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Jarvis PRE, Cardin JL, Nisevich-Bede PM, McCarter JP. Continuous glucose monitoring in a healthy population: understanding the post-prandial glycemic response in individuals without diabetes mellitus. Metabolism 2023:155640. [PMID: 37356796 DOI: 10.1016/j.metabol.2023.155640] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2023] [Revised: 06/17/2023] [Accepted: 06/19/2023] [Indexed: 06/27/2023]
Abstract
Continuous glucose monitoring has become a common adjunct in the management of Diabetes Mellitus. However, there has been a recent trend among individuals without diabetes using these devices as a means of monitoring their health. The increased visibility of glucose data has allowed users to study the effect lifestyle has upon post-prandial glucose levels. Although post-prandial hyperglycemia is well understood in the setting of diabetes, its impact in individuals without diabetes is less well defined. This article reviews the factors which contribute to post-prandial hyperglycemia in individuals without diabetes and how the data obtained from continuous glucose monitoring can be used to improve an individual's metabolic health.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - James P McCarter
- Medical and Clinical Affairs, Abbott Laboratories, Alameda, CA, USA; Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA.
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2
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Lyman KS, Athinarayanan SJ, McKenzie AL, Pearson CL, Adams RN, Hallberg SJ, McCarter JP, Volek JS, Phinney SD, Andrawis JP. Continuous care intervention with carbohydrate restriction improves physical function of the knees among patients with type 2 diabetes: a non-randomized study. BMC Musculoskelet Disord 2022; 23:297. [PMID: 35351093 PMCID: PMC8961996 DOI: 10.1186/s12891-022-05258-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2021] [Accepted: 03/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Background In a previous study, we assessed a novel, remotely monitored carbohydrate restricted diet regimen including nutritional ketosis in patients with type 2 diabetes and reported significant improvements in weight, glycemic control, abdominal fat and inflammation from baseline to 2 years. Knee outcome measures were collected as a secondary outcome in the trial. This study aims to assess the effect of this intervention on knee functional scores and to identify if changes in weight, central abdominal fat (CAF), glycemic status and high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) were associated with its improvement. Methods This prospective analysis included continuous care intervention (CCI, n = 173) and usual care (UC, n = 69) trial participants with type 2 diabetes that reported knee pain at baseline. Knee outcome measures included the Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) pain, symptoms, activities of daily living (ADL), sports and recreation function, and knee-related quality of life subscales, and total KOOS score were assessed from baseline to 2 years. Missing data at each time point were replaced with multiple imputation under the assumption of missing at random. To assess if the primary analysis of the knee scores changed under plausible missing not at random assumptions, sensitivity analysis was also performed using pattern mixture models. In CCI, we also assessed factors associated with the improvement of knee scores. Results In the primary analysis, CCI participants demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in total KOOS and all KOOS individual subscale scores at 1 year and maintained through 2 years as opposed to UC patients who showed no significant changes from baseline to 2 years. The significant improvement in total KOOS and its individual subscale scores from baseline to 2 years remained relatively stable in CCI in the sensitivity analysis under different missing not at random scenarios confirming the robustness of the findings from the primary analysis. Approximately 46% of the CCI participants met the 10 points minimal clinically important change at 2 years. A reduction in CAF was associated with improvement in total KOOS and KOOS ADL, while a decrease in hsCRP was associated with improvement in KOOS symptoms scores. Conclusion A very low carbohydrate intervention including nutritional ketosis resulted in significant improvements in knee pain and function among patients with T2D. The improvements in knee function were likely secondary to a reduction in central adiposity and inflammation. Future research on the applicability of this intervention in radiographically confirmed OA patients is important. Trial registration Clinical trial registration: NCT02519309 (10/08/2015). Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12891-022-05258-0.
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Adams RN, Athinarayanan SJ, McKenzie AL, Hallberg SJ, McCarter JP, Phinney SD, Gonzalez JS. Depressive symptoms improve over 2 years of type 2 diabetes treatment via a digital continuous remote care intervention focused on carbohydrate restriction. J Behav Med 2022; 45:416-427. [PMID: 35084637 PMCID: PMC9160138 DOI: 10.1007/s10865-021-00272-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2021] [Accepted: 12/13/2021] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Depressive symptoms are prevalent among people with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and, even at low severity levels, are associated with worse diabetes outcomes. Carbohydrate restriction is an effective treatment for T2D but its long-term impacts on depressive symptoms are unclear. In the current study we explored changes in depressive symptoms over 2 years among 262 primarily non-depressed T2D patients participating in a continuous remote care intervention emphasizing carbohydrate restriction. Subclinical depressive symptoms decreased over the first 10 weeks and reductions were maintained out to 2 years. Increased frequency of blood ketone levels indicative of adherence to low carbohydrate eating predicted decreases in depressive symptoms. Concerns have been raised with recommending restrictive diets due to potential negative impacts on quality-of-life factors such as mood; however, results of the current study support positive rather than negative long-term impacts of closely monitored carbohydrate restriction on depressive symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca N Adams
- Virta Health Corp, 501 Folsom Street, San Francisco, CA, 94105, USA.
| | | | - Amy L McKenzie
- Virta Health Corp, 501 Folsom Street, San Francisco, CA, 94105, USA
| | - Sarah J Hallberg
- Virta Health Corp, 501 Folsom Street, San Francisco, CA, 94105, USA
- Indiana University Health Arnett, Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - James P McCarter
- Abbott Diabetes Care, Alameda, CA, USA
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | | | - Jeffrey S Gonzalez
- Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology, Yeshiva University, Bronx, NY, USA
- Departments of Medicine (Endocrinology) and Epidemiology & Population Health, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
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McKenzie AL, Athinarayanan SJ, McCue JJ, Adams RN, Keyes M, McCarter JP, Volek JS, Phinney SD, Hallberg SJ. Type 2 Diabetes Prevention Focused on Normalization of Glycemia: A Two-Year Pilot Study. Nutrients 2021; 13:749. [PMID: 33652715 PMCID: PMC7996820 DOI: 10.3390/nu13030749] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2021] [Revised: 02/09/2021] [Accepted: 02/19/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The purpose of this study is to assess the effects of an alternative approach to type 2 diabetes prevention. Ninety-six patients with prediabetes (age 52 (10) years; 80% female; BMI 39.2 (7.1) kg/m2) received a continuous remote care intervention focused on reducing hyperglycemia through carbohydrate restricted nutrition therapy for two years in a single arm, prospective, longitudinal pilot study. Two-year retention was 75% (72 of 96 participants). Fifty-one percent of participants (49 of 96) met carbohydrate restriction goals as assessed by blood beta-hydroxybutyrate concentrations for more than one-third of reported measurements. Estimated cumulative incidence of normoglycemia (HbA1c <5.7% without medication) and type 2 diabetes (HbA1c ≥6.5% or <6.5% with medication other than metformin) at two years were 52.3% and 3%, respectively. Prevalence of metabolic syndrome, class II or greater obesity, and suspected hepatic steatosis significantly decreased at two years. These results demonstrate the potential utility of an alternate approach to type 2 diabetes prevention, carbohydrate restricted nutrition therapy delivered through a continuous remote care model, for normalization of glycemia and improvement in related comorbidities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy L McKenzie
- Virta Health, San Francisco, CA 94105, USA; (S.J.A.); (R.N.A.); (J.S.V.); (S.D.P.); (S.J.H.)
| | | | - Jackson J McCue
- University of Washington School of Medicine Wyoming WWAMI, Laramie, WY 82071, USA;
| | - Rebecca N Adams
- Virta Health, San Francisco, CA 94105, USA; (S.J.A.); (R.N.A.); (J.S.V.); (S.D.P.); (S.J.H.)
| | - Monica Keyes
- Department of Bariatric and Medical Weight Loss, Indiana University Health-Arnett, Lafayette, IN 47905, USA;
| | - James P McCarter
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA;
- Abbott Diabetes Care, Inc., Alameda, CA 94502, USA
| | - Jeff S Volek
- Virta Health, San Francisco, CA 94105, USA; (S.J.A.); (R.N.A.); (J.S.V.); (S.D.P.); (S.J.H.)
- Department of Human Sciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Stephen D Phinney
- Virta Health, San Francisco, CA 94105, USA; (S.J.A.); (R.N.A.); (J.S.V.); (S.D.P.); (S.J.H.)
| | - Sarah J Hallberg
- Virta Health, San Francisco, CA 94105, USA; (S.J.A.); (R.N.A.); (J.S.V.); (S.D.P.); (S.J.H.)
- Department of Bariatric and Medical Weight Loss, Indiana University Health-Arnett, Lafayette, IN 47905, USA;
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Athinarayanan SJ, Hallberg SJ, McKenzie AL, Lechner K, King S, McCarter JP, Volek JS, Phinney SD, Krauss RM. Correction to: Impact of a 2‑year trial of nutritional ketosis on indices of cardiovascular disease risk in patients with type 2 diabetes. Cardiovasc Diabetol 2021; 20:37. [PMID: 33546666 PMCID: PMC7866435 DOI: 10.1186/s12933-021-01214-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2021] [Accepted: 01/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via the original article.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sarah J Hallberg
- Virta Health, 501 Folsom Street, San Francisco, CA, 94105, USA.,Indiana University Health Arnett, Lafayette, IN, USA.,School of Medicine, Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Amy L McKenzie
- Virta Health, 501 Folsom Street, San Francisco, CA, 94105, USA
| | - Katharina Lechner
- Department of Cardiology, German Heart Centre Munich, Technical University Munich, Munich, Germany.,DZHK (German Centre for Cardiovascular Research), Munich Heart Alliance, Partner Site Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Sarah King
- School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, CA, 94143, USA
| | - James P McCarter
- Abbott Diabetes Care, Alameda, CA, 94502, USA.,Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Jeff S Volek
- Virta Health, 501 Folsom Street, San Francisco, CA, 94105, USA.,Department of Human Sciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | | | - Ronald M Krauss
- School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, CA, 94143, USA.
