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Maurizio A, Škorpíková L, Ilgová J, Tessarin C, Dotto G, Reslová N, Vadlejch J, Marchiori E, di Regalbono AF, Kašný M, Cassini R. Faecal egg count reduction test in goats: Zooming in on the genus level. Vet Parasitol 2024; 327:110146. [PMID: 38382381 DOI: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2024.110146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2023] [Revised: 02/07/2024] [Accepted: 02/07/2024] [Indexed: 02/23/2024]
Abstract
The faecal egg count reduction test (FECRT) is the most widely used method to assess treatment efficacy against gastrointestinal nematodes (GIN). Information on genera composition of the GIN community is not available with this test and it is commonly obtained by identifying cultured third-stage larvae (L3) or through molecular assays in the post-treatment survey, but results provided are usually only qualitative or semi-quantitative. The updated WAAVP guidelines now recommend assessing anthelmintic efficacy for each GIN genus/species separately (genus-specific FECRT), but this approach is poorly employed in Europe and in goats especially. For this reason, four FECRT trials were conducted using oxfendazole and eprinomectin in two Italian goat farms. Samples were processed individually using the McMaster technique and then pooled to create two samples from faeces of 5 animals each. Pooled samples were analysed using the McMaster and cultured for seven days at 26°C to obtain L3s. The genus-specific FECRT was based on larval identification, integrating coproculture and FEC results. Larvae were identified as Haemonchus, Trichostrongylus, Teladorsagia, Oesophagostomum / Chabertia and Bunostomum. Molecular assays (a multiplex real-time PCR and two end-point PCRs) were also implemented on pooled samples to support the morphological identification. The Spearmann Rho test confirmed a high correlation between the two approaches (Rho = 0.941 and Rho = 0.914 respectively for Haemonchus and Trichostrongylus, the two most common genera). Both oxfendazole and eprinomectin were effective in one farm, while none in the other farm (FECR = 75.9% and 73.3% respectively). In the second farm, the genus-specific FECRT highlighted a different response to treatment among genera: oxfendazole lacked efficacy against both Haemonchus and Trichostrongylus spp., eprinomectin only against Haemonchus, while all other genera were susceptible to both drugs. This study brings new attention on the importance of adopting a genus-specific approach to identify and quantify differences in susceptibility to anthelmintics among genera in goats, providing support for FECRT interpretation, anthelmintic resistance evaluation and evidence-based GIN control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Maurizio
- Department of Animal Medicine, Production and Health, University of Padova, Viale dell'Università, 16, 35020 Legnaro, Italy.
| | - Lucie Škorpíková
- Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno 611 37, Czech Republic
| | - Jana Ilgová
- Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno 611 37, Czech Republic
| | - Cinzia Tessarin
- Department of Animal Medicine, Production and Health, University of Padova, Viale dell'Università, 16, 35020 Legnaro, Italy
| | - Giorgia Dotto
- Department of Animal Medicine, Production and Health, University of Padova, Viale dell'Università, 16, 35020 Legnaro, Italy
| | - Nikol Reslová
- Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno 611 37, Czech Republic
| | - Jaroslav Vadlejch
- Department of Zoology and Fisheries, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamycka 129, Suchdol, Prague 165 00, Czech Republic
| | - Erica Marchiori
- Department of Animal Medicine, Production and Health, University of Padova, Viale dell'Università, 16, 35020 Legnaro, Italy
| | | | - Martin Kašný
- Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno 611 37, Czech Republic
| | - Rudi Cassini
- Department of Animal Medicine, Production and Health, University of Padova, Viale dell'Università, 16, 35020 Legnaro, Italy
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