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Piao X, Jiang N, Liu S, Duan J, Dai H, Hou N, Chen Q. Schistosoma japonicum EKLF/KLF1 is a potential immune target to tackle schistosomiasis. Parasit Vectors 2023; 16:334. [PMID: 37742024 PMCID: PMC10517563 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-023-05947-2] [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: 06/05/2023] [Accepted: 08/26/2023] [Indexed: 09/25/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Interruption of parasite reproduction by targeting migrating schistosomula is a promising strategy for managing schistosomiasis. Hepatic schistosomula proteins previously identified based on second-generation schistosome DNA sequencing were found to hold excellent potential for schistosomiasis japonica diagnosis and as vaccine candidates. However, there are still many unknown schistosomula proteins that warrant further investigations. Herein, a novel schistosomula protein, the Schistosoma japonicum erythroid Krüppel-like factor (SjEKLF/KLF1), was explored. METHODS Sequence alignment was carried out to detect the amino acid sequence characteristics of SjEKLF. The expression profile of SjEKLF was determined by western blot and immunofluorescence analysis. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to determine the antigenicity of SjEKLF in hosts. Mice immunised with recombinant SjEKLF were challenged to test the potential value of the protein as an immunoprotective target. RESULTS SjEKLF is defined as EKLF/KLF1 for its C-terminal DNA-binding domain. SjEKLF is mainly expressed in hepatic schistosomula and male adults and located within the intestinal intima of the parasites. Notably, high levels of SjEKLF-specific antibodies were detected in host sera and SjEKLF exhibited outstanding sensitivity and specificity for schistosomiasis japonica immunodiagnosis but failed to distinguish between ongoing infection and previous exposure. In addition, SjEKLF immunisation reduced the infection in vivo, resulting in decreased worm and egg counts, and alleviated body weight loss and hepatomegaly in infected mice. CONCLUSIONS Overall, these findings demonstrate that SjEKLF is critical for the infection of S. japonicum and may be a potential target to help control S. japonicum infection and transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xianyu Piao
- NHC Key Laboratory of Systems Biology of Pathogens, Institute of Pathogen Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Ning Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Livestock Infectious Diseases in Northeast China, Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Ruminant Infectious Disease Prevention and Control (East), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, China
- The Research Unit for Pathogenic Mechanisms of Zoonotic Parasites, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shenyang, China
| | - Shuai Liu
- NHC Key Laboratory of Systems Biology of Pathogens, Institute of Pathogen Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Jiamei Duan
- NHC Key Laboratory of Systems Biology of Pathogens, Institute of Pathogen Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Hang Dai
- Institute of Biological Products, National Institutes for Food and Drug Control, Beijing, China
| | - Nan Hou
- NHC Key Laboratory of Systems Biology of Pathogens, Institute of Pathogen Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China.
| | - Qijun Chen
- NHC Key Laboratory of Systems Biology of Pathogens, Institute of Pathogen Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China.
- Key Laboratory of Livestock Infectious Diseases in Northeast China, Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Ruminant Infectious Disease Prevention and Control (East), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, China.
- The Research Unit for Pathogenic Mechanisms of Zoonotic Parasites, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shenyang, China.