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6
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Athinarayanan SJ, Hallberg SJ, McKenzie AL, Lechner K, King S, McCarter JP, Volek JS, Phinney SD, Krauss RM. Impact of a 2-year trial of nutritional ketosis on indices of cardiovascular disease risk in patients with type 2 diabetes. Cardiovasc Diabetol 2020; 19:208. [PMID: 33292205 PMCID: PMC7724865 DOI: 10.1186/s12933-020-01178-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2020] [Accepted: 11/15/2020] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND We have previously reported that in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) consumption of a very low carbohydrate diet capable of inducing nutritional ketosis over 2 years (continuous care intervention, CCI) resulted in improved body weight, glycemic control, and multiple risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) with the exception of an increase in low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). In the present study, we report the impact of this intervention on markers of risk for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (CVD), with a focus on lipoprotein subfraction particle concentrations as well as carotid-artery intima-media thickness (CIMT). METHODS Analyses were performed in patients with T2D who completed 2 years of this study (CCI; n = 194; usual care (UC): n = 68). Lipoprotein subfraction particle concentrations were measured by ion mobility at baseline, 1, and 2 years and CIMT was measured at baseline and 2 years. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to assess changes in independent clusters of lipoprotein particles. RESULTS At 2 years, CCI resulted in a 23% decrease of small LDL IIIb and a 29% increase of large LDL I with no change in total LDL particle concentration or ApoB. The change in proportion of smaller and larger LDL was reflected by reversal of the small LDL subclass phenotype B in a high proportion of CCI participants (48.1%) and a shift in the principal component (PC) representing the atherogenic lipoprotein phenotype characteristic of T2D from a major to a secondary component of the total variance. The increase in LDL-C in the CCI group was mainly attributed to larger cholesterol-enriched LDL particles. CIMT showed no change in either the CCI or UC group. CONCLUSION Consumption of a very low carbohydrate diet with nutritional ketosis for 2 years in patients with type 2 diabetes lowered levels of small LDL particles that are commonly increased in diabetic dyslipidemia and are a marker for heightened CVD risk. A corresponding increase in concentrations of larger LDL particles was responsible for higher levels of plasma LDL-C. The lack of increase in total LDL particles, ApoB, and in progression of CIMT, provide supporting evidence that this dietary intervention did not adversely affect risk of CVD.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sarah J Hallberg
- Virta Health, 501 Folsom Street, San Francisco, CA, 94105, USA.,Indiana University Health Arnett, Lafayette, IN, USA.,Indiana University, School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Amy L McKenzie
- Virta Health, 501 Folsom Street, San Francisco, CA, 94105, USA
| | - Katharina Lechner
- Department of Cardiology, German Heart Centre Munich, Technical University Munich, Munich, Germany.,DZHK (German Centre for Cardiovascular Research), Partner Site Munich, Munich Heart Alliance, Munich, Germany
| | - Sarah King
- School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, CA, 94143, USA
| | - James P McCarter
- Abbott Diabetes Care, Alameda, CA, 94502, USA.,Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Jeff S Volek
- Virta Health, 501 Folsom Street, San Francisco, CA, 94105, USA.,Department of Human Sciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | | | - Ronald M Krauss
- School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, CA, 94143, USA.
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Suntrup Iii DJ, Ratto TV, Ratto M, McCarter JP. Characterization of a high-resolution breath acetone meter for ketosis monitoring. PeerJ 2020; 8:e9969. [PMID: 33024634 PMCID: PMC7520093 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.9969] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2020] [Accepted: 08/26/2020] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The ketone bodies beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) and acetone are endogenous products of fatty acid metabolism. Although ketone levels can be monitored by measuring either blood BHB or breath acetone, determining the precise correlation between these two measurement methods has been challenging. The purpose of this study is to characterize the performance of a novel portable breath acetone meter (PBAM) developed by Readout, Inc., to compare single versus multiple daily ketone measurements, and to compare breath acetone (BrAce) and blood BHB measurements. Methods We conducted a 14-day prospective observational cohort study of 21 subjects attempting to follow either a low-carbohydrate/ketogenic or a standard diet. Subjects were asked to concurrently measure both blood BHB and BrAce five times per day and report the results using an online data entry system. We evaluated the utility of multiple daily measurements by calculating the coefficient of variation (CV) for each daily group of measurements. We calculated the correlation between coincident BrAce and blood BHB measurements using linear ordinary least squares regression analysis. We assessed the ability of the BrAce measurement to accurately predict blood BHB states using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. Finally, we calculated a daily ketone exposure (DKE) using the area under the curve (AUC) of a ketone concentration versus time graph and compared the DKE of BrAce and blood BHB using linear ordinary least squares regression. Results BrAce and blood BHB varied throughout the day by an average of 44% and 46%, respectively. The BrAce measurement accurately predicted whether blood BHB was greater than or less than the following thresholds: 0.3 mM (AUC = 0.898), 0.5 mM (AUC = 0.854), 1.0 mM (AUC = 0.887), and 1.5 mM (AUC = 0.935). Coincident BrAce and blood BHB measurements were moderately correlated with R2 = 0.57 (P < 0.0001), similar to literature reported values. However, daily ketone exposures, or areas under the curve, for BrAce and blood BHB were highly correlated with R2 = 0.80 (P < 0.0001). Conclusions The results validated the performance of the PBAM. The BrAce/BHB correlation was similar to literature values where BrAce was measured using highly accurate lab instruments. Additionally, BrAce measurements using the PBAM can be used to predict blood BHB states. The relatively high daily variability of ketone levels indicate that single blood or breath ketone measurements are often not sufficient to assess daily ketone exposure for most users. Finally, although single coincident blood and breath ketone measurements show only a moderate correlation, possibly due to the temporal lag between BrAce and blood BHB, daily ketone exposures for blood and breath are highly correlated.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Matt Ratto
- Readout Health, St. Louis, MO, United States of America
| | - James P McCarter
- Abbott Diabetes Care, Almeda, CA, United States of America.,Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, United States of America
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Parkinson J, Mitreva M, Whitton C, Thomson M, Daub J, Martin J, Schmid R, Hall N, Barrell B, Waterston RH, McCarter JP, Blaxter ML. Author Correction: A transcriptomic analysis of the phylum Nematoda. Nat Genet 2020; 52:750. [PMID: 32541926 DOI: 10.1038/s41588-020-0658-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.
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Affiliation(s)
- John Parkinson
- Departments of Biochemistry and Medical Genetics and Microbiology, Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. .,School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
| | - Makedonka Mitreva
- Genome Sequencing Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Claire Whitton
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Marian Thomson
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Jennifer Daub
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - John Martin
- Genome Sequencing Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Ralf Schmid
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Neil Hall
- Pathogen Sequencing Unit, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Cambridge, UK.,The Institute for Genomic Research, Rockville, MD, USA
| | - Bart Barrell
- Pathogen Sequencing Unit, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Cambridge, UK
| | - Robert H Waterston
- Genome Sequencing Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, USA.,Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - James P McCarter
- Genome Sequencing Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, USA.,Divergence, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Mark L Blaxter
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
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Athinarayanan SJ, Adams RN, Hallberg SJ, McKenzie AL, Bhanpuri NH, Campbell WW, Volek JS, Phinney SD, McCarter JP. Long-Term Effects of a Novel Continuous Remote Care Intervention Including Nutritional Ketosis for the Management of Type 2 Diabetes: A 2-Year Non-randomized Clinical Trial. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2019; 10:348. [PMID: 31231311 PMCID: PMC6561315 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2019.00348] [Citation(s) in RCA: 161] [Impact Index Per Article: 32.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2019] [Accepted: 05/14/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Purpose: Studies on long-term sustainability of low-carbohydrate approaches to treat diabetes are limited. We previously reported the effectiveness of a novel digitally-monitored continuous care intervention (CCI) including nutritional ketosis in improving weight, glycemic outcomes, lipid, and liver marker changes at 1 year. Here, we assess the effects of the CCI at 2 years. Materials and methods: An open label, non-randomized, controlled study with 262 and 87 participants with T2D were enrolled in the CCI and usual care (UC) groups, respectively. Primary outcomes were retention, glycemic control, and weight changes at 2 years. Secondary outcomes included changes in body composition, liver, cardiovascular, kidney, thyroid and inflammatory markers, diabetes medication use and disease status. Results: Reductions from baseline to 2 years in the CCI group resulting from intent-to-treat analyses included: HbA1c, fasting glucose, fasting insulin, weight, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, triglycerides, and liver alanine transaminase, and HDL-C increased. Spine bone mineral density in the CCI group was unchanged. Use of any glycemic control medication (excluding metformin) among CCI participants declined (from 55.7 to 26.8%) including insulin (-62%) and sulfonylureas (-100%). The UC group had no changes in these parameters (except uric acid and anion gap) or diabetes medication use. There was also resolution of diabetes (reversal, 53.5%; remission, 17.6%) in the CCI group but not in UC. All the reported improvements had p < 0.00012. Conclusion: The CCI group sustained long-term beneficial effects on multiple clinical markers of diabetes and cardiometabolic health at 2 years while utilizing less medication. The intervention was also effective in the resolution of diabetes and visceral obesity with no adverse effect on bone health. Clinical Trial Registration: Clinicaltrials.gov NCT02519309.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Sarah J. Hallberg
- Virta Health Corp, San Francisco, CA, United States
- Indiana University Health Arnett, Lafayette, IN, United States
| | | | | | - Wayne W. Campbell
- Department of Nutrition Science, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, United States
| | - Jeff S. Volek
- Virta Health Corp, San Francisco, CA, United States
- Department of Human Sciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States
| | | | - James P. McCarter
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, United States
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Vilar-Gomez E, Athinarayanan SJ, Adams RN, Hallberg SJ, Bhanpuri NH, McKenzie AL, Campbell WW, McCarter JP, Phinney SD, Volek JS, Chalasani N. Post hoc analyses of surrogate markers of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and liver fibrosis in patients with type 2 diabetes in a digitally supported continuous care intervention: an open-label, non-randomised controlled study. BMJ Open 2019; 9:e023597. [PMID: 30803948 PMCID: PMC6398805 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2018-023597] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE One year of comprehensive continuous care intervention (CCI) through nutritional ketosis improves glycosylated haemoglobin(HbA1c), body weight and liver enzymes among patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D). Here, we report the effect of the CCI on surrogate scores of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and liver fibrosis. METHODS This was a non-randomised longitudinal study, including adults with T2D who were self-enrolled to the CCI (n=262) or to receive usual care (UC, n=87) during 1 year. An NAFLD liver fat score (N-LFS) >-0.640 defined the presence of fatty liver. An NAFLD fibrosis score (NFS) of >0.675 identified subjects with advanced fibrosis. Changes in N-LFS and NFS at 1 year were the main endpoints. RESULTS At baseline, NAFLD was present in 95% of patients in the CCI and 90% of patients in the UC. At 1 year, weight loss of ≥5% was achieved in 79% of patients in the CCI versus 19% of patients in UC (p<0.001). N-LFS mean score was reduced in the CCI group (-1.95±0.22, p<0.001), whereas it was not changed in the UC (0.47±0.41, p=0.26) (CCI vs UC, p<0.001). NFS was reduced in the CCI group (-0.65±0.06, p<0.001) compared with UC (0.26±0.11, p=0.02) (p<0.001 between two groups). In the CCI group, the percentage of individuals with a low probability of advanced fibrosis increased from 18% at baseline to 33% at 1 year (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS One year of a digitally supported CCI significantly improved surrogates of NAFLD and advanced fibrosis in patients with T2D. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER NCT02519309; Results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eduardo Vilar-Gomez
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
| | | | | | - Sarah J Hallberg
- Virta Health, San Francisco, California, USA
- Indiana University Health Arnett, Lafayette, Indiana, USA
| | | | | | - Wayne W Campbell
- Department of Nutrition Science, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA
| | - James P McCarter
- Virta Health, San Francisco, California, USA
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | | | - Jeff S Volek
- Virta Health, San Francisco, California, USA
- Department of Human Sciences, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | - Naga Chalasani
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
