Editorial: Genomic and evolutionary analysis of microsporidian parasites. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1248661. [PMID: 37485513 PMCID: PMC10361567 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1248661] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2023] [Accepted: 06/28/2023] [Indexed: 07/25/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Qiang Huang
- Honeybee Research Institute, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang, China
| | - Hamed Mirjalali
- Foodborne and Waterborne Diseases Research Center, Research Institute for Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Zeyang Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Resource Insects, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
- Key Laboratory of Conservation and Utilization of Pollinator Insect of the Upper Reaches of the Yangtze River (Co-construction by Ministry and Province), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing, China
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Žárský V, Karnkowska A, Boscaro V, Trznadel M, Whelan TA, Hiltunen-Thorén M, Onut-Brännström I, Abbott CL, Fast NM, Burki F, Keeling PJ. Contrasting outcomes of genome reduction in mikrocytids and microsporidians. BMC Biol 2023; 21:137. [PMID: 37280585 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-023-01635-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2023] [Accepted: 05/26/2023] [Indexed: 06/08/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Intracellular symbionts often undergo genome reduction, losing both coding and non-coding DNA in a process that ultimately produces small, gene-dense genomes with few genes. Among eukaryotes, an extreme example is found in microsporidians, which are anaerobic, obligate intracellular parasites related to fungi that have the smallest nuclear genomes known (except for the relic nucleomorphs of some secondary plastids). Mikrocytids are superficially similar to microsporidians: they are also small, reduced, obligate parasites; however, as they belong to a very different branch of the tree of eukaryotes, the rhizarians, such similarities must have evolved in parallel. Since little genomic data are available from mikrocytids, we assembled a draft genome of the type species, Mikrocytos mackini, and compared the genomic architecture and content of microsporidians and mikrocytids to identify common characteristics of reduction and possible convergent evolution. RESULTS At the coarsest level, the genome of M. mackini does not exhibit signs of extreme genome reduction; at 49.7 Mbp with 14,372 genes, the assembly is much larger and gene-rich than those of microsporidians. However, much of the genomic sequence and most (8075) of the protein-coding genes code for transposons, and may not contribute much of functional relevance to the parasite. Indeed, the energy and carbon metabolism of M. mackini share several similarities with those of microsporidians. Overall, the predicted proteome involved in cellular functions is quite reduced and gene sequences are extremely divergent. Microsporidians and mikrocytids also share highly reduced spliceosomes that have retained a strikingly similar subset of proteins despite having reduced independently. In contrast, the spliceosomal introns in mikrocytids are very different from those of microsporidians in that they are numerous, conserved in sequence, and constrained to an exceptionally narrow size range (all 16 or 17 nucleotides long) at the shortest extreme of known intron lengths. CONCLUSIONS Nuclear genome reduction has taken place many times and has proceeded along different routes in different lineages. Mikrocytids show a mix of similarities and differences with other extreme cases, including uncoupling the actual size of a genome with its functional reduction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vojtečh Žárský
- Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, V6T 1Z4, Vancouver, 3529-6270 University Boulevard, BC, Canada
| | - Anna Karnkowska
- Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, V6T 1Z4, Vancouver, 3529-6270 University Boulevard, BC, Canada
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, 02-089, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Vittorio Boscaro
- Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, V6T 1Z4, Vancouver, 3529-6270 University Boulevard, BC, Canada.
| | - Morelia Trznadel
- Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, V6T 1Z4, Vancouver, 3529-6270 University Boulevard, BC, Canada
| | - Thomas A Whelan
- Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, V6T 1Z4, Vancouver, 3529-6270 University Boulevard, BC, Canada
| | - Markus Hiltunen-Thorén
- Department of Organismal Biology, Uppsala University, Norbyv. 18D, 752 36, Uppsala, Sweden
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences, Stockholm University, SE-106 91, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Ioana Onut-Brännström
- Department of Organismal Biology, Uppsala University, Norbyv. 18D, 752 36, Uppsala, Sweden
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, Uppsala University, 752 36, Uppsala, Sweden
- Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, 0562, Oslo, Norway
| | - Cathryn L Abbott
- Pacific Biological Station, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Nanaimo, BC, V9T 6N7, Canada
| | - Naomi M Fast
- Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, V6T 1Z4, Vancouver, 3529-6270 University Boulevard, BC, Canada
| | - Fabien Burki
- Department of Organismal Biology, Uppsala University, Norbyv. 18D, 752 36, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Patrick J Keeling
- Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, V6T 1Z4, Vancouver, 3529-6270 University Boulevard, BC, Canada.