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Hou N, Piao X, Jiang N, Liu S, Cai P, Liu B, McManus DP, Chen Q. Novel Hepatic Schistosomula Antigens as Promising Targets for Immunodiagnosis and Immunoprotection of Schistosomiasis japonica. J Infect Dis 2022; 225:1991-2001. [PMID: 35235942 DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiac077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2021] [Accepted: 03/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Antigens of migrating schistosomula are promising candidates as schistosomiasis vaccine targets, since immune attack on hepatic schistosomula would interrupt the parasites life cycle and reduce egg burden on the host. Here, we report a collection of Schistosoma japonicum schistosomula proteins (SjScP), which are highly expressed in hepatic schistosomula. We found that a number of these SjScPs were highly antigenic and could effectively stimulate humoral immune responses in both human and other mammalian hosts. In particular, SjScP25, SjScP37, SjScP41, SjScP80, SjScP88 showed high potential as biomarkers for schistosomiasis immunodiagnosis. Furthermore, we demonstrated that immunization with several of the recombinant SjScPs were able to protect mice from S. japonicum challenge infection, with SjScP25 generating the most protective results. Our work represents a group of novel schistosome immunogens, which may be promsing schistosomiasis japonica diagonosis and vaccine candidates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nan Hou
- NHC Key Laboratory of Systems Biology of Pathogens, Institute of Pathogen Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Dong Dan San Tiao, Beijing, China
| | - Xianyu Piao
- NHC Key Laboratory of Systems Biology of Pathogens, Institute of Pathogen Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Dong Dan San Tiao, Beijing, China
| | - Ning Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Livestock Infectious Diseases in Northeast China, Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Ruminant Infectious Disease Prevention and Control (East), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, China.,The Research Unit for Pathogenic Mechanisms of Zoonotic Parasites, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shenyang, China
| | - Shuai Liu
- NHC Key Laboratory of Systems Biology of Pathogens, Institute of Pathogen Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Dong Dan San Tiao, Beijing, China
| | - Pengfei Cai
- Molecular Parasitology Laboratory, Infectious Diseases Program, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Herston, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Bing Liu
- Institute for Protein Science and Phage Research, the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Shanxi, China
| | - Donald P McManus
- Molecular Parasitology Laboratory, Infectious Diseases Program, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Herston, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Qijun Chen
- NHC Key Laboratory of Systems Biology of Pathogens, Institute of Pathogen Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Dong Dan San Tiao, Beijing, China.,Key Laboratory of Livestock Infectious Diseases in Northeast China, Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Ruminant Infectious Disease Prevention and Control (East), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, China.,The Research Unit for Pathogenic Mechanisms of Zoonotic Parasites, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shenyang, China
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Xu D, Tang B, Yang Y, Cai X, Jia W, Luo X, Yan H, Zhang Z, Lin J, Liu M, Liu X. Vaccination with a DNase II recombinant protein against Trichinella spiralis infection in pigs. Vet Parasitol 2021; 297:109069. [PMID: 32156436 DOI: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2020.109069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2019] [Revised: 03/03/2020] [Accepted: 03/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Trichinellosis caused by Trichinella spiralis (T. spiralis) is an important public health problem. DNase II is an acidic endonuclease that catalyzes the degradation of DNA into oligonucleotides. DNase II-7 has been detected at the adult stage of T. spiralis and has been examined in excretory/secretory products. Previous studies have indicated that the DNase II-7 recombinant protein has a high rate of protection against T. spiralis infection in mice. In the present study, the protective effect of DNase II-7 recombinant protein against T. spiralis infection in Large White pigs was further explored. The humoral and cellular immune responses to the DNase II-7 recombinant protein were evaluated, including the dynamic trends of specific IgG, IgG1, IgG2a and IgM antibodies levels, as well as the levels of Th1 (IFN-γ and IL-2) and Th2 (IL-10 and IL-4) cytokines in serum. Our results showed that a Th1 dominated Th1/Th2 mixed immune response was induced by the DNase II-7 recombinant protein for all the time or a short period after vaccination. And the DNase II-7 recombinant protein induced partial protection against T. spiralis infection in pigs, compared to the control group. Our results showed that the DNase II-7 recombinant protein group displayed a 45.7 % reduction in the muscle larvae burden five weeks after being challenged. This study suggested that DNaseII-7 recombinant protein could be used as a potential candidate vaccine against T. spiralis infection in pigs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daoxiu Xu
- Key Laboratory of Zoonosis Research, Ministry of Education, Institute of Zoonosis, College of Veterinary Medicine, Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Bin Tang
- Key Laboratory of Zoonosis Research, Ministry of Education, Institute of Zoonosis, College of Veterinary Medicine, Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Yong Yang
- Key Laboratory of Zoonosis Research, Ministry of Education, Institute of Zoonosis, College of Veterinary Medicine, Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Xuepeng Cai
- State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Key Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology of Gansu Province, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, CAAS, Lanzhou, China
| | - Wanzhong Jia
- State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Key Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology of Gansu Province, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, CAAS, Lanzhou, China
| | - Xuenong Luo
- State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Key Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology of Gansu Province, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, CAAS, Lanzhou, China
| | - Hongbin Yan
- State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Key Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology of Gansu Province, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, CAAS, Lanzhou, China
| | - Zhuangzhi Zhang
- Xinjiang Veterinary Research Institute, Xinjiang Academy of Animal Science, Urumqi, Xinjiang, China
| | - Jiaojiao Lin
- Shanghai Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Animal Parasitology, Ministry of Agriculture, Shanghai, China
| | - Mingyuan Liu
- Key Laboratory of Zoonosis Research, Ministry of Education, Institute of Zoonosis, College of Veterinary Medicine, Jilin University, Changchun, China.
| | - Xiaolei Liu
- Key Laboratory of Zoonosis Research, Ministry of Education, Institute of Zoonosis, College of Veterinary Medicine, Jilin University, Changchun, China.