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Siegmann MJ, Athinarayanan SJ, Hallberg SJ, McKenzie AL, Bhanpuri NH, Campbell WW, McCarter JP, Phinney SD, Volek JS, Van Dort CJ. Improvement in patient-reported sleep in type 2 diabetes and prediabetes participants receiving a continuous care intervention with nutritional ketosis. Sleep Med 2019; 55:92-99. [PMID: 30772699 DOI: 10.1016/j.sleep.2018.12.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2018] [Revised: 12/11/2018] [Accepted: 12/17/2018] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Sleep disruption is frequently associated with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and hyperglycemia. We recently reported the effectiveness of a continuous care intervention (CCI) emphasizing nutritional ketosis for improving HbA1c, body weight and cardiovascular risk factors in T2D patients. The present study assessed the effect of this CCI approach on sleep quality using a subjective patient-reported sleep questionnaire. METHODS A non-randomized, controlled longitudinal study; 262 T2D and 116 prediabetes patients enrolled in the CCI and 87 separately recruited T2D patients continued usual care (UC) treatment. Patients completed the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) questionnaire. A PSQI score of >5 (scale 0 to 21) was used to identify poor sleepers. RESULTS Global sleep quality improved in the CCI T2D (p < 0.001) and prediabetes (p < 0.001) patients after one year of intervention. Subjective sleep quality (component 1), sleep disturbance (component 5) and daytime dysfunction (component 7), also showed improvements in the CCI T2D (p < 0.01 for sleep quality and sleep disturbance; and p < 0.001 for daytime dysfunction) and prediabetes patients (p < 0.001 for all three components); compared to the UC T2D group after one year. The proportion of patients with poor sleep quality was significantly reduced after one year of CCI (T2D; from 68.3% at baseline to 56.5% at one year, p = 0.001 and prediabetes; from 77.9% at baseline to 48.7% at one year, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION This study demonstrates improved sleep quality as assessed by PSQI in patients with T2D and prediabetes undergoing CCI including nutritional ketosis but not in T2D patients receiving UC. The dietary intervention benefited both sleep quality and the severity of T2D symptoms suggesting that nutritional ketosis improves overall health via multiple mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Morgan J Siegmann
- Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Division of Sleep Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | | | - Sarah J Hallberg
- Virta Health, 535 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA, USA; Indiana University Health Arnett, Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - Amy L McKenzie
- Virta Health, 535 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | | | - Wayne W Campbell
- Department of Nutrition Science, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - James P McCarter
- Virta Health, 535 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA, USA; Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, USA
| | | | - Jeff S Volek
- Virta Health, 535 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA, USA; Department of Human Sciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Christa J Van Dort
- Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Division of Sleep Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
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Bhanpuri NH, Hallberg SJ, Williams PT, McKenzie AL, Ballard KD, Campbell WW, McCarter JP, Phinney SD, Volek JS. Cardiovascular disease risk factor responses to a type 2 diabetes care model including nutritional ketosis induced by sustained carbohydrate restriction at 1 year: an open label, non-randomized, controlled study. Cardiovasc Diabetol 2018; 17:56. [PMID: 29712560 PMCID: PMC5928595 DOI: 10.1186/s12933-018-0698-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 116] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2018] [Accepted: 04/02/2018] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a leading cause of death among adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D). We recently reported that glycemic control in patients with T2D can be significantly improved through a continuous care intervention (CCI) including nutritional ketosis. The purpose of this study was to examine CVD risk factors in this cohort. METHODS We investigated CVD risk factors in patients with T2D who participated in a 1 year open label, non-randomized, controlled study. The CCI group (n = 262) received treatment from a health coach and medical provider. A usual care (UC) group (n = 87) was independently recruited to track customary T2D progression. Circulating biomarkers of cholesterol metabolism and inflammation, blood pressure (BP), carotid intima media thickness (cIMT), multi-factorial risk scores and medication use were examined. A significance level of P < 0.0019 ensured two-tailed significance at the 5% level when Bonferroni adjusted for multiple comparisons. RESULTS The CCI group consisted of 262 participants (baseline mean (SD): age 54 (8) year, BMI 40.4 (8.8) kg m-2). Intention-to-treat analysis (% change) revealed the following at 1-year: total LDL-particles (LDL-P) (- 4.9%, P = 0.02), small LDL-P (- 20.8%, P = 1.2 × 10-12), LDL-P size (+ 1.1%, P = 6.0 × 10-10), ApoB (- 1.6%, P = 0.37), ApoA1 (+ 9.8%, P < 10-16), ApoB/ApoA1 ratio (- 9.5%, P = 1.9 × 10-7), triglyceride/HDL-C ratio (- 29.1%, P < 10-16), large VLDL-P (- 38.9%, P = 4.2 × 10-15), and LDL-C (+ 9.9%, P = 4.9 × 10-5). Additional effects were reductions in blood pressure, high sensitivity C-reactive protein, and white blood cell count (all P < 1 × 10-7) while cIMT was unchanged. The 10-year atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk score decreased - 11.9% (P = 4.9 × 10-5). Antihypertensive medication use was discontinued in 11.4% of CCI participants (P = 5.3 × 10-5). The UC group of 87 participants [baseline mean (SD): age 52 (10) year, BMI 36.7 (7.2) kg m-2] showed no significant changes. After adjusting for baseline differences when comparing CCI and UC groups, significant improvements for the CCI group included small LDL-P, ApoA1, triglyceride/HDL-C ratio, HDL-C, hsCRP, and LP-IR score in addition to other biomarkers that were previously reported. The CCI group showed a greater rise in LDL-C. CONCLUSIONS A continuous care treatment including nutritional ketosis in patients with T2D improved most biomarkers of CVD risk after 1 year. The increase in LDL-cholesterol appeared limited to the large LDL subfraction. LDL particle size increased, total LDL-P and ApoB were unchanged, and inflammation and blood pressure decreased. Trial registration Clinicaltrials.gov: NCT02519309. Registered 10 August 2015.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sarah J. Hallberg
- Virta Health, San Francisco, CA USA
- Medically Supervised Weight Loss, Indiana University Health Arnett, Lafayette, IN USA
| | | | | | - Kevin D. Ballard
- Department of Kinesiology and Health, Miami University, Oxford, OH USA
| | - Wayne W. Campbell
- Department of Nutrition Science, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN USA
| | - James P. McCarter
- Virta Health, San Francisco, CA USA
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO USA
| | | | - Jeff S. Volek
- Virta Health, San Francisco, CA USA
- Department of Human Sciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH USA
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Hallberg SJ, McKenzie AL, Williams PT, Bhanpuri NH, Peters AL, Campbell WW, Hazbun TL, Volk BM, McCarter JP, Phinney SD, Volek JS. Effectiveness and Safety of a Novel Care Model for the Management of Type 2 Diabetes at 1 Year: An Open-Label, Non-Randomized, Controlled Study. Diabetes Ther 2018; 9:583-612. [PMID: 29417495 PMCID: PMC6104272 DOI: 10.1007/s13300-018-0373-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 203] [Impact Index Per Article: 33.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2017] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Carbohydrate restriction markedly improves glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) but necessitates prompt medication changes. Therefore, we assessed the effectiveness and safety of a novel care model providing continuous remote care with medication management based on biometric feedback combined with the metabolic approach of nutritional ketosis for T2D management. METHODS We conducted an open-label, non-randomized, controlled, before-and-after 1-year study of this continuous care intervention (CCI) and usual care (UC). Primary outcomes were glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), weight, and medication use. Secondary outcomes included fasting serum glucose and insulin, HOMA-IR, blood lipids and lipoproteins, liver and kidney function markers, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP). RESULTS 349 adults with T2D enrolled: CCI: n = 262 [mean (SD); 54 (8) years, 116.5 (25.9) kg, 40.4 (8.8) kg m2, 92% obese, 88% prescribed T2D medication]; UC: n = 87 (52 (10) years, 105.6 (22.15) kg, 36.72 (7.26) kg m2, 82% obese, 87% prescribed T2D medication]. 218 participants (83%) remained enrolled in the CCI at 1 year. Intention-to-treat analysis of the CCI (mean ± SE) revealed HbA1c declined from 59.6 ± 1.0 to 45.2 ± 0.8 mmol mol-1 (7.6 ± 0.09% to 6.3 ± 0.07%, P < 1.0 × 10-16), weight declined 13.8 ± 0.71 kg (P < 1.0 × 10-16), and T2D medication prescription other than metformin declined from 56.9 ± 3.1% to 29.7 ± 3.0% (P < 1.0 × 10-16). Insulin therapy was reduced or eliminated in 94% of users; sulfonylureas were entirely eliminated in the CCI. No adverse events were attributed to the CCI. Additional CCI 1-year effects were HOMA-IR - 55% (P = 3.2 × 10-5), hsCRP - 39% (P < 1.0 × 10-16), triglycerides - 24% (P < 1.0 × 10-16), HDL-cholesterol + 18% (P < 1.0 × 10-16), and LDL-cholesterol + 10% (P = 5.1 × 10-5); serum creatinine and liver enzymes (ALT, AST, and ALP) declined (P ≤ 0.0001), and apolipoprotein B was unchanged (P = 0.37). UC participants had no significant changes in biomarkers or T2D medication prescription at 1 year. CONCLUSIONS These results demonstrate that a novel metabolic and continuous remote care model can support adults with T2D to safely improve HbA1c, weight, and other biomarkers while reducing diabetes medication use. CLINICALTRIALS. GOV IDENTIFIER NCT02519309. FUNDING Virta Health Corp.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah J Hallberg
- Medically Supervised Weight Loss, Indiana University Health Arnett, Lafayette, IN, USA
- Virta Health, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | | | | | | | - Anne L Peters
- Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Wayne W Campbell
- Department of Nutrition Science, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - Tamara L Hazbun
- Medically Supervised Weight Loss, Indiana University Health Arnett, Lafayette, IN, USA
| | | | - James P McCarter
- Virta Health, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | | | - Jeff S Volek
- Virta Health, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Department of Human Sciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
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Hallberg SJ, McKenzie AL, Williams PT, Bhanpuri NH, Peters AL, Campbell WW, Hazbun TL, Volk BM, McCarter JP, Phinney SD, Volek JS. Author Correction: Effectiveness and Safety of a Novel Care Model for the Management of Type 2 Diabetes at 1 Year: An Open-Label, Non-Randomized, Controlled Study. Diabetes Ther 2018; 9:613-621. [PMID: 29508274 PMCID: PMC6104276 DOI: 10.1007/s13300-018-0386-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022] Open
Abstract
The original version of this article unfortunately contained a mistake.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah J Hallberg
- Medically Supervised Weight Loss, Indiana University Health Arnett, Lafayette, IN, USA
- Virta Health, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | | | | | | | - Anne L Peters
- Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Wayne W Campbell
- Department of Nutrition Science, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - Tamara L Hazbun
- Medically Supervised Weight Loss, Indiana University Health Arnett, Lafayette, IN, USA
| | | | - James P McCarter
- Virta Health, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | | | - Jeff S Volek
- Virta Health, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Department of Human Sciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
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15
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McKenzie AL, Hallberg SJ, Creighton BC, Volk BM, Link TM, Abner MK, Glon RM, McCarter JP, Volek JS, Phinney SD. A Novel Intervention Including Individualized Nutritional Recommendations Reduces Hemoglobin A1c Level, Medication Use, and Weight in Type 2 Diabetes. JMIR Diabetes 2017; 2:e5. [PMID: 30291062 PMCID: PMC6238887 DOI: 10.2196/diabetes.6981] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2016] [Revised: 01/12/2017] [Accepted: 02/11/2017] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is typically managed with a reduced fat diet plus glucose-lowering medications, the latter often promoting weight gain. Objective We evaluated whether individuals with T2D could be taught by either on-site group or remote means to sustain adequate carbohydrate restriction to achieve nutritional ketosis as part of a comprehensive intervention, thereby improving glycemic control, decreasing medication use, and allowing clinically relevant weight loss. Methods This study was a nonrandomized, parallel arm, outpatient intervention. Adults with T2D (N=262; mean age 54, SD 8, years; mean body mass index 41, SD 8, kg·m−2; 66.8% (175/262) women) were enrolled in an outpatient protocol providing intensive nutrition and behavioral counseling, digital coaching and education platform, and physician-guided medication management. A total of 238 participants completed the first 10 weeks. Body weight, capillary blood glucose, and beta-hydroxybutyrate (BOHB) levels were recorded daily using a mobile interface. Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) and related biomarkers of T2D were evaluated at baseline and 10-week follow-up. Results Baseline HbA1c level was 7.6% (SD 1.5%) and only 52/262 (19.8%) participants had an HbA1c level of <6.5%. After 10 weeks, HbA1c level was reduced by 1.0% (SD 1.1%; 95% CI 0.9% to 1.1%, P<.001), and the percentage of individuals with an HbA1c level of <6.5% increased to 56.1% (147/262). The majority of participants (234/262, 89.3%) were taking at least one diabetes medication at baseline. By 10 weeks, 133/234 (56.8%) individuals had one or more diabetes medications reduced or eliminated. At follow-up, 47.7% of participants (125/262) achieved an HbA1c level of <6.5% while taking metformin only (n=86) or no diabetes medications (n=39). Mean body mass reduction was 7.2% (SD 3.7%; 95% CI 5.8% to 7.7%, P<.001) from baseline (117, SD 26, kg). Mean BOHB over 10 weeks was 0.6 (SD 0.6) mmol·L−1 indicating consistent carbohydrate restriction. Post hoc comparison of the remote versus on-site means of education revealed no effect of delivery method on change in HbA1c (F1,260=1.503, P=.22). Conclusions These initial results indicate that an individualized program delivered and supported remotely that incorporates nutritional ketosis can be highly effective in improving glycemic control and weight loss in adults with T2D while significantly decreasing medication use.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sarah J Hallberg
