Abstract
BackgroundAlthough sexual reproduction of the parasite Toxoplasma gondii exclusively occurs in the cat intestine, knowledge about the alteration of gene expression in the intestine of cats infected with T. gondii is still limited. Here, we investigated the temporal transcriptional changes that occur in the cat intestine during T. gondii infection.MethodsCats were infected with 100 T. gondii cysts and their intestines were collected at 6, 12, 18, 24, 72 and 96 hours post-infection (hpi). RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) Illumina technology was used to gain insight into the spectrum of genes that are differentially expressed due to infection. Quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) was also used to validate the level of expression of a set of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) obtained by sequencing.ResultsOur transcriptome analysis revealed 2363 DEGs that were clustered into six unique patterns of gene expression across all the time points after infection. Our analysis revealed 56, 184, 404, 508, 400 and 811 DEGs in infected intestines compared to uninfected controls at 6, 12, 18, 24, 72 and 96 hpi, respectively. RNA-Seq results were confirmed by qRT-PCR. DEGs were mainly enriched in catalytic activity and metabolic process based on gene ontology enrichment analysis. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analysis showed that transcriptional changes in the intestine of infected cats evolve over the course of infection, and the largest difference in the enriched pathways was observed at 96 hpi. The anti-T. gondii defense response of the feline host was mediated by Major Histocompatibility Complex class I, proteasomes, heat-shock proteins and fatty acid binding proteins.ConclusionsThis study revealed novel host factors, which may be critical for the successful establishment of an intracellular niche during T. gondii infection in the definitive feline host.
Highlights
Sexual reproduction of the parasite Toxoplasma gondii exclusively occurs in the cat intestine, knowledge about the alteration of gene expression in the intestine of cats infected with T. gondii is still limited
Confirmation of T. gondii infection Detection and amplification of T. gondii SAG1 gene was confirmed in all infected cats by Quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) assay
The results revealed that SAG1 gene was amplified in intestinal samples of cats starting from 6 hpi and peaking at 96 hpi
Summary
Sexual reproduction of the parasite Toxoplasma gondii exclusively occurs in the cat intestine, knowledge about the alteration of gene expression in the intestine of cats infected with T. gondii is still limited. Wang et al Parasites & Vectors (2018) 11:592 ingested by intermediate hosts, infectious sporozoites are liberated from the oocysts and differentiate into tachyzoites in order to complete the life-cycle. Humans (an intermediate host) can be infected via eating meat containing parasite cysts, and via accidental ingestion of water contaminated with oocysts [6], ingestion of oocysts in contaminated food sources [7], or via gardening or cleaning cat litter. Toxoplasma gondii can cause serious health complications in an unborn child if the primary infection occurred during pregnancy. Other intermediate hosts, such as herbivorous and omnivorous animals, are infected by eating oocysts in contaminated food sources or water supplies [1]
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