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Mascarenhas Dos Santos AC, Julian AT, Liang P, Juárez O, Pombert JF. Telomere-to-Telomere genome assemblies of human-infecting Encephalitozoon species. BMC Genomics 2023; 24:237. [PMID: 37142951 PMCID: PMC10158259 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-023-09331-3] [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: 01/19/2023] [Accepted: 04/25/2023] [Indexed: 05/06/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Microsporidia are diverse spore forming, fungal-related obligate intracellular pathogens infecting a wide range of hosts. This diversity is reflected at the genome level with sizes varying by an order of magnitude, ranging from less than 3 Mb in Encephalitozoon species (the smallest known in eukaryotes) to more than 50 Mb in Edhazardia spp. As a paradigm of genome reduction in eukaryotes, the small Encephalitozoon genomes have attracted much attention with investigations revealing gene dense, repeat- and intron-poor genomes characterized by a thorough pruning of molecular functions no longer relevant to their obligate intracellular lifestyle. However, because no Encephalitozoon genome has been sequenced from telomere-to-telomere and since no methylation data is available for these species, our understanding of their overall genetic and epigenetic architectures is incomplete. METHODS In this study, we sequenced the complete genomes from telomere-to-telomere of three human-infecting Encephalitozoon spp. -E. intestinalis ATCC 50506, E. hellem ATCC 50604 and E. cuniculi ATCC 50602- using short and long read platforms and leveraged the data generated as part of the sequencing process to investigate the presence of epigenetic markers in these genomes. We also used a mixture of sequence- and structure-based computational approaches, including protein structure prediction, to help identify which Encephalitozoon proteins are involved in telomere maintenance, epigenetic regulation, and heterochromatin formation. RESULTS The Encephalitozoon chromosomes were found capped by TTAGG 5-mer telomeric repeats followed by telomere associated repeat elements (TAREs) flanking hypermethylated ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene loci featuring 5-methylcytosines (5mC) and 5-hemimethylcytosines (5hmC), themselves followed by lesser methylated subtelomeres and hypomethylated chromosome cores. Strong nucleotide biases were identified between the telomeres/subtelomeres and chromosome cores with significant changes in GC/AT, GT/AC and GA/CT contents. The presence of several genes coding for proteins essential to telomere maintenance, epigenetic regulation, and heterochromatin formation was further confirmed in the Encephalitozoon genomes. CONCLUSION Altogether, our results strongly support the subtelomeres as sites of heterochromatin formation in Encephalitozoon genomes and further suggest that these species might shutdown their energy-consuming ribosomal machinery while dormant as spores by silencing of the rRNA genes using both 5mC/5hmC methylation and facultative heterochromatin formation at these loci.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Pingdong Liang
- Department of Biology, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Oscar Juárez
- Department of Biology, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, IL, USA
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Ricin B lectin-like proteins of the microsporidian Encephalitozoon cuniculi and Anncaliia algerae are involved in host-cell invasion. Parasitol Int 2021; 87:102518. [PMID: 34808329 DOI: 10.1016/j.parint.2021.102518] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2021] [Revised: 10/18/2021] [Accepted: 11/14/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Microsporidia are obligate intracellular pathogens capable of infecting a wide variety of hosts ranging from invertebrates to vertebrates. The infection process requires a step of prior adherence of Microsporidia to the surface of host cells. A few studies demonstrated the involvement of proteins containing a ricin-B lectin (RBL) domain in parasite infection. In this study Anncalia algerae and Encephalitozoon cuniculi genomes were screened by bioinformatic analysis to identify proteins with an extracellular prediction and possessing RBL-type carbohydrate-binding domains, being both potentially relevant factors contributing to host cell adherence. Three proteins named AaRBLL-1 and AaRBLL-2 from A. algerae and EcRBLL-1 from E. cuniculi, were selected and comparative analysis of sequences suggested their belonging to a multigenic family, with a conserved structural RBL domain despite a significant amino acid sequence divergence. The production of recombinant proteins and antibodies against the three proteins allowed their subcellular localization on the spore wall and/or the polar tube. Adherence inhibition assays based on pre-treatments with recombinant proteins or antibodies highlighted the significant decrease of the proliferation of both E. cuniculi and A. algerae, strongly suggesting that these proteins are involved in the infection process.