- Virta Health, San Francisco, CA, United States.,Indiana University Health Arnett, Medically Supervised Weight Loss, Lafayette, IN, United States
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Abstract
As in other areas of the biological sciences, a decisive move into the genomics era is underway for the study of helminths. As sequencing technologies improve and costs continue to drop, genomes are becoming available and will eventually be taken for granted by parasitologists and drug discovery researchers as being core knowledge for any organism of interest. Within a decade, it is plausible to envision the availability of draft or complete genomes from 100 nematode and platyhelminth species. Helminth genome sequencing offers substantial challenges to assembly and annotation because of size, repeat and gene structure and sequence polymorphisms. Research programmes in parasitology will need to adapt to effectively make use of these genomes and to identify the most promising opportunities for the application of genomic information to the development of control strategies, including anthelmintics. Immediate avenues for the use of genomes include superior description of gene and protein expression and function through microarrays, proteomics and RNA interference.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew Berriman
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Pathogen Sequencing Unit, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Hinxton, CB10 1SA, UK
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17
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Lee SG, Haakenson W, McCarter JP, Williams DJ, Hresko MC, Jez JM. Thermodynamic evaluation of ligand binding in the plant-like phosphoethanolamine methyltransferases of the parasitic nematode Haemonchus contortus. J Biol Chem 2011; 286:38060-38068. [PMID: 21914812 PMCID: PMC3207426 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m111.290619] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2011] [Revised: 09/02/2011] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Nematodes are a major cause of disease and the discovery of new pathways not found in hosts is critical for development of therapeutic targets. Previous studies suggest that Caenorhabditis elegans synthesizes phosphocholine via two S-adenosylmethionine (AdoMet)-dependent phosphoethanolamine methyltransferases (PMT). Here we examine two PMT from the parasitic nematode Haemonchus contortus. Sequence analysis suggests that HcPMT1 contains a methyltransferase domain in the N-terminal half of the protein and that HcPMT2 encodes a C-terminal methyltransferase domain, as in the C. elegans proteins. Kinetic analysis demonstrates that HcPMT1 catalyzes the conversion of phosphoethanolamine to phosphomonomethylethanolamine (pMME) and that HcPMT2 methylates pMME to phosphodimethylethanolamine (pDME) and pDME to phosphocholine. The IC(50) values for miltefosine, sinefungin, amodiaquine, diphenhydramine, and tacrine suggest differences in the active sites of these two enzymes. To examine the interaction of AdoMet and S-adenosylhomocysteine (AdoCys), isothermal titration calorimetry confirmed the presence of a single binding site in each enzyme. Binding of AdoMet and AdoCys is tight (K(d) ∼2-25 μm) over a range of temperatures (5-25 °C) and NaCl concentrations (0.05-0.5 m). Heat capacity changes for AdoMet and AdoCys binding suggests that each HcPMT differs in interaction surface area. Nonlinear van't Hoff plots also indicate a possible conformational change upon AdoMet/AdoCys binding. Functional analysis of the PMT from a parasitic nematode provides new insights on inhibitor and AdoMet/AdoCys binding to these enzymes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Soon Goo Lee
- Department of Biology, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri 63130
| | | | | | | | | | - Joseph M Jez
- Department of Biology, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri 63130.
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Yin Y, Martin J, Abubucker S, Wang Z, Wyrwicz L, Rychlewski L, McCarter JP, Wilson RK, Mitreva M. Molecular determinants archetypical to the phylum Nematoda. BMC Genomics 2009; 10:114. [PMID: 19296854 PMCID: PMC2666764 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2164-10-114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2008] [Accepted: 03/18/2009] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Nematoda diverged from other animals between 600–1,200 million years ago and has become one of the most diverse animal phyla on earth. Most nematodes are free-living animals, but many are parasites of plants and animals including humans, posing major ecological and economical challenges around the world. Results We investigated phylum-specific molecular characteristics in Nematoda by exploring over 214,000 polypeptides from 32 nematode species including 27 parasites. Over 50,000 nematode protein families were identified based on primary sequence, including ~10% with members from at least three different species. Nearly 1,600 of the multi-species families did not share homology to Pfam domains, including a total of 758 restricted to Nematoda. Majority of the 462 families that were conserved among both free-living and parasitic species contained members from multiple nematode clades, yet ~90% of the 296 parasite-specific families originated only from a single clade. Features of these protein families were revealed through extrapolation of essential functions from observed RNAi phenotypes in C. elegans, bioinformatics-based functional annotations, identification of distant homology based on protein folds, and prediction of expression at accessible nematode surfaces. In addition, we identified a group of nematode-restricted sequence features in energy-generating electron transfer complexes as potential targets for new chemicals with minimal or no toxicity to the host. Conclusion This study identified and characterized the molecular determinants that help in defining the phylum Nematoda, and therefore improved our understanding of nematode protein evolution and provided novel insights for the development of next generation parasite control strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yong Yin
- The Genome Center, Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri, USA.
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Abubucker S, Zarlenga DS, Martin J, Yin Y, Wang Z, McCarter JP, Gasbarree L, Wilson RK, Mitreva M. The transcriptomes of the cattle parasitic nematode Ostertagia ostartagi. Vet Parasitol 2009; 162:89-99. [PMID: 19346077 DOI: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2009.02.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2008] [Revised: 02/13/2009] [Accepted: 02/13/2009] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Ostertagia ostertagi is a gastrointestinal parasitic nematode that affects cattle and leads to a loss of production. In this study, we present the first large-scale genomic survey of O. ostertagi by the analysis of expressed transcripts from three stages of the parasite: third-stage larvae, fourth-stage larvae and adult worms. Using an in silico approach, 2284 genes were identified from over 7000 expressed sequence tags and abundant transcripts were analyzed and characterized by their functional profile. Of the 2284 genes, 66% had similarity to other known or predicted genes while the rest were novel and potentially represent genes specific to the species and/or stages. Furthermore, a subset of the novel proteins were structurally annotated and assigned putative function based on orthologs in Caenorhabditis elegans and corresponding RNA interference phenotypes. Hence, over 70% of the genes were annotated using protein sequences, domains and pathway databases. Differentially expressed transcripts from the two larval stages and their functional profiles were also studied leading to a more detailed understanding of the parasite's life-cycle. The identified transcripts are a valuable resource for genomic studies of O. ostertagi and can facilitate the design of control strategies and vaccine programs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sahar Abubucker
- The Genome Center, Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63108, United States
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Elling AA, Mitreva M, Gai X, Martin J, Recknor J, Davis EL, Hussey RS, Nettleton D, McCarter JP, Baum TJ. Sequence mining and transcript profiling to explore cyst nematode parasitism. BMC Genomics 2009; 10:58. [PMID: 19183474 PMCID: PMC2640417 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2164-10-58] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2008] [Accepted: 01/30/2009] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cyst nematodes are devastating plant parasites that become sedentary within plant roots and induce the transformation of normal plant cells into elaborate feeding cells with the help of secreted effectors, the parasitism proteins. These proteins are the translation products of parasitism genes and are secreted molecular tools that allow cyst nematodes to infect plants. RESULTS We present here the expression patterns of all previously described parasitism genes of the soybean cyst nematode, Heterodera glycines, in all major life stages except the adult male. These insights were gained by analyzing our gene expression dataset from experiments using the Affymetrix Soybean Genome Array GeneChip, which contains probeset sequences for 6,860 genes derived from preparasitic and parasitic H. glycines life stages. Targeting the identification of additional H. glycines parasitism-associated genes, we isolated 633 genes encoding secretory proteins using algorithms to predict secretory signal peptides. Furthermore, because some of the known H. glycines parasitism proteins have strongest similarity to proteins of plants and microbes, we searched for predicted protein sequences that showed their highest similarities to plant or microbial proteins and identified 156 H. glycines genes, some of which also contained a signal peptide. Analyses of the expression profiles of these genes allowed the formulation of hypotheses about potential roles in parasitism. This is the first study combining sequence analyses of a substantial EST dataset with microarray expression data of all major life stages (except adult males) for the identification and characterization of putative parasitism-associated proteins in any parasitic nematode. CONCLUSION We have established an expression atlas for all known H. glycines parasitism genes. Furthermore, in an effort to identify additional H. glycines genes with putative functions in parasitism, we have reduced the currently known 6,860 H. glycines genes to a pool of 788 most promising candidate genes (including known parasitism genes) and documented their expression profiles. Using our approach to pre-select genes likely involved in parasitism now allows detailed functional analyses in a manner not feasible for larger numbers of genes. The generation of the candidate pool described here is an important enabling advance because it will significantly facilitate the unraveling of fascinating plant-animal interactions and deliver knowledge that can be transferred to other pathogen-host systems. Ultimately, the exploration of true parasitism genes verified from the gene pool delineated here will identify weaknesses in the nematode life cycle that can be exploited by novel anti-nematode efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Axel A Elling
- Interdepartmental Genetics Program, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA
- Department of Plant Pathology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA
- Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - Makedonka Mitreva
- Genome Sequencing Center, Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63108, USA
| | - Xiaowu Gai
- Center for Biomedical Informatics, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - John Martin
- Genome Sequencing Center, Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63108, USA
| | - Justin Recknor
- Department of Statistics, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA
- Eli Lilly and Company, Lilly Research Laboratories, Greenfield, IN 46140, USA
| | - Eric L Davis
- Department of Plant Pathology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA
| | - Richard S Hussey
- Department of Plant Pathology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Dan Nettleton
- Department of Statistics, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA
| | - James P McCarter
- Genome Sequencing Center, Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63108, USA
- Divergence Inc., St. Louis, MO 63141, USA
| | - Thomas J Baum
- Interdepartmental Genetics Program, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA
- Department of Plant Pathology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA
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Wylie T, Martin J, Abubucker S, Yin Y, Messina D, Wang Z, McCarter JP, Mitreva M. NemaPath: online exploration of KEGG-based metabolic pathways for nematodes. BMC Genomics 2008; 9:525. [PMID: 18983679 PMCID: PMC2588608 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2164-9-525] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2008] [Accepted: 11/04/2008] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Nematode.net is a web-accessible resource for investigating gene sequences from parasitic and free-living nematode genomes. Beyond the well-characterized model nematode C. elegans, over 500,000 expressed sequence tags (ESTs) and nearly 600,000 genome survey sequences (GSSs) have been generated from 36 nematode species as part of the Parasitic Nematode Genomics Program undertaken by the Genome Center at Washington University School of Medicine. However, these sequencing data are not present in most publicly available protein databases, which only include sequences in Swiss-Prot. Swiss-Prot, in turn, relies on GenBank/Embl/DDJP for predicted proteins from complete genomes or full-length proteins. Description Here we present the NemaPath pathway server, a web-based pathway-level visualization tool for navigating putative metabolic pathways for over 30 nematode species, including 27 parasites. The NemaPath approach consists of two parts: 1) a backend tool to align and evaluate nematode genomic sequences (curated EST contigs) against the annotated Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) protein database; 2) a web viewing application that displays annotated KEGG pathway maps based on desired confidence levels of primary sequence similarity as defined by a user. NemaPath also provides cross-referenced access to nematode genome information provided by other tools available on Nematode.net, including: detailed NemaGene EST cluster information; putative translations; GBrowse EST cluster views; links from nematode data to external databases for corresponding synonymous C. elegans counterparts, subject matches in KEGG's gene database, and also KEGG Ontology (KO) identification. Conclusion The NemaPath server hosts metabolic pathway mappings for 30 nematode species and is available on the World Wide Web at . The nematode source sequences used for the metabolic pathway mappings are available via FTP , as provided by the Genome Center at Washington University School of Medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Todd Wylie
- The Genome Center at Washington University School of Medicine, St, Louis, MO 63108, USA.
