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Nazarizadeh M, Nováková M, Drábková M, Catchen J, Olson PD, Štefka J. Highly resolved genome assembly and comparative transcriptome profiling reveal genes related to developmental stages of tapeworm Ligula intestinalis. Proc Biol Sci 2024; 291:20232563. [PMID: 38290545 PMCID: PMC10827431 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.2563] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2023] [Accepted: 01/02/2024] [Indexed: 02/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Ligula intestinalis (Cestoda: Diphyllobothriidae) is an emerging model organism for studies on parasite population biology and host-parasite interactions. However, a well-resolved genome and catalogue of its gene content has not been previously developed. Here, we present the first genome assembly of L. intestinalis, based on Oxford Nanopore Technologies, Illumina and Omni-C sequencing methodologies. We use transcriptome profiling to compare plerocercoid larvae and adult worms and identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) associated with these life stages. The genome assembly is 775.3 mega (M)bp in size, with scaffold N50 value of 118 Mbp and encodes 27 256 predicted protein-coding sequences. Over 60% of the genome consists of repetitive sequences. Synteny analyses showed that the 10 largest scaffolds representing 75% of the genome display high correspondence to full chromosomes of cyclophyllidean tapeworms. Mapping RNA-seq data to the new reference genome, we identified 3922 differentially expressed genes in adults compared with plerocercoids. Gene ontology analyses revealed over-represented genes involved in reproductive development of the adult stage (e.g. sperm production) and significantly enriched DEGs associated with immune evasion of plerocercoids in their fish host. This study provides the first insights into the molecular biology of L. intestinalis and provides the most highly contiguous assembly to date of a diphyllobothriid tapeworm useful for population and comparative genomic investigations of parasitic flatworms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masoud Nazarizadeh
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre CAS, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Milena Nováková
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre CAS, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Marie Drábková
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Julian Catchen
- Department of Evolution, Ecology and Behavior, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL 61801, USA
| | - Peter D. Olson
- Life Sciences Department, Natural History Museum, London, UK
| | - Jan Štefka
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre CAS, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
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Hartke J, Ceron-Noriega A, Stoldt M, Sistermans T, Kever M, Fuchs J, Butter F, Foitzik S. Long live the host! Proteomic analysis reveals possible strategies for parasitic manipulation of its social host. Mol Ecol 2023; 32:5877-5889. [PMID: 37795937 DOI: 10.1111/mec.17155] [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: 05/03/2023] [Revised: 09/15/2023] [Accepted: 09/19/2023] [Indexed: 10/06/2023]
Abstract
Parasites with complex life cycles often manipulate the phenotype of their intermediate hosts to increase the probability of transmission to their definitive hosts. Infection with Anomotaenia brevis, a cestode that uses Temnothorax nylanderi ants as intermediate hosts, leads to a multiple-fold extension of host lifespan and to changes in behaviour, morphology and colouration. The mechanisms behind these changes are unknown, as is whether the increased longevity is achieved through parasite manipulation. Here, we demonstrate that the parasite releases proteins into its host with functions that might explain the observed changes. These parasitic proteins make up a substantial portion of the proteome of the hosts' haemolymph, and thioredoxin peroxidase and superoxide dismutase, two antioxidants, exhibited the highest abundances among them. The largest part of the secreted proteins could not be annotated, indicating they are either novel or severely altered during recent coevolution to function in host manipulation. We also detected shifts in the hosts' proteome with infection, in particular an overabundance of vitellogenin-like A in infected ants, a protein that regulates division of labour in Temnothorax ants, which could explain the observed behavioural changes. Our results thus suggest two different strategies that might be employed by this parasite to manipulate its host: secreting proteins with immediate influence on the host's phenotype and altering the host's translational activity. Our findings highlight the intricate molecular interplay required to influence the phenotype of a host and point to potential signalling pathways and genes involved in parasite-host communication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juliane Hartke
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | | | - Marah Stoldt
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Tom Sistermans
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Marion Kever
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Jenny Fuchs
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Falk Butter
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Mainz, Germany
| | - Susanne Foitzik
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
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Saarma U, Skirnisson K, Björnsdottir TS, Laurimäe T, Kinkar L. Cystic echinococcosis in Iceland: a brief history and genetic analysis of a 46-year-old Echinococcus isolate collected prior to the eradication of this zoonotic disease. Parasitology 2023:1-6. [PMID: 37161714 DOI: 10.1017/s0031182023000355] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Cystic echinococcosis (CE) is considered the most severe parasitic disease that ever affected the human population in Iceland. Before the start of eradication campaign in the 1860s, Iceland was a country with very high prevalence of human CE, with approximately every fifth person infected. Eradication of CE from Iceland by 1979 was a huge success story and served as a leading example for other countries on how to combat such a severe One Health problem. However, there is no genetic information on Echinococcus parasites before eradication. Here, we reveal the genetic identity for one of the last Echinococcus isolates in Iceland, obtained from a sheep 46 years ago (1977). We sequenced a large portion of the mitochondrial genome (8141 bp) and identified the isolate as Echinococcus granulosus sensu stricto genotype G1. As G1 is known to be highly infective genotype to humans, it may partly explain why such a large proportion of human population in Iceland was infected at a time . The study demonstrates that decades-old samples hold significant potential to uncover genetic identities of parasites in the past.