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7
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Nosema bombycis microRNA-like RNA 8 (Nb-milR8) Increases Fungal Pathogenicity by Modulating BmPEX16 Gene Expression in Its Host, Bombyx mori. Microbiol Spectr 2021; 9:e0104821. [PMID: 34704799 PMCID: PMC8549759 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.01048-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The fungus Nosema bombycis causes significant economic losses via parasitism of an economically important insect. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play important roles in regulating host and parasite gene expression via mRNA degradation or by inhibiting protein translation. To investigate whether microRNA-like RNAs (milRNAs) regulate N. bombycis pathogenesis and to better understand the regulatory mechanisms underlying infection, we constructed small RNA libraries from N. bombycis hyphae during the schizont proliferation period. Eleven novel milRNAs were determined by RNA sequencing and stem-loop reverse transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR) assays. Moreover, a virulence-associated milRNA, Nb-milR8, was identified as critical for N. bombycis proliferation by binding and downregulating expression of its target gene, BmPEX16, in the host during infection. Silencing of Nb-milR8 or overexpression of the target BmPEX16 gene resulted in increased susceptibility of Bombyx mori to N. bombycis infection. Taken together, these results suggest that Nb-milR8 is an important virulence factor that acts as an effector to suppress host peroxidase metabolism, thereby facilitating N. bombycis proliferation. These results provide important novel insights into interactions between pathogenic fungi and their hosts. IMPORTANCE A thorough understanding of fungal pathogen adaptations is essential for treating fungal infections. Recent studies have suggested that the role of small RNAs expressed in fungal microsporidia genomes are important for elucidating the mechanisms of fungal infections. Here, we report 11 novel microRNA-like RNAs (milRNAs) from the fungal microsporidium Nosema bombycis and identified NB-milRNAs that adaptively regulate N. bombycis proliferation. In addition, we demonstrate that N. bombycis modulates small RNA (sRNA)-mediated infection by encoding an Nb-miR8 that downregulates the expression of the host peroxidase metabolism protein BmPEX16, which is essential for peroxisome membrane biogenesis and peroxisome assembly. These results significantly contribute to our understanding of the pathogenic mechanisms of fungi, and especially microsporidia, while providing important targets for genetical engineering-based treatment of microsporidia.
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Huang Q, Wu ZH, Li WF, Guo R, Xu JS, Dang XQ, Ma ZG, Chen YP, Evans JD. Genome and Evolutionary Analysis of Nosema ceranae: A Microsporidian Parasite of Honey Bees. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:645353. [PMID: 34149635 PMCID: PMC8206274 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.645353] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2020] [Accepted: 04/29/2021] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Microsporidia comprise a phylum of single cell, intracellular parasites and represent the earliest diverging branch in the fungal kingdom. The microsporidian parasite Nosema ceranae primarily infects honey bee gut epithelial cells, leading to impaired memory, suppressed host immune responses and colony collapse under certain circumstances. As the genome of N. ceranae is challenging to assembly due to very high genetic diversity and repetitive region, the genome was re-sequenced using long reads. We present a robust 8.8 Mbp genome assembly of 2,280 protein coding genes, including a high number of genes involved in transporting nutrients and energy, as well as drug resistance when compared with sister species Nosema apis. We also describe the loss of the critical protein Dicer in approximately half of the microsporidian species, giving new insights into the availability of RNA interference pathway in this group. Our results provided new insights into the pathogenesis of N. ceranae and a blueprint for treatment strategies that target this parasite without harming honey bees. The unique infectious apparatus polar filament and transportation pathway members can help to identify treatments to control this parasite.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiang Huang
- Honeybee Research Institute, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang, China.,Jiangxi Province Key Laboratory of Honeybee Biology and Beekeeping, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang, China
| | - Zhi Hao Wu
- Honeybee Research Institute, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang, China.,Jiangxi Province Key Laboratory of Honeybee Biology and Beekeeping, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang, China
| | - Wen Feng Li
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Animal Conservation and Resource Utilization, Guangdong Public Laboratory of Wild Animal Conservation and Utilization, Institute of Zoology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Rui Guo