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22
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Yin Y, Martin J, Abubucker S, Scott AL, McCarter JP, Wilson RK, Jasmer DP, Mitreva M. Intestinal transcriptomes of nematodes: comparison of the parasites Ascaris suum and Haemonchus contortus with the free-living Caenorhabditis elegans. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2008; 2:e269. [PMID: 18682827 PMCID: PMC2483350 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0000269] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2008] [Accepted: 07/02/2008] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The nematode intestine is a major organ responsible for nutrient digestion and absorption; it is also involved in many other processes, such as reproduction, innate immunity, stress responses, and aging. The importance of the intestine as a target for the control of parasitic nematodes has been demonstrated. However, the lack of detailed knowledge on the molecular and cellular functions of the intestine and the level of its conservation across nematodes has impeded breakthroughs in this application. Methods and Findings As part of an extensive effort to investigate various transcribed genomes from Ascaris suum and Haemonchus contortus, we generated a large collection of intestinal sequences from parasitic nematodes by identifying 3,121 A. suum and 1,755 H. contortus genes expressed in the adult intestine through the generation of expressed sequence tags. Cross-species comparisons to the intestine of the free-living C. elegans revealed substantial diversification in the adult intestinal transcriptomes among these species, suggesting lineage- or species-specific adaptations during nematode evolution. In contrast, significant conservation of the intestinal gene repertories was also evident, despite the evolutionary distance of ∼350 million years separating them. A group of 241 intestinal protein families (IntFam-241), each containing members from all three species, was identified based on sequence similarities. These conserved proteins accounted for ∼20% of the sampled intestinal transcriptomes from the three nematodes and are proposed to represent conserved core functions in the nematode intestine. Functional characterizations of the IntFam-241 suggested important roles in molecular functions such as protein kinases and proteases, and biological pathways of carbohydrate metabolism, energy metabolism, and translation. Conservation in the core protein families was further explored by extrapolating observable RNA interference phenotypes in C. elegans to their parasitic counterparts. Conclusions Our study has provided novel insights into the nematode intestine and lays foundations for further comparative studies on biology, parasitism, and evolution within the phylum Nematoda. Biological properties of the nematode intestine warrant in-depth investigation, the results of which can be utilized in the control of parasitic nematodes that infect humans, livestock, and plants. Both the importance of intestinal antigens from Haemonchus contortus in immunity and the damage to H. contortus intestine by anthelmintic fenbendazole have highlighted the versatility of the intestine as an emerging target. However, biological information regarding fundamental intestinal cell functions and mechanisms is currently limited. Conserved intestinal genes across nematode pathogens could offer molecular targets for broad parasite control. Furthermore, qualitative and quantitative comparisons on intestinal gene expression among species and lineages can identify basic adaptations relative to a critical selective force, the nutrient acquisition. This study begins to identify intestinal cell characteristics that are conserved across representatives of two clades of nematodes (V and III) and further clarifies diversities that likely reflect species- or lineage-specific adaptations. Results consistent with functional data on digestive enzymes from H. contortus and RNAi in Caenorhabditis elegans, as examples, support the potential for the comparative genomics approach to produce practical applications. This study provides a platform on which extensive investigation of intestinal genes and a more comprehensive understanding of the Nematoda can be gained.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yong Yin
- Genome Sequencing Center, Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America.
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Abubucker S, Martin J, Yin Y, Fulton L, Yang SP, Hallsworth-Pepin K, Johnston JS, Hawdon J, McCarter JP, Wilson RK, Mitreva M. The canine hookworm genome: analysis and classification of Ancylostoma caninum survey sequences. Mol Biochem Parasitol 2007; 157:187-92. [PMID: 18082904 DOI: 10.1016/j.molbiopara.2007.11.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2007] [Revised: 11/02/2007] [Accepted: 11/02/2007] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Hookworms infect nearly a billion people. The Ancylostoma caninum hookworm of canids is a model for studying human infections and information from its genome coupled with functional genomics and proteomics can accelerate progress towards hookworm control. As a step towards a full-scale A. caninum genome project, we generated 104,000 genome survey sequences (GSSs) and determined the genome size of the canine hookworm. GSSs assembled into 57.6 Mb of unique sequence from a genome that we estimate by flow cytometry of isolated nuclei to be 347 +/- 1.2 Mb, substantially larger than other Rhabditina species. Gene finding identified 5538 genes in the GSS assembly, for a total of 9113 non-redundant A. caninum genes when EST sequences are also considered. Functional classifications of many of the 70% of genes with homology to genes in other species are provided based on gene ontology and KEGG associations and secreted and membrane-bound proteins are also identified.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sahar Abubucker
- Department of Genetics, Genome Sequencing Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO 63108, USA
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24
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Ghedin E, Wang S, Spiro D, Caler E, Zhao Q, Crabtree J, Allen JE, Delcher AL, Guiliano DB, Miranda-Saavedra D, Angiuoli SV, Creasy T, Amedeo P, Haas B, El-Sayed NM, Wortman JR, Feldblyum T, Tallon L, Schatz M, Shumway M, Koo H, Salzberg SL, Schobel S, Pertea M, Pop M, White O, Barton GJ, Carlow CKS, Crawford MJ, Daub J, Dimmic MW, Estes CF, Foster JM, Ganatra M, Gregory WF, Johnson NM, Jin J, Komuniecki R, Korf I, Kumar S, Laney S, Li BW, Li W, Lindblom TH, Lustigman S, Ma D, Maina CV, Martin DMA, McCarter JP, McReynolds L, Mitreva M, Nutman TB, Parkinson J, Peregrín-Alvarez JM, Poole C, Ren Q, Saunders L, Sluder AE, Smith K, Stanke M, Unnasch TR, Ware J, Wei AD, Weil G, Williams DJ, Zhang Y, Williams SA, Fraser-Liggett C, Slatko B, Blaxter ML, Scott AL. Draft genome of the filarial nematode parasite Brugia malayi. Science 2007; 317:1756-60. [PMID: 17885136 PMCID: PMC2613796 DOI: 10.1126/science.1145406] [Citation(s) in RCA: 506] [Impact Index Per Article: 29.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
Parasitic nematodes that cause elephantiasis and river blindness threaten hundreds of millions of people in the developing world. We have sequenced the approximately 90 megabase (Mb) genome of the human filarial parasite Brugia malayi and predict approximately 11,500 protein coding genes in 71 Mb of robustly assembled sequence. Comparative analysis with the free-living, model nematode Caenorhabditis elegans revealed that, despite these genes having maintained little conservation of local synteny during approximately 350 million years of evolution, they largely remain in linkage on chromosomal units. More than 100 conserved operons were identified. Analysis of the predicted proteome provides evidence for adaptations of B. malayi to niches in its human and vector hosts and insights into the molecular basis of a mutualistic relationship with its Wolbachia endosymbiont. These findings offer a foundation for rational drug design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elodie Ghedin
- Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA.
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25
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Lustigman
- Laboratory of Molecular Parasitology, Lindsley F. Kimball Research Institute, New York Blood Center, New York, New York, United States of America.
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26
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Abstract
The diseases caused by parasitic nematodes in domestic and companion animals are major factors that decrease production and quality of the agricultural products. Methods available for the control of the parasitic nematode infections are mainly based on chemical treatment, non-chemical management practices, immune modulation and biological control. However, even with integrated pest management that frequently combines these approaches, the effective and long-lasting control strategies are hampered by the persistent exposure of host animals to environmental stages of parasites, the incomplete protective response of the host and acquisition of anthelmintic resistance by an increasing number of parasitic nematodes. Therefore, the challenges to improve control of parasitic nematode infections are multi-fold and no single category of information will meet them all. However, new information, such as nematode genomics, functional genomics and proteomics, can strengthen basic and applied biological research aimed to develop improvements. In this review we will, summarize existing control strategies of nematode infections and discuss ongoing developments in nematode genomics. Genomics approaches offer a growing and fundamental base of information, which when coupled with downstream functional genomics and proteomics can accelerate progress towards developing more efficient and sustainable control programs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Makedonka Mitreva
- Genome Sequencing Center, Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, 4444 Forest Park Boulevard, St. Louis, MO 63108, USA.