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Qi X, Han Y, Jiang P, Yue X, Ren HN, Sun GG, Long SR, Yu C, Cheng XC, Cui J, Wang ZQ. Oral vaccination with Trichinella spiralis DNase II DNA vaccine delivered by attenuated Salmonella induces a protective immunity in BALB/c mice. Vet Res 2018; 49:119. [PMID: 30518422 PMCID: PMC6280372 DOI: 10.1186/s13567-018-0614-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2018] [Accepted: 11/07/2018] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Trichinellosis is one of the most serious foodborne parasitic zoonosis with worldwide distribution, and it is necessary to develop a vaccine to interrupt transmission from animals to humans. Trichinella spiralis adult-specific DNase II-1 (TsDNase II) were identified by immunoproteomics in surface or excretory/secretory proteins of adult worms (AW) and intestinal infective larvae (IIL). The aim of this study was to investigate the systemic, mucosal responses and immune protection elicited by oral vaccination with TsDNase II DNA vaccine delivered by attenuated Salmonella typhimurium strain⊿cyaSL1344. Oral vaccination with TsDNase II DNA vaccine triggered an obvious mucosal sIgA response and a systemic IgG response in mice, and IgG1 was predominant. Th1 (IFN-γ) and Th2 (IL-4, 10) cytokines were distinctly increased in the spleen and mesenteric lymph node (MLN) cells of vaccinated mice. An indirect immunofluorescent test revealed that native TsDNase II is present at the cuticle of this nematode after the 2nd molting, further confirming that TsDNase II is adult-specific and expressed at AW and pre-adult stages. Oral immunization of mice with TsDNase II exhibited a 53.85% reduction in AW and a 59.26% reduction in ML after larval challenge. The in vitro NBL production of adult females from TsDNase II-vaccinated mice was also reduced in comparison with pcDNA3.1 or the PBS control group (P < 0.01). Our results show that oral immunization of mice with TsDNase II produced an intestinal and systematic concurrent Th1/Th2 immune response, and a significant immune protection against challenge.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Qi
- Department of Parasitology, Medical College, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052, China
| | - Yue Han
- Department of Parasitology, Medical College, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052, China
| | - Peng Jiang
- Department of Parasitology, Medical College, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052, China
| | - Xin Yue
- Department of Parasitology, Medical College, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052, China
| | - Hua Nan Ren
- Department of Parasitology, Medical College, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052, China
| | - Ge Ge Sun
- Department of Parasitology, Medical College, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052, China
| | - Shao Rong Long
- Department of Parasitology, Medical College, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052, China
| | - Chuan Yu
- Key Lab of Animal Disease and Public Health, College of Animal Science and Technology, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang, 471003, China
| | - Xiang Chao Cheng
- Key Lab of Animal Disease and Public Health, College of Animal Science and Technology, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang, 471003, China
| | - Jing Cui
- Department of Parasitology, Medical College, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052, China.
| | - Zhong Quan Wang
- Department of Parasitology, Medical College, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052, China.