- College of Animal Sciences (College of Bee Science), Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Jin Shan Xu
- College of Life Sciences, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing, China
| | - Xiao Qun Dang
- College of Life Sciences, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing, China
| | - Zheng Gang Ma
- College of Life Sciences, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing, China
| | - Yan Ping Chen
- US Department of Agriculture-Aricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) Bee Research Laboratory, Beltsville, MD, United States
| | - Jay D Evans
- US Department of Agriculture-Aricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) Bee Research Laboratory, Beltsville, MD, United States
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Shao SS, Yan WY, Huang Q. Identification of novel miRNAs from the microsporidian parasite Nosema ceranae. INFECTION GENETICS AND EVOLUTION 2021; 93:104930. [PMID: 34022439 DOI: 10.1016/j.meegid.2021.104930] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2021] [Revised: 05/13/2021] [Accepted: 05/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Previously, six miRNAs were identified from the microsporidian parasite Nosema ceranae. By taking advantage of the recently updated N. ceranae and honey bee genome assemblies, we re-analyzed the deep sequencing datasets. Three novel miRNAs were identified, which were further validated by plasmid cloning and sequencing. The miRNAs correlated with significantly higher number of genes from the parasite than the host. Our data suggest the parasitic miRNAs are involved in self-regulation during the proliferation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shan Shan Shao
- Jiangxi Key laboratory of Honeybee Biology and Beekeeping, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Zhimin Ave. 1101, Nanchang 330045, China; Honeybee Research Institute, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Zhimin Ave. 1101, Nanchang 330045, China
| | - Wei Yu Yan
- Jiangxi Key laboratory of Honeybee Biology and Beekeeping, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Zhimin Ave. 1101, Nanchang 330045, China; Honeybee Research Institute, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Zhimin Ave. 1101, Nanchang 330045, China
| | - Qiang Huang
- Jiangxi Key laboratory of Honeybee Biology and Beekeeping, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Zhimin Ave. 1101, Nanchang 330045, China; Honeybee Research Institute, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Zhimin Ave. 1101, Nanchang 330045, China.
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de Albuquerque NRM, Ebert D, Haag KL. Transposable element abundance correlates with mode of transmission in microsporidian parasites. Mob DNA 2020; 11:19. [PMID: 32587636 PMCID: PMC7313128 DOI: 10.1186/s13100-020-00218-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2020] [Accepted: 06/18/2020] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
The extreme genome reduction and physiological simplicity of some microsporidia has been attributed to their intracellular, obligate parasitic lifestyle. Although not all microsporidian genomes are small (size range from about 2 to 50 MB), it is suggested that the size of their genomes has been streamlined by natural selection. We explore the hypothesis that vertical transmission in microsporidia produces population bottlenecks, and thus reduces the effectiveness of natural selection. Here we compare the transposable element (TE) content of 47 microsporidian genomes, and show that genome size is positively correlated with the amount of TEs, and that species that experience vertical transmission have larger genomes with higher proportion of TEs. Our findings are consistent with earlier studies inferring that nonadaptive processes play an important role in microsporidian evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathalia Rammé Medeiros de Albuquerque
- Department of Genetics and Post-Graduation Program of Genetics and Molecular Biology, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Av. Bento Gonçalves 9500, Porto Alegre, RS 91501-970 Brazil
| | - Dieter Ebert
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Zoology, Basel University, Vesalgasse 1, 4051 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Karen Luisa Haag
- Department of Genetics and Post-Graduation Program of Genetics and Molecular Biology, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Av. Bento Gonçalves 9500, Porto Alegre, RS 91501-970 Brazil
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Wadi L, Reinke AW. Evolution of microsporidia: An extremely successful group of eukaryotic intracellular parasites. PLoS Pathog 2020; 16:e1008276. [PMID: 32053705 PMCID: PMC7017984 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1008276] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Lina Wadi
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Aaron W. Reinke
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- * E-mail:
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