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27
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Elling AA, Mitreva M, Recknor J, Gai X, Martin J, Maier TR, McDermott JP, Hewezi T, McK Bird D, Davis EL, Hussey RS, Nettleton D, McCarter JP, Baum TJ. Divergent evolution of arrested development in the dauer stage of Caenorhabditis elegans and the infective stage of Heterodera glycines. Genome Biol 2007; 8:R211. [PMID: 17919324 PMCID: PMC2246285 DOI: 10.1186/gb-2007-8-10-r211] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2007] [Accepted: 10/05/2007] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The soybean cyst nematode Heterodera glycines is the most important parasite in soybean production worldwide. A comprehensive analysis of large-scale gene expression changes throughout the development of plant-parasitic nematodes has been lacking to date. RESULTS We report an extensive genomic analysis of H. glycines, beginning with the generation of 20,100 expressed sequence tags (ESTs). In-depth analysis of these ESTs plus approximately 1,900 previously published sequences predicted 6,860 unique H. glycines genes and allowed a classification by function using InterProScan. Expression profiling of all 6,860 genes throughout the H. glycines life cycle was undertaken using the Affymetrix Soybean Genome Array GeneChip. Our data sets and results represent a comprehensive resource for molecular studies of H. glycines. Demonstrating the power of this resource, we were able to address whether arrested development in the Caenorhabditis elegans dauer larva and the H. glycines infective second-stage juvenile (J2) exhibits shared gene expression profiles. We determined that the gene expression profiles associated with the C. elegans dauer pathway are not uniformly conserved in H. glycines and that the expression profiles of genes for metabolic enzymes of C. elegans dauer larvae and H. glycines infective J2 are dissimilar. CONCLUSION Our results indicate that hallmark gene expression patterns and metabolism features are not shared in the developmentally arrested life stages of C. elegans and H. glycines, suggesting that developmental arrest in these two nematode species has undergone more divergent evolution than previously thought and pointing to the need for detailed genomic analyses of individual parasite species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Axel A Elling
- Interdepartmental Genetics Program, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA
- Department of Plant Pathology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA
- Current address: Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - Makedonka Mitreva
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, Genome Sequencing Center, St Louis, MO 63108, USA
| | - Justin Recknor
- Department of Statistics, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA
| | - Xiaowu Gai
- LH Baker Center for Bioinformatics and Biological Statistics, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA
- Current address: Center for Biomedical Informatics, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - John Martin
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, Genome Sequencing Center, St Louis, MO 63108, USA
| | - Thomas R Maier
- Department of Plant Pathology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA
| | - Jeffrey P McDermott
- Department of Plant Pathology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA
- Current address: The University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS 66160, USA
| | - Tarek Hewezi
- Department of Plant Pathology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA
| | - David McK Bird
- Department of Plant Pathology, NC State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA
| | - Eric L Davis
- Department of Plant Pathology, NC State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA
| | - Richard S Hussey
- Department of Plant Pathology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Dan Nettleton
- Department of Statistics, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA
| | - James P McCarter
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, Genome Sequencing Center, St Louis, MO 63108, USA
- Divergence Inc., North Warson Road, St Louis, MO 63141, USA
| | - Thomas J Baum
- Interdepartmental Genetics Program, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA
- Department of Plant Pathology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA
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28
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Li BW, Rush AC, Weil GJ, McCarter JP, Mitreva M. Brugia malayi: Effects of radiation and culture on gene expression in infective larvae. Mol Biochem Parasitol 2006; 149:201-7. [PMID: 16824625 DOI: 10.1016/j.molbiopara.2006.05.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2006] [Revised: 05/26/2006] [Accepted: 05/31/2006] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Third-stage infective larvae (L3i) of Brugia malayi are developmentally arrested in mosquitoes but must quickly adapt to a new environment when they enter mammalian hosts to initiate infections. These changes can be studied by in vitro culture of L3 (L3c) under conditions that permit molting of L3-L4. Irradiated L3 (L3ir) have stunted growth and limited lifespan in mammalian hosts, and they induce high levels of immunity to challenge infections in animal models. This study explored differences in gene expression in L3i, L3c and L3ir by expressed sequence tag EST generation and qRT-PCR. 2506 ESTs generated from cDNA libraries constructed from L3i, L3c and L3ir were grouped into 1309 gene clusters. Despite extensive prior sampling from B. malayi (>22,000 ESTs in dbEST), 73% of the L3 clusters described here are novel. Sixty-three percentage of the clusters have homology to proteins from other species including 187 specific to nematodes and 141 that have to date only been described in non-nematode species. The transcript levels of 62 candidates for up- or down-regulation in L3i, L3c and L3ir based on EST frequencies were evaluated by qRT-PCR. Twenty-eight were confirmed to have > or = 3-fold differences in expression. Genes coding for proteins believed to be involved in establishment of infection, host adaptation and targets of protective immunity were confirmed to have higher expression in L3i than in L3c. Some of the genes that were down-regulated in L3c were highly expressed in L3ir. This study provides an improved description of the adaptations that accompany the transition from L3i to L3c and the special ability of L3ir to induce protective immunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ben-Wen Li
- Infectious Diseases Division, Campus Box 8051, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 S. Euclid Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA.
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29
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Palavalli LH, Brendza KM, Haakenson W, Cahoon RE, McLaird M, Hicks LM, McCarter JP, Williams DJ, Hresko MC, Jez JM. Defining the role of phosphomethylethanolamine N-methyltransferase from Caenorhabditis elegans in phosphocholine biosynthesis by biochemical and kinetic analysis. Biochemistry 2006; 45:6056-65. [PMID: 16681378 DOI: 10.1021/bi060199d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
In plants and Plasmodium falciparum, the synthesis of phosphatidylcholine requires the conversion of phosphoethanolamine to phosphocholine by phosphoethanolamine methyltransferase (PEAMT). This pathway differs from the metabolic route of phosphatidylcholine synthesis used in mammals and, on the basis of bioinformatics, was postulated to function in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Here we describe the cloning and biochemical characterization of a PEAMT from C. elegans (gene, pmt-2; protein, PMT-2). Although similar in size to the PEAMT from plants, which contain two tandem methyltransferase domains, PMT-2 retains only the C-terminal methyltransferase domain. RNA-mediated interference experiments in C. elegans show that PMT-2 is essential for worm viability and that choline supplementation rescues the RNAi-generated phenotype. Unlike the plant and Plasmodium PEAMT, which catalyze all three methylations in the pathway, PMT-2 catalyzes only the last two steps in the pathway, i.e., the methylation of phosphomonomethylethanolamine (P-MME) to phosphodimethylethanolamine (P-DME) and of P-DME to phosphocholine. Analysis of initial velocity patterns suggests a random sequential kinetic mechanism for PMT-2. Product inhibition by S-adenosylhomocysteine was competitive versus S-adenosylmethionine and noncompetitive versus P-DME, consistent with formation of a dead-end complex. Inhibition by phosphocholine was competitive versus each substrate. Fluorescence titrations show that all substrates and products bind to the free enzyme. The biochemical data are consistent with a random sequential kinetic mechanism for PMT-2. This work provides a kinetic basis for additional studies on the reaction mechanism of PEAMT. Our results indicate that nematodes also use the PEAMT pathway for phosphatidylcholine biosynthesis. If the essential role of PMT-2 in C. elegans is conserved in parasitic nematodes of mammals and plants, then inhibition of the PEAMT pathway may be a viable approach for targeting these parasites with compounds of medicinal or agronomic value.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lavanya H Palavalli
- Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, 975 North Warson Road, St. Louis, Missouri 63132, USA
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30
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Yin Y, Martin J, McCarter JP, Clifton SW, Wilson RK, Mitreva M. Identification and analysis of genes expressed in the adult filarial parasitic nematode Dirofilaria immitis. Int J Parasitol 2006; 36:829-39. [PMID: 16697384 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpara.2006.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2005] [Revised: 02/28/2006] [Accepted: 03/02/2006] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
The heartworm Dirofilaria immitis is a filarial parasitic nematode infecting dogs and other mammals worldwide causing fatal complications. Here, we present the first large-scale survey of the adult heartworm transcriptome by generation and analysis of 4005 expressed sequence tags, identifying about 1800 genes and expanding the available sequence information for the parasite significantly. Brugia malayi genomic data offered the most valuable information to interpret heartworm genes, with about 70% of D. immitis genes showing significant similarities to the assembly. Comparative genomic analyses revealed both genes common to metazoans or nematodes and genes specific to filarial parasites that may relate to parasitism. Characterization of abundant transcripts suggested important roles for genes involved in energy generation and antioxidant defense in adults. In particular, we proposed that adult heartworm likely adopted an anaerobic electron transfer-based energy generation system distinct from the aerobic pathway utilized by its mammalian host, making it a promising target in developing next generation macrofilaricides and other treatments. Our survey provided novel insights into the D. immitis transcriptome and laid a foundation for further comparative studies on biology, parasitism and evolution within the phylum Nematoda.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yong Yin
- Department of Genetics, Genome Sequencing Center, Washington University School of Medicine, Box 8501, St Louis, MO 63108, USA.
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31
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Mitreva M, Wendl MC, Martin J, Wylie T, Yin Y, Larson A, Parkinson J, Waterston RH, McCarter JP. Codon usage patterns in Nematoda: analysis based on over 25 million codons in thirty-two species. Genome Biol 2006; 7:R75. [PMID: 26271136 PMCID: PMC1779591 DOI: 10.1186/gb-2006-7-8-r75] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2006] [Revised: 06/30/2006] [Accepted: 08/14/2006] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Codon usage has direct utility in molecular characterization of species and is also a arker for molecular evolution. To understand codon usage within the diverse phylum Nematoda,we analyzed a total of 265,494 expressed sequence tags (ESTs) from 30 nematode species. The full genomes of Caenorhabditis elegans and C. briggsae were also examined. A total of 25,871,325 codons ere analyzed and a comprehensive codon usage table for all species was generated. This is the first codon usage table available for 24 of these organisms. RESULTS Codon usage similarity in Nematoda usually persists over the breadth of a genus but thenrapidly diminishes even within each clade. Globodera, Meloidogyne, Pristionchus, and Strongyloides have the most highly derived patterns of codon usage. The major factor affecting differences in codon usage between species is the coding sequence GC content, which varies in nematodes from 32%to 51%. Coding GC content (measured as GC3) also explains much of the observed variation in the effective number of codons (R = 0.70), which is a measure of codon bias, and it even accounts for differences in amino acid frequency. Codon usage is also affected by neighboring nucleotides(N1 context). Coding GC content correlates strongly with estimated noncoding genomic GC content (R = 0.92). On examining abundant clusters in five species, candidate optimal codons were identified that may be preferred in highly expressed transcripts. CONCLUSION Evolutionary models indicate that total genomic GC content, probably the product of directional mutation pressure, drives codon usage rather than the converse, a conclusion that is supported by examination of nematode genomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Makedonka Mitreva
- Genome Sequencing Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri 63108, USA
| | - Michael C Wendl
- Genome Sequencing Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri 63108, USA
| | - John Martin
- Genome Sequencing Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri 63108, USA
| | - Todd Wylie
- Genome Sequencing Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri 63108, USA
| | - Yong Yin
- Genome Sequencing Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri 63108, USA
| | - Allan Larson
- Department of Biology, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri 63130, USA
| | - John Parkinson
- Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, and Departments of Biochemistry/Medical Genetics and Microbiology, University of Toronto, M5G 1X8, Canada
| | - Robert H Waterston
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
| | - James P McCarter
- Genome Sequencing Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri 63108, USA
- Divergence Inc., St Louis, Missouri 63141, USA
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Vanholme B, Mitreva M, Van Criekinge W, Logghe M, Bird D, McCarter JP, Gheysen G. Detection of putative secreted proteins in the plant-parasitic nematode Heterodera schachtii. Parasitol Res 2005; 98:414-24. [PMID: 16380840 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-005-0029-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2005] [Accepted: 09/20/2005] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
The beet cyst nematode Heterodera schachtii is an important pathogen worldwide, but its molecular characterization has been limited to studying individual genes of interest. We undertook a high-throughput genomic approach and drastically increased the number of available sequences for this parasite. A total of 2,662 expressed sequence tags were grouped into 1,212 clusters representing a nonredundant catalog of H. schachtii genes. Implementing a bioinformatic workflow, we identified 50 sequences coding for candidate secreted proteins. All of these contain a putative signal peptide required for entry into the secretory pathway and lack any transmembrane domain. Included are previously postulated cell-wall-degrading enzymes and other parasitism-related genes. Moreover, we provide the first report of an arabinogalactan endo-1,4-beta-galactosidase enzyme (EC 3.2.1.89) in animals. As sequence data increase at a rapid rate, developing high-throughput genomic screening is a necessity. The in silico approach described here is an effective way to identify putative secreted proteins and prioritize candidates for further studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bartel Vanholme
- Molecular Biotechnology Department, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Coupure links 653, 9000, Ghent, Belgium
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Bird DM, Blaxter ML, McCarter JP, Mitreva M, Sternberg PW, Thomas WK. A white paper on nematode comparative genomics. J Nematol 2005; 37:408-416. [PMID: 19262884 PMCID: PMC2620993] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/27/2023] Open
Abstract
In response to the new opportunities for genome sequencing and comparative genomics, the Society of Nematology (SON) formed a committee to develop a white paper in support of the broad scientific needs associated with this phylum and interests of SON members. Although genome sequencing is expensive, the data generated are unique in biological systems in that genomes have the potential to be complete (every base of the genome can be accounted for), accurate (the data are digital and not subject to stochastic variation), and permanent (once obtained, the genome of a species does not need to be experimentally re-sampled). The availability of complete, accurate, and permanent genome sequences from diverse nematode species will underpin future studies into the biology and evolution of this phylum and the ecological associations (particularly parasitic) nematodes have with other organisms. We anticipate that upwards of 100 nematode genomes will be solved to varying levels of completion in the coming decade and suggest biological and practical considerations to guide the selection of the most informative taxa for sequencing.
