Abstract
Schistosomiasis japonicum is one of the most severe zoonotic diseases in China. Water buffalo and yellow cattle are important reservoir hosts and the main transmission sources of Schistosoma japonicum in endemic areas. The susceptibility of these two hosts to schistosome infection is different, as water buffaloes are less susceptible to S. japonicum than yellow cattle. In this study, iTRAQ-coupled LC-MS/MS was applied to compare the protein expression profiles of adult schistosomes recovered from water buffalo with those of yellow cattle. A total of 131 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were identified, including 46 upregulated proteins and 85 downregulated proteins. The iTRAQ results were confirmed by Western blotting and quantitative real-time PCR. Further analysis indicated that these DEPs were primarily involved in protein synthesis, transcriptional regulation, protein proteolysis, cytoskeletal structure and oxidative stress response processes. The results revealed that some of the differential expression molecules may affect the development and survival of schistosomes in these two natural hosts. Of note, this study provides useful information for understanding the interplay between schistosomes and their final hosts.
Highlights
Schistosomiasis is caused by infection with trematodes of the genus Schistosoma and affects approximately 260 million people worldwide (WHO, 2016)
It has been shown that S. japonicum can infect more than 40 species of mammals, including mice, rabbit, goat, and yellow cattle, which are susceptible to infection, whereas other species such as rat, pig, and water buffalo are less susceptible, and the decreased susceptibility is indicated by the smaller worm size, fewer eggs laid, and low developmental rate (He et al, 2001; Yang et al, 2012b)
A previous study from our lab has shown that the development of schistosomes was significantly better than that in water buffaloes, and the liver pathological damage caused by schistosome infections in yellow cattle was more severe than that of water buffaloes (Yang et al, 2012b)
Summary
Schistosomiasis is caused by infection with trematodes of the genus Schistosoma and affects approximately 260 million people worldwide (WHO, 2016). There were still 77,194 cases of schistosomiasis in China by the end of 2015 (Zhang L. et al, 2016) Endemic areas of this disease are distributed in the lake, marshland, and mountainous region of China The results of an epidemiological survey indicate that yellow cattle and water buffalo are the most important reservoir hosts and the main source of transmission for schistosomiasis in China (Wang et al, 2005; Liu et al, 2012), because these animal species graze freely in areas where it is endemic and may be frequently in contact with schistosome-infested water, the infected animals spread more eggs into the environment than human and other animal hosts (Van Dorssen et al, 2017).
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
