Abstract
Schistosomiasis is a globally important helminthic disease of humans and animals, and it is the second most common parasitic disease after malaria. Eggs produced by mature females are responsible for the disease’s occurrence and spread. Frzb2, a secreted frizzled-related protein, can inhibit Wnt signalling by competitive binding to the specific frizzled protein receptor. In this study, the complete gene sequence of SjFrzb2 was obtained by using 3′-rapid amplification of cDNA ends technology. SjFrzb2 transcript levels at different stages of S. japonicum maturation were evaluated by quantitative real-time RT-PCR analysis. SjFrzb2 was expressed at all developmental stages examined and exhibited the highest transcription level in 7-day-old worms, then gradually decreased during the growth and developmental stages to reach the lowest level at 18 days post-infection. SjFrzb2 gene expression was higher in female worms than in male worms and was significantly higher in female worms from a single-sex infection than in female worms from a bisexual infection. The functions of SjFrzb2 were explored via a small interfering RNA-based gene silencing approach and the soaking method. The results showed that SjFrzb2 gene knockdown impaired the growth and development of S. japonicum in mice, affecting not only the survival and morphological structure of the worms but also their reproductive ability and the viability of the produced eggs. Collectively, these observations imply that Frzb2 may be a novel target for the development of immuno- and/or small molecule-based therapeutics to control schistosomiasis fecundity and transmission.
Highlights
Schistosomiasis infects over 200 million people globally and is a major public health concern in more than 70 developing countries [1, 2]
Complete coding sequence (CDS) and bioinformatic sequence analysis of SjFrzb2 The combination of the 3′ rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE)-PCR product with the reference sequence (GenBank AAX24900.2) resulted in an SjFrzb2 sequence with a total length of 1047 bp, which was submitted to the GenBank database under accession no
The coding sequence of this gene consisted of 855 bp, encoding a protein comprising 284 amino acids with a molecular weight of approximately 36.5 kDa and an isoelectric point of 5.13
Summary
Schistosomiasis infects over 200 million people globally and is a major public health concern in more than 70 developing countries [1, 2]. The regulation of various signalling pathways is essential for the growth and development of organisms. Wnt signalling is a highly conserved pathway that plays pivotal roles in embryonic development as well as energy metabolism and balance [12, 13]. Previous studies have indicated that the Wnt signalling pathway is critical for the normal development of the mammalian reproductive system, Cheng et al Vet Res (2019) 50:108 especially the formation of Müllerian ducts, and participates in the regulation of follicle development, ovulation, and luteinisation in the establishment of normal pregnancy [14,15,16]. Studies have indicated that the inhibition of Wnt protein expression affects the reproductive development of S. japonicum
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