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McCarter JP, Bird DM, Mitreva M. Nematode gene sequences: update for december 2005. J Nematol 2005; 37:417-421. [PMID: 19262885] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/27/2023] Open
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Mitreva M, Appleton J, McCarter JP, Jasmer DP. Expressed sequence tags from life cycle stages of Trichinella spiralis: application to biology and parasite control. Vet Parasitol 2005; 132:13-7. [PMID: 15993542 DOI: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2005.05.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
While the approach taken to date to study Trichinella spp., involves mainly characterization of individual genes of interest, we initiated a genomics approach as an antecedent to more complete genome sequencing. Our approach involves use of expressed sequence tags (ESTs) obtained from three life cycle stages of Trichinella spiralis; adult worms (AD), mature muscle larvae (ML) and immature L1 larvae (immL1, also known as newborn larvae) () to improve the technical capacity for research on Trichinella spp. and to generate information that will aid prospective development of relevant hypotheses. In this review, we will summarize findings of our EST analysis and discuss how they relate to topics mentioned above. The foundation laid by this data will also contribute toward development of a more substantial genomic database and technical capacity to dissect molecular interactions between vertebrate hosts and Trichinella spp.
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Affiliation(s)
- Makedonka Mitreva
- Genome Sequencing Center, Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, 4444 Forest Park Boulevard, St. Louis, MO 63108, USA.
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Abstract
Recent transcriptome and genome projects have dramatically expanded the biological data available across the phylum Nematoda. Here we summarize analyses of these sequences, which have revealed multiple unexpected results. Despite a uniform body plan, nematodes are more diverse at the molecular level than was previously recognized, with many species- and group-specific novel genes. In the genus Caenorhabditis, changes in chromosome arrangement, particularly local inversions, are also rapid, with breakpoints occurring at 50-fold the rate in vertebrates. Tylenchid plant parasitic nematode genomes contain several genes closely related to genes in bacteria, implicating horizontal gene transfer events in the origins of plant parasitism. Functional genomics techniques are also moving from Caenorhabditis elegans to application throughout the phylum. Soon, eight more draft nematode genome sequences will be available. This unique resource will underpin both molecular understanding of these most abundant metazoan organisms and aid in the examination of the dynamics of genome evolution in animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Makedonka Mitreva
- Genome Sequencing Center, Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO 63108, USA.
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Thompson FJ, Mitreva M, Barker GL, Martin J, Waterston RH, McCarter JP, Viney ME. Corrigendum to “An expressed sequence tag analysis of the life-cycle of the parasitic nematode Strongyloides ratti” [Mol. Biochem. Parasitol. 142 (2005) 32–46]. Mol Biochem Parasitol 2005. [DOI: 10.1016/j.molbiopara.2005.06.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Mitreva M, McCarter JP, Arasu P, Hawdon J, Martin J, Dante M, Wylie T, Xu J, Stajich JE, Kapulkin W, Clifton SW, Waterston RH, Wilson RK. Investigating hookworm genomes by comparative analysis of two Ancylostoma species. BMC Genomics 2005; 6:58. [PMID: 15854223 PMCID: PMC1112591 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2164-6-58] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2004] [Accepted: 04/26/2005] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Hookworms, infecting over one billion people, are the mostly closely related major human parasites to the model nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Applying genomics techniques to these species, we analyzed 3,840 and 3,149 genes from Ancylostoma caninum and A. ceylanicum. Results Transcripts originated from libraries representing infective L3 larva, stimulated L3, arrested L3, and adults. Most genes are represented in single stages including abundant transcripts like hsp-20 in infective L3 and vit-3 in adults. Over 80% of the genes have homologs in C. elegans, and nearly 30% of these were with observable RNA interference phenotypes. Homologies were identified to nematode-specific and clade V specific gene families. To study the evolution of hookworm genes, 574 A. caninum / A. ceylanicum orthologs were identified, all of which were found to be under purifying selection with distribution ratios of nonsynonymous to synonymous amino acid substitutions similar to that reported for C. elegans / C. briggsae orthologs. The phylogenetic distance between A. caninum and A. ceylanicum is almost identical to that for C. elegans / C. briggsae. Conclusion The genes discovered should substantially accelerate research toward better understanding of the parasites' basic biology as well as new therapies including vaccines and novel anthelmintics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Makedonka Mitreva
- Genome Sequencing Center, Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63108, USA
| | - James P McCarter
- Genome Sequencing Center, Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63108, USA
- Divergence Inc., St. Louis, MO 63141, USA
| | - Prema Arasu
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Molecular Biomedical Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27606, USA
| | - John Hawdon
- Department of Microbiology and Tropical Medicine, George Washington University Medical Center, Washington, DC 20037, USA
| | - John Martin
- Genome Sequencing Center, Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63108, USA
| | - Mike Dante
- Genome Sequencing Center, Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63108, USA
| | - Todd Wylie
- Genome Sequencing Center, Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63108, USA
| | - Jian Xu
- Genome Sequencing Center, Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63108, USA
| | - Jason E Stajich
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Wadim Kapulkin
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Warsaw Agricultural University, Warszawa, Poland
- School of Biology, University of Leeds, LEEDS LS2 9JT, UK
| | - Sandra W Clifton
- Genome Sequencing Center, Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63108, USA
| | - Robert H Waterston
- Genome Sequencing Center, Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63108, USA
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Richard K Wilson
- Genome Sequencing Center, Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63108, USA
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Thompson FJ, Mitreva M, Barker GLA, Martin J, Waterston RH, Waterson RH, McCarter JP, Viney ME. An expressed sequence tag analysis of the life-cycle of the parasitic nematode Strongyloides ratti. Mol Biochem Parasitol 2005; 142:32-46. [PMID: 15907559 DOI: 10.1016/j.molbiopara.2005.03.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2005] [Revised: 03/17/2005] [Accepted: 03/17/2005] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
14,761 expressed sequence tags (ESTs) were generated, representing five stages during the parasitic and free-living phases of the life-cycle of the parasitic nematode Strongyloides ratti. These ESTs formed 4152 clusters, of which 97% contained 10 or fewer ESTs and 66% were singletons. These 4152 clusters are likely to represent approximately 20% of S. ratti's genes. The clusters' consensus sequences were used to assign each cluster to one of three databases: (i) Caenorhabditis elegans and C. briggsae sequences; (ii) other nematode sequences; (iii) non-nematode sequences. This approach has identified putative nematode-specific genes, that may be targets for developing approaches for parasitic nematode control. Approximately 25% of the clusters have no significant alignments and may therefore represent novel genes. The EST representation between the libraries was used to analyse stage-specific or -biased expression in silico. This showed that 81% of clusters are present in only one library and 12% are present in any two libraries, indicating substantial stage-specificity of gene expression. The 30-most abundantly expressed clusters were analysed in further detail. Many of these have significantly different parasitic- or free-living-specific or -biased expression. Many of the parasitic-specific genes are, as yet, uncharacterised: one of these represents 25% of all ESTs obtained from the parasitic stage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fiona J Thompson
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Woodland Road, Bristol BS8 1UG, UK.
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Mitreva M, Jasmer DP, Appleton J, Martin J, Dante M, Wylie T, Clifton SW, Waterston RH, McCarter JP. Gene discovery in the adenophorean nematode Trichinella spiralis: an analysis of transcription from three life cycle stages. Mol Biochem Parasitol 2005; 137:277-91. [PMID: 15383298 DOI: 10.1016/j.molbiopara.2004.05.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2004] [Revised: 05/14/2004] [Accepted: 05/17/2004] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Expressed sequence tags (ESTs) were produced from cDNA libraries for immature L1, mature muscle larva and adult stages of the adenophorean nematode Trichinella spiralis. 10,130 ESTs were grouped into 3454 gene clusters. The clusters represent a conservative estimate of 3262 unique genes. Interspecific comparisons of the predicted proteins support an ancient divergence of clade I nematodes from other nematodes in the phylum Nematoda. Furthermore, apparent clade I or Trichocephalida-specific proteins were identified, which may include molecular determinants important in the evolution of these species. Similarity matches identified 463 C. elegans genes homologs that confer phenotypes by RNA interference. Classification of predicted proteins suggested diverse cellular, metabolic and extracellular functions, significantly expanding the dataset of T. spiralis proteins with prospective, and potentially critical, functions. Several lines of evidence suggested stage-specific expression of certain genes beyond those previously identified. Evidence was obtained for the existence of large gene families encoding isoforms of known secreted proteins, such as p43 and TspE1. Unexpectedly, diverse isoforms of the muscle larva p43 gene appear to be expressed by immature L1. Proteinases, kinases, antioxidant proteins and enzymes involved in glycan synthesis are implicated in T. spiralis interactions with its hosts. Numerous genes were identified that encode predicted proteins in these categories. The genes discovered, when put into context of functional classification, stage of expression, and biology of the parasite, should substantially enhance experimental potential for research on this parasite.
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Affiliation(s)
- Makedonka Mitreva
- Department of Genetics, Genome Sequencing Center, Washington University School of Medicine, Box 8501, 4444 Forest Park Boulevard, St. Louis, MO 63108, USA.
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Abstract
Human filarial nematodes cause river blindness and lymphatic filariasis, both of which are diseases that produce considerable morbidity. Control of these diseases relies on drug treatments that are ineffective against macrofilariae and are threatened by the development of resistance. New validated drug targets are required to allow development of new classes of antifilarial drugs. To identify and validate potential new drug targets, we propose a collaborative research strategy utilizing bioinformatic filters and assessment of gene function by RNA interference in Caenorhabditis elegans and Brugia malayi.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolyn A Behm
- School of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Science, Australian National University, Canberra 0200, Australia.
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42
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Abstract
Genomic filtering is a rapid approach to identifying and prioritizing molecular targets for drug discovery. For infectious disease applications, comparative genomics filters allow the selection of pathogen-specific gene products, whereas functional genomics filters, such as RNA interference (RNAi), allow the selection of gene products essential for pathogen survival. The approach is especially applicable to antiparasitic drug discovery where the phylogenetic distance between parasite and host make the likelihood of drug cross-toxicity due to conservation of molecular targets greater than for more distantly related pathogens such as prokaryotes. This article discusses some of the inherent challenges of applying genomics to the early steps of drug discovery and describes one successful comparative and functional genomics filtering strategy that has been implemented to prioritize molecular targets and identify chemical leads for nematode control.
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Affiliation(s)
- James P McCarter
- Divergence Inc., 893 North Warson Road, St Louis, MO 63141, USA.
