Abstract
BackgroundWater buffalo and goats are natural hosts for S. japonicum in endemic areas of China. The susceptibility of these two hosts to schistosome infection is different, as water buffalo are less conducive to S. japonicum growth and development. To identify genes that may affect schistosome development and survival, we compared gene expression profiles of schistosomes derived from these two natural hosts using high-throughput microarray technology.ResultsThe worm recovery rate was lower and the length and width of worms from water buffalo were smaller compared to those from goats following S. japonicum infection for 7 weeks. Besides obvious morphological difference between the schistosomes derived from the two hosts, differences were also observed by scanning and transmission electron microscopy. Microarray analysis showed differentially expressed gene patterns for parasites from the two hosts, which revealed that genes related to lipid and nucleotide metabolism, as well as protein folding, sorting, and degradation were upregulated, while others associated with signal transduction, endocrine function, development, immune function, endocytosis, and amino acid/carbohydrate/glycan metabolism were downregulated in schistosomes from water buffalo. KEGG pathway analysis deduced that the differentially expressed genes mainly involved lipid metabolism, the MAPK and ErbB signaling pathways, progesterone-mediated oocyte maturation, dorso-ventral axis formation, reproduction, and endocytosis, etc.ConclusionThe microarray gene analysis in schistosomes derived from water buffalo and goats provide a useful platform to disclose differences determining S. japonicum host compatibility to better understand the interplay between natural hosts and parasites, and identify schistosome target genes associated with susceptibility to screen vaccine candidates.
Highlights
Schistosomiasis japonica is caused by the trematode Schistosoma japonicum and is one of the most prevalent zoonotic diseases in many Asian countries
Previous studies have revealed that susceptibility of different types of hosts is varied, as mice, goats, and yellow cattle are more sensitive than rats and water buffalo for S. japonicum (Chinese strain) infections [1]
In China, uncontrolled schistosomiasis endemic areas are mostly distributed in marshland/lake and mountainous regions [4,5,6] and epidemiological surveys have revealed that domestic animals play important roles in schistosomiasis transmission [7]
Summary
Schistosomiasis japonica is caused by the trematode Schistosoma japonicum and is one of the most prevalent zoonotic diseases in many Asian countries. Water buffalo and goats are major domestic animals reared in endemic areas of China, especially water buffalo can spread more eggs into the environment than humans or other animal hosts and, they are considered as primary transmission sources of schistosomiasis in endemic areas [8,9]. He et al [10] infected mice, rats, guinea pigs, rabbits, goats, sheep, pigs, water buffalo, yellow cattle, horses and 12 other kinds of animals with S. japonicum under the same conditions and observed the development of parasites in these hosts for up to 60 weeks. To identify genes that may affect schistosome development and survival, we compared gene expression profiles of schistosomes derived from these two natural hosts using high-throughput microarray technology
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