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Qi X, Yue X, Han Y, Jiang P, Yang F, Lei JJ, Liu RD, Zhang X, Wang ZQ, Cui J. Characterization of Two Trichinella spiralis Adult-Specific DNase II and Their Capacity to Induce Protective Immunity. Front Microbiol 2018; 9:2504. [PMID: 30455671 PMCID: PMC6230719 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2018.02504] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2018] [Accepted: 10/02/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Deoxyribonuclease II (DNase II) is a widespread endonuclease, which can degrade the DNA. Trichinella spiralis adult-specific DNase II-1 (TsDNase II-1) and DNase II-7 (TsDNase II-7) were identified in excretory-secretory (ES) or surface proteins of adult worm (AW) and intestinal infective larvae (IIL) using immunoproteomics with early infection sera. The aim of this study was to characterize the two T. spiralis DNase II enzymes and to investigate their role as potential vaccine candidate target molecules. The cDNA sequences of the two DNase II enzymes from 3 days old AWs of T. spiralis were cloned and expressed. The sequencing results showed that the complete cDNA sequences of the two DNase II enzymes were 1221 and 1161 bp long, and the predicted open reading frames encoded 347 and 348 amino acids, respectively. On Western blot analysis, natural TsDNase II-1 and TsDNase II-7 in the crude extracts of IIL, AWs, and newborn larvae (NBL) and AW ES proteins were recognized by both anti-rTsDNase II-1 and anti-rTsDNase II-7 sera. Indirect immunofluorescence test and qPCR showed that the two DNase II enzymes were highly expressed at AW and NBL stages and were mainly located at the cuticle and stichosome of the nematode. Vaccination with the two recombinant DNase II enzymes triggered prominent humoral responses that exhibited significant immune protection against T. spiralis larval infection, as demonstrated by the notable reduction in intestinal AW and muscle larva burdens. Specific antibodies to the two molecules evidently inhibited the in vitro parasite invasion of enterocytes and participated in the killing of NBL by an antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) mode. The enzymes DNase II-1 and DNase II-7 are the potential target molecules for anti-Trichinella vaccine for blocking both larval invasion and development.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Zhong Q. Wang
- Department of Parasitology, Medical College, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Jing Cui
- Department of Parasitology, Medical College, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
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Cai P, Liu S, Piao X, Hou N, Gobert GN, McManus DP, Chen Q. Comprehensive Transcriptome Analysis of Sex-Biased Expressed Genes Reveals Discrete Biological and Physiological Features of Male and Female Schistosoma japonicum. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2016; 10:e0004684. [PMID: 27128440 PMCID: PMC4851400 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0004684] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2016] [Accepted: 04/12/2016] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Schistosomiasis is a chronic and debilitating disease caused by blood flukes (digenetic trematodes) of the genus Schistosoma. Schistosomes are sexually dimorphic and exhibit dramatic morphological changes during a complex lifecycle which requires subtle gene regulatory mechanisms to fulfil these complex biological processes. In the current study, a 41,982 features custom DNA microarray, which represents the most comprehensive probe coverage for any schistosome transcriptome study, was designed based on public domain and local databases to explore differential gene expression in S. japonicum. We found that approximately 1/10 of the total annotated genes in the S. japonicum genome are differentially expressed between adult males and females. In general, genes associated with the cytoskeleton, and motor and neuronal activities were readily expressed in male adult worms, whereas genes involved in amino acid metabolism, nucleotide biosynthesis, gluconeogenesis, glycosylation, cell cycle processes, DNA synthesis and genome fidelity and stability were enriched in females. Further, miRNAs target sites within these gene sets were predicted, which provides a scenario whereby the miRNAs potentially regulate these sex-biased expressed genes. The study significantly expands the expressional and regulatory characteristics of gender-biased expressed genes in schistosomes with high accuracy. The data provide a better appreciation of the biological and physiological features of male and female schistosome parasites, which may lead to novel vaccine targets and the development of new therapeutic interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pengfei Cai
- MOH Key Laboratory of Systems Biology of Pathogens, Institute of Pathogen Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, P.R. China
- Molecular Parasitology Laboratory, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Queensland, Australia
| | - Shuai Liu
- MOH Key Laboratory of Systems Biology of Pathogens, Institute of Pathogen Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, P.R. China
| | - Xianyu Piao
- MOH Key Laboratory of Systems Biology of Pathogens, Institute of Pathogen Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, P.R. China
| | - Nan Hou
- MOH Key Laboratory of Systems Biology of Pathogens, Institute of Pathogen Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, P.R. China
| | - Geoffrey N. Gobert
- Molecular Parasitology Laboratory, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Queensland, Australia
| | - Donald P. McManus
- Molecular Parasitology Laboratory, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Queensland, Australia
| | - Qijun Chen
- MOH Key Laboratory of Systems Biology of Pathogens, Institute of Pathogen Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, P.R. China
- Key Laboratory of Zoonosis, Shenyang Agriculture University, Shenyang, P.R. China
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Cai P, Gobert GN, You H, McManus DP. The Tao survivorship of schistosomes: implications for schistosomiasis control. Int J Parasitol 2016; 46:453-63. [PMID: 26873753 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpara.2016.01.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2015] [Revised: 01/06/2016] [Accepted: 01/06/2016] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Schistosomiasis, caused by blood flukes of the genus Schistosoma, is a major public health problem which contributes substantially to the economic and financial burdens of many nations in the developing world. An array of survival strategies, such as the unique structure of the tegument which acts as a major host-parasite interface, immune modulation mechanisms, gene regulation, and apoptosis and self-renewal have been adopted by schistosome parasites over the course of long-term evolution with their mammalian definitive hosts. Recent generation of complete schistosome genomes together with numerous biological, immunological, high-throughput "-omics" and gene function studies have revealed the Tao or strategies that schistosomes employ not only to promote long-term survival, but also to ensure effective life cycle transmission. New scenarios for the future control of this important neglected tropical disease will present themselves as our understanding of these Tao increases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pengfei Cai
- Molecular Parasitology Laboratory, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Queensland, Australia.
| | - Geoffrey N Gobert
- Molecular Parasitology Laboratory, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Queensland, Australia
| | - Hong You
- Molecular Parasitology Laboratory, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Queensland, Australia
| | - Donald P McManus
- Molecular Parasitology Laboratory, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Queensland, Australia.