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Parkinson J, Mitreva M, Whitton C, Thomson M, Daub J, Martin J, Schmid R, Hall N, Barrell B, Waterston RH, McCarter JP, Blaxter ML. A transcriptomic analysis of the phylum Nematoda. Nat Genet 2004; 36:1259-67. [PMID: 15543149 DOI: 10.1038/ng1472] [Citation(s) in RCA: 192] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2004] [Accepted: 10/15/2004] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The phylum Nematoda occupies a huge range of ecological niches, from free-living microbivores to human parasites. We analyzed the genomic biology of the phylum using 265,494 expressed-sequence tag sequences, corresponding to 93,645 putative genes, from 30 species, including 28 parasites. From 35% to 70% of each species' genes had significant similarity to proteins from the model nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. More than half of the putative genes were unique to the phylum, and 23% were unique to the species from which they were derived. We have not yet come close to exhausting the genomic diversity of the phylum. We identified more than 2,600 different known protein domains, some of which had differential abundances between major taxonomic groups of nematodes. We also defined 4,228 nematode-specific protein families from nematode-restricted genes: this class of genes probably underpins species- and higher-level taxonomic disparity. Nematode-specific families are particularly interesting as drug and vaccine targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- John Parkinson
- Hospital for Sick Children, 555 University Avenue, Departments of Biochemistry and Medical Genetics and Microbiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5G 1X8, Canada.
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Jasmer DP, Mitreva MD, McCarter JP. mRNA sequences for Haemonchus contortus intestinal cathepsin B-like cysteine proteases display an extreme in abundance and diversity compared with other adult mammalian parasitic nematodes. Mol Biochem Parasitol 2004; 137:297-305. [PMID: 15383300 DOI: 10.1016/j.molbiopara.2004.06.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2003] [Revised: 06/21/2004] [Accepted: 06/25/2004] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Cathepsin B-like cysteine protease (cbl) genes produce the most abundant mRNAs ( approximately 16%) detected in the adult female intestine of the parasitic nematode Haemonchus contortus. CBL enzymes appear to digest host proteins and are vaccine candidates for immune control of H. contortus and potentially other parasitic nematodes. Hence, it is important to quantify the extent of diversity of H. contortuscbl genes. Here, expressed sequence tags (ESTs) were used to assess both the size and diversity of the H. contortuscbl gene family. Contig analysis of 686 cbl ESTs from a USA isolate resolved 123 clusters. ESTs were grouped into discrete sets and analyzed using an additive model. Discovery of new cbl clusters increased with each set and reached a terminal rate of about 1 per 10 ESTs. The extreme diversity was unique to cbls relative to other genes investigated and was ascribed to specific cbl clades. Sixty percent of cbl clusters from a UK isolate were shared with those identified in the USA isolate, suggesting conservation of cbl gene repertoires across regions, although minor to moderate geographic variation cannot be excluded. Sequence comparisons also suggested high potential for antigenic diversity among CBL proteins, which is relevant to vaccine strategies. Compared to other parasitic nematodes of mammals, the extreme abundance and diversity of intestinal cbl transcripts appear to be relative specializations for H. contortus. Therefore, adaptations related to nutrient acquisition may vary markedly among these parasitic nematodes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Douglas P Jasmer
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Pathology, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 9916407040, USA
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Mitreva M, Elling AA, Dante M, Kloek AP, Kalyanaraman A, Aluru S, Clifton SW, Bird DM, Baum TJ, McCarter JP. A survey of SL1-spliced transcripts from the root-lesion nematode Pratylenchus penetrans. Mol Genet Genomics 2004; 272:138-48. [PMID: 15338281 DOI: 10.1007/s00438-004-1054-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2004] [Accepted: 08/06/2004] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Plant-parasitic nematodes are important and cosmopolitan pathogens of crops. Here, we describe the generation and analysis of 1928 expressed sequence tags (ESTs) of a splice-leader 1 (SL1) library from mixed life stages of the root-lesion nematode Pratylenchus penetrans. The ESTs were grouped into 420 clusters and classified by function using the Gene Ontology (GO) hierarchy and the Kyoto KEGG database. Approximately 80% of all translated clusters show homology to Caenorhabditis elegans proteins, and 37% of the C. elegans gene homologs had confirmed phenotypes as assessed by RNA interference tests. Use of an SL1-PCR approach, while ensuring the cloning of the 5' ends of mRNAs, has demonstrated bias toward short transcripts. Putative nematode-specific and Pratylenchus -specific genes were identified, and their implications for nematode control strategies are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Mitreva
- Genome Sequencing Center, Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, MO 63108, St. Louis, USA,
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Mitreva M, McCarter JP, Martin J, Dante M, Wylie T, Chiapelli B, Pape D, Clifton SW, Nutman TB, Waterston RH. Comparative genomics of gene expression in the parasitic and free-living nematodes Strongyloides stercoralis and Caenorhabditis elegans. Genome Res 2004; 14:209-20. [PMID: 14762059 PMCID: PMC327096 DOI: 10.1101/gr.1524804] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Although developmental timing of gene expression is used to infer potential gene function, studies have yet to correlate this information between species. We analyzed 10,921 ESTs in 3311 clusters from first- and infective third-stage larva (L1, L3i) of the parasitic nematode Strongyloides stercoralis and compared the results to Caenorhabditis elegans, a species that has an L3i-like dauer stage. In the comparison of S. stercoralis clusters with stage-specific expression to C. elegans homologs expressed in either dauer or nondauer stages, matches between S. stercoralis L1 and C. elegans nondauer-expressed genes dominated, suggesting conservation in the repertoire of genes expressed during growth in nutrient-rich conditions. For example, S. stercoralis collagen transcripts were abundant in L1 but not L3i, a pattern consistent with C. elegans collagens. Although a greater proportion of S. stercoralis L3i than L1 genes have homologs among the C. elegans dauer-specific transcripts, we did not uncover evidence of a robust conserved L3i/dauer 'expression signature.' Strikingly, in comparisons of S. stercoralis clusters to C. elegans homologs with RNAi knockouts, those with significant L1-specific expression were more than twice as likely as L3i-specific clusters to match genes with phenotypes. We also provide functional classifications of S. stercoralis clusters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Makedonka Mitreva
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri 63108, USA.
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Wylie T, Martin JC, Dante M, Mitreva MD, Clifton SW, Chinwalla A, Waterston RH, Wilson RK, McCarter JP. Nematode.net: a tool for navigating sequences from parasitic and free-living nematodes. Nucleic Acids Res 2004; 32:D423-6. [PMID: 14681448 PMCID: PMC308745 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkh010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2003] [Accepted: 08/21/2003] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Nematode.net (www.nematode.net) is a web- accessible resource for investigating gene sequences from nematode genomes. The database is an outgrowth of the parasitic nematode EST project at Washington University's Genome Sequencing Center (GSC), St Louis. A sister project at the University of Edinburgh and the Sanger Institute is also underway. More than 295,000 ESTs have been generated from >30 nematodes other than Caenorhabditis elegans including key parasites of humans, animals and plants. Nematode.net currently provides NemaGene EST cluster consensus sequence, enhanced online BLAST search tools, functional classifications of cluster sequences and comprehensive information concerning the ongoing generation of nematode genome data. The long-term goal of nematode.net is to provide the scientific community with the highest quality sequence information and tools for studying these diverse species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Todd Wylie
- The Genome Sequencing Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO 63108, USA.
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McCarter JP, Mitreva M, Clifton SW, Bird DM, Waterston RH. Nematode gene sequences: update for december 2003. J Nematol 2003; 35:465-469. [PMID: 19262781 PMCID: PMC2620685] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/27/2023] Open
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Scholl EH, Thorne JL, McCarter JP, Bird DM. Horizontally transferred genes in plant-parasitic nematodes: a high-throughput genomic approach. Genome Biol 2003; 4:R39. [PMID: 12801413 PMCID: PMC193618 DOI: 10.1186/gb-2003-4-6-r39] [Citation(s) in RCA: 116] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2003] [Revised: 03/27/2003] [Accepted: 04/22/2003] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Published accounts of horizontally acquired genes in plant-parasitic nematodes have not been the result of a specific search for gene transfer per se, but rather have emerged from characterization of individual genes. We present a method for a high-throughput genome screen for horizontally acquired genes, illustrated using expressed sequence tag (EST) data from three species of root-knot nematode, Meloidogyne species. RESULTS Our approach identified the previously postulated horizontally transferred genes and revealed six new candidates. Screening was partially dependent on sequence quality, with more candidates identified from clustered sequences than from raw EST data. Computational and experimental methods verified the horizontal gene transfer candidates as bona fide nematode genes. Phylogenetic analysis implicated rhizobial ancestors as donors of horizontally acquired genes in Meloidogyne. CONCLUSIONS High-throughput genomic screening is an effective way to identify horizontal gene transfer candidates. Transferred genes that have undergone amelioration of nucleotide composition and codon bias have been identified using this approach. Analysis of these horizontally transferred gene candidates suggests a link between horizontally transferred genes in Meloidogyne and parasitism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth H Scholl
- Center for the Biology of Nematode Parasitism, Box 7253, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA
- Bioinformatics Research Center, Box 7566, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA
| | - Jeffrey L Thorne
- Bioinformatics Research Center, Box 7566, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA
| | - James P McCarter
- Genome Sequencing Center, Department of Genetics, Box 8501, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63108, USA
- Divergence Inc., 893 North Warson Road, St. Louis, MO 63141, USA
| | - David Mck Bird
- Center for the Biology of Nematode Parasitism, Box 7253, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA
- Bioinformatics Research Center, Box 7566, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA
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McCarter JP, Mitreva MD, Martin J, Dante M, Wylie T, Rao U, Pape D, Bowers Y, Theising B, Murphy CV, Kloek AP, Chiapelli BJ, Clifton SW, Bird DM, Waterston RH. Analysis and functional classification of transcripts from the nematode Meloidogyne incognita. Genome Biol 2003; 4:R26. [PMID: 12702207 PMCID: PMC154577 DOI: 10.1186/gb-2003-4-4-r26] [Citation(s) in RCA: 115] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2002] [Revised: 02/17/2003] [Accepted: 02/28/2003] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Plant parasitic nematodes are major pathogens of most crops. Molecular characterization of these species as well as the development of new techniques for control can benefit from genomic approaches. As an entrée to characterizing plant parasitic nematode genomes, we analyzed 5,700 expressed sequence tags (ESTs) from second-stage larvae (L2) of the root-knot nematode Meloidogyne incognita. RESULTS From these, 1,625 EST clusters were formed and classified by function using the Gene Ontology (GO) hierarchy and the Kyoto KEGG database. L2 larvae, which represent the infective stage of the life cycle before plant invasion, express a diverse array of ligand-binding proteins and abundant cytoskeletal proteins. L2 are structurally similar to Caenorhabditis elegans dauer larva and the presence of transcripts encoding glyoxylate pathway enzymes in the M. incognita clusters suggests that root-knot nematode larvae metabolize lipid stores while in search of a host. Homology to other species was observed in 79% of translated cluster sequences, with the C. elegans genome providing more information than any other source. In addition to identifying putative nematode-specific and Tylenchida-specific genes, sequencing revealed previously uncharacterized horizontal gene transfer candidates in Meloidogyne with high identity to rhizobacterial genes including homologs of nodL acetyltransferase and novel cellulases. CONCLUSIONS With sequencing from plant parasitic nematodes accelerating, the approaches to transcript characterization described here can be applied to more extensive datasets and also provide a foundation for more complex genome analyses.
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Affiliation(s)
- James P McCarter
- Genome Sequencing Center, Department of Genetics, Box 8501, Washington University School of Medicine, St, Louis, MO 63108, USA.
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