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Affiliation(s)
- Urmas Saarma
- Department of Zoology, Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, J. Liivi 2, 50409 Tartu, Estonia
| | - Karl Skirnisson
- Laboratory of Parasitology, Institute for Experimental Pathology, University of Iceland, Keldur, Reykjavik, Iceland
| | | | - Teivi Laurimäe
- Department of Zoology, Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, J. Liivi 2, 50409 Tartu, Estonia
| | - Liina Kinkar
- Department of Zoology, Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, J. Liivi 2, 50409 Tartu, Estonia
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Thia JA, Korhonen PK, Young ND, Gasser RB, Umina PA, Yang Q, Edwards O, Walsh T, Hoffmann AA. The redlegged earth mite draft genome provides new insights into pesticide resistance evolution and demography in its invasive Australian range. J Evol Biol 2023; 36:381-398. [PMID: 36573922 PMCID: PMC10107102 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.14144] [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: 08/04/2022] [Revised: 10/13/2022] [Accepted: 11/03/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Genomic data provide valuable insights into pest management issues such as resistance evolution, historical patterns of pest invasions and ongoing population dynamics. We assembled the first reference genome for the redlegged earth mite, Halotydeus destructor (Tucker, 1925), to investigate adaptation to pesticide pressures and demography in its invasive Australian range using whole-genome pool-seq data from regionally distributed populations. Our reference genome comprises 132 autosomal contigs, with a total length of 48.90 Mb. We observed a large complex of ace genes, which has presumably evolved from a long history of organophosphate selection in H. destructor and may contribute towards organophosphate resistance through copy number variation, target-site mutations and structural variants. In the putative ancestral H. destructor ace gene, we identified three target-site mutations (G119S, A201S and F331Y) segregating in organophosphate-resistant populations. Additionally, we identified two new para sodium channel gene mutations (L925I and F1020Y) that may contribute to pyrethroid resistance. Regional structuring observed in population genomic analyses indicates that gene flow in H. destructor does not homogenize populations across large geographic distances. However, our demographic analyses were equivocal on the magnitude of gene flow; the short invasion history of H. destructor makes it difficult to distinguish scenarios of complete isolation vs. ongoing migration. Nonetheless, we identified clear signatures of reduced genetic diversity and smaller inferred effective population sizes in eastern vs. western populations, which is consistent with the stepping-stone invasion pathway of this pest in Australia. These new insights will inform development of diagnostic genetic markers of resistance, further investigation into the multifaceted organophosphate resistance mechanism and predictive modelling of resistance evolution and spread.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua A Thia
- Bio21 Institute, School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Pasi K Korhonen
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Melbourne Veterinary School, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Neil D Young
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Melbourne Veterinary School, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Robin B Gasser
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Melbourne Veterinary School, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | | | - Qiong Yang
- Bio21 Institute, School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Owain Edwards
- Land and Water, CSIRO, Floreat, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Tom Walsh
- CSIRO, Black Mountain Laboratories, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia.,Applied BioSciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Ary A Hoffmann
- Bio21 Institute, School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
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An overview of the genetic diversity of Echinococcus granulosus sensu lato in Turkey. JOURNAL OF CONTEMPORARY MEDICINE 2022. [DOI: 10.16899/jcm.1134747] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Echinococcus granulosus is a parasite that lives as a host in animals and humans, causes great economic damage and poses a serious threat to health. Morphological differences and intermediate host preference are used to distinguish the species of this parasite. Ten genotypes and lion strains of Echinococcus granulosus have been identified in molecular studies to date. It contributes to the fact that the effects of cystic echinococcosis detected in humans and the disease process caused by different genotypes can be handled differently. In genetic diversity analysis, species were classified as Echinococcus granulosus sensu stricto, Echinococcus equinus, Echinococcus ortleppi, Echinococcus canadensis and Echinococcus felidis genotypes. Echinococcus granulosus sensu stricto is the most common cause of human cystic echinococcosis worldwide and in Turkey. In this review, the distribution and epidemiology of Echinococcus granulosus genotypes detected in humans and animals in Turkey are discussed.
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