Abstract
The genus Eimeria (Apicomplexa, Coccidia) provides a wide range of different species with different hosts to study common and variable features within the genus and its species. A common characteristic of all known Eimeria species is the oocyst, the infectious stage where its life cycle starts and ends. In our study, we utilized Eimeria nieschulzi as a model organism. This rat-specific parasite has complex oocyst morphology and can be transfected and even cultivated in vitro up to the oocyst stage. We wanted to elucidate how the known oocyst wall-forming proteins are preserved in this rodent Eimeria species compared to other Eimeria. In newly obtained genomics data, we were able to identify different gametocyte genes that are orthologous to already known gam genes involved in the oocyst wall formation of avian Eimeria species. These genes appeared putatively as single exon genes, but cDNA analysis showed alternative splicing events in the transcripts. The analysis of the translated sequence revealed different conserved motifs but also dissimilar regions in GAM proteins, as well as polymorphic regions. The occurrence of an underrepresented gam56 gene version suggests the existence of a second distinct E. nieschulzi genotype within the E. nieschulzi Landers isolate that we maintain.
Highlights
Coccidian parasites share the common persistent stage, the oocyst
In newly obtained genomics data, we were able to identify different gametocyte genes that are orthologous to already known gam genes involved in the oocyst wall formation of avian Eimeria species
Intracellular gametocytes, erythrocytes, rat intestinal epithelial cells and cell debris accumulated at the top of the gradient
Summary
Coccidian parasites share the common persistent stage, the oocyst. The uptake of an oocyst and hatching of the infectious sporozoite stage in the host marks the beginning of the parasite’s development within the host. After asexual and sexual reproduction, the formation of the oocyst initiates the end of the development in the host. Coccidian parasites of the genus Eimeria have monoxenous life cycles, whereas Toxoplasma gondii and Sarcocystis spp. have intermediate hosts and show some variations in their development. The dominant proteins in Eimeria maxima macrogamonts were described with a molecular weight of 56 kDa and 82 kDa [46] and were found in the WFBII [3,4,16]
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