Abstract
BackgroundClonorchiasis remains an important zoonotic parasitic disease worldwide. The molecular mechanisms of host-parasite interaction are not fully understood. Non-coding microRNAs (miRNAs) are considered to be key regulators in parasitic diseases. The regulation of miRNAs and host micro-environment may be involved in clonorchiasis, and require further investigation.MethodsMiRNA microarray technology and bioinformatic analysis were used to investigate the regulatory mechanisms of host miRNA and to compare miRNA expression profiles in the liver tissues of control and Clonorchis sinensis (C. sinensis)-infected rats.ResultsA total of eight miRNAs were downregulated and two were upregulated, which showed differentially altered expression profiles in the liver tissue of C. sinensis-infected rats. Further analysis of the differentially expressed miRNAs revealed that many important signal pathways were triggered after infection with C. sinensis, which were related to clonorchiasis pathogenesis, such as cell apoptosis and inflammation, as well as genes involved in signal transduction mechanisms, such as pathways in cancer and the Wnt and Mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) signaling pathways.ConclusionsThe present study revealed that the miRNA expression profiles of the host were changed by C. sinensis infection. This dysregulation in miRNA expression may contribute to the etiology and pathophysiology of clonorchiasis. These results also provide new insights into the regulatory mechanisms of miRNAs in clonorchiasis, which may present potential targets for future C. sinensis control strategies.
Highlights
Clonorchiasis remains an important zoonotic parasitic disease worldwide
The results of this study provide novel comparative information to potentially define the functional significance of host miRNAs, further elucidate the etiology and pathophysiology of clonorchiasis, and provide a better understanding of potential targets for future C. sinensis control strategies
There were some differentially expressed miRNAs found in the liver, which implied that C. sinensis infection altered host gene expression and subsequent changes in miRNA profiles targeting host transregulation factors
Summary
Clonorchiasis remains an important zoonotic parasitic disease worldwide. Non-coding microRNAs (miRNAs) are considered to be key regulators in parasitic diseases. The regulation of miRNAs and host micro-environment may be involved in clonorchiasis, and require further investigation. MiRNAs are a class of endogenous non-coding small RNAs (~22 nucleotides in size) that regulate gene expression at the post-transcriptional level and play important roles in the regulation of diverse physiological and pathological processes, such as cell maintenance, development, proliferation, differentiation, metabolism, and apoptosis [8]. Some recent studies have investigated differences in miRNA expression profiles and related specific biological functions in parasite-infected hosts [13]. T. gondii infection was found to induce changes in mouse brain miRNA expression profiles [10]. Studying changes in host miRNA profiles following parasite infection will help to further elucidate host-parasite interactions. The discovery of the functions of miRNAs is expected to provide new insights into better understanding pathogenic mechanisms and control of these parasites
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