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Liu S, Zhou X, Piao X, Wu C, Hou N, Chen Q. Comparative Analysis of Transcriptional Profiles of Adult Schistosoma japonicum from Different Laboratory Animals and the Natural Host, Water Buffalo. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2015; 9:e0003993. [PMID: 26285138 PMCID: PMC4540470 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0003993] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2015] [Accepted: 07/16/2015] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Schistosomiasis is one of the most widely distributed parasitic diseases in the world. Schistosoma japonicum, a zoonotic parasite with a wide range of mammalian hosts, is one of the major pathogens of this disease. Although numerous studies on schistosomiasis japonica have been performed using laboratory animal models, systematic comparative analysis of whole-genome expression profiles in parasites from different laboratory animals and nature mammalian hosts is lacking to date. Methodology/Principal Findings Adult schistosomes were obtained from laboratory animals BALB/c mice, C57BL/6 mice, New Zealand white rabbits and the natural host, water buffaloes. The gene expression profiles of schistosomes from these animals were obtained and compared by genome-wide oligonucleotide microarray analysis. The results revealed that the gene expression profiles of schistosomes from different laboratory animals and buffaloes were highly consistent (r>0.98) genome-wide. Meanwhile, a total of 450 genes were identified to be differentially expressed in schistosomes which can be clustered into six groups. Pathway analysis revealed that these genes were mainly involved in multiple signal transduction pathways, amino acid, energy, nucleotide and lipid metabolism. We also identified a group of 1,540 abundantly and stably expressed gene products in adult worms, including a panel of 179 Schistosoma- or Platyhelminthes-specific genes that may be essential for parasitism and may be regarded as novel potential anti-parasite intervention targets for future research. Conclusions/Significance This study provides a comprehensive database of gene expression profiles of schistosomes derived from different laboratory animals and water buffaloes. An expanded number of genes potentially affecting the development of schistosomes in different animals were identified. These findings lay the foundation for schistosomiasis research in different laboratory animals and natural hosts at the transcriptional level and provide a valuable resource for screening anti-schistosomal intervention targets. The zoonotic parasite Schistosoma japonicum is one of the major pathogens of schistosomiasis and can parasitize a wide range of mammals. Although numerous schistosome transcriptional profiling studies have been performed using laboratory animal models, the differences in the global gene expression profiles of worms from different laboratory animals and natural mammalian hosts have not been characterized. Therefore, we studied the gene expression profiles of adult worms from BALB/c mice, C57BL/6 mice, rabbits and buffaloes using a transcriptomics approach. Our results indicate that, although the expression profiles of adult worms from different mammals are generally similar, hundreds of genes are differentially expressed, which were mainly involved in various signal transduction pathways, amino acid, energy, nucleotide and lipid metabolism. Numerous abundantly and stably expressed genes in adults were identified, including some genes that are only found in blood flukes or expanded within the phylum Platyhelminthes and may be important for parasitism. Our data provide a basis for schistosomiasis research in different mammalian hosts at the transcriptional level as well as a valuable resource for the screening of anti-schistosomal intervention targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuai Liu
- MOH Key Laboratory of Systems Biology of Pathogens, Institute of Pathogen Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaosu Zhou
- MOH Key Laboratory of Systems Biology of Pathogens, Institute of Pathogen Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Xianyu Piao
- MOH Key Laboratory of Systems Biology of Pathogens, Institute of Pathogen Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Chuang Wu
- MOH Key Laboratory of Systems Biology of Pathogens, Institute of Pathogen Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Nan Hou
- MOH Key Laboratory of Systems Biology of Pathogens, Institute of Pathogen Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Qijun Chen
- MOH Key Laboratory of Systems Biology of Pathogens, Institute of Pathogen Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
- Key Laboratory of Zoonosis, Jilin University, Changchun, China
- * E-mail:
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