Abstract
Heat shock proteins (Hsp) are a family of stress-inducible molecular chaperones that play multiple roles in a wide variety of animals. However, the roles of Hsps in parasitic nematodes remain largely unknown. To elucidate the roles of Hsps in the survival and longevity of nematodes, particularly at the 2 most critical stages in their lifecycle, the infective-L3 stage and adult stage, which is subjected to host-derived immunological pressure, we examined the temporal gene transcription patterns of Hsp12.6, Hsp20, Hsp70, and Hsp90 throughout the developmental course of the nematode Nippostrongylus brasiliensis by reverse transcriptase real-time PCR. Nb-Hsp70 and Nb-Hsp90 expression were observed throughout the nematode's lifecycle, while the expression of Nb-Hsp20 was restricted to adults. Interestingly, Nb-Hsp12.6 showed a biphasic temporal expression pattern; i.e., it was expressed in infective-L3 larvae and in adults during worm expulsion from immunocompetent rats. However, the activation of Nb-Hsp12.6 in adult worms was aborted when they infected permissive athymic-rnu/rnu rats and was only marginal when they infected mast-cell-deficient Ws/Ws rats, which exhibited a low response of rat mast cell protease (RMCP) II and resistin-like molecule (Relm)- β expression compared to those observed in immunocompetent rats. Moreover, the activation of Nb-Hsp12.6 was reversed when adult worms were transplanted into the naive rat intestine. These features of Nb-Hsp12.6, the expression of which is not only stage-specific in infective-L3, but is also inducible by mucosal immunity in adults, have implications for the survival strategies of parasitic nematodes in deleterious environmental conditions both outside and inside the host.
Highlights
Worldwide, hundreds of millions of people are afflicted by infection with intestinal nematodes, such as hookworms and Strongyloides spp
Development of Nippostrongylus brasiliensis To correlate the gene expression levels of Heat shock proteins (Hsp) with the development of N. brasiliensis, we briefly describe the morphological characteristics of worms in each stage of development, which were subjected to temporal gene expression studies
The present studies clarified the detailed temporal expression patterns of Nb-Hsps throughout the lifecycle of N. brasiliensis and found that they are closely correlated with development, niche transition, and worm expulsion
Summary
Hundreds of millions of people are afflicted by infection with intestinal nematodes, such as hookworms and Strongyloides spp. For successful infection and lifecycle continuation, these soiltransmitted nematodes must survive in two different environments: outside and inside the host. It has been suggested that infective-L3 larvae are analogous to dauer (L3) larvae, the dormant survival stage of the free-living nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, as dauer larvae are developmentally arrested, thin, and resistant to harsh conditions, features that are shared by infective-L3 larvae, infective-L3 stage is an obligatory stage of the lifecycle while the C. elegans dauer stage is an alternative developmental pathway, which is environmentally induced by food limitation, unfavorable temperatures, and a high population density [1,2]. Parasitic nematodes have to adapt to the physiological environment of the host, such as high temperatures and low-oxygen pressure, and have to endure the threat from the host immune response. Little is known about the molecular responses that intestinal nematodes use to counteract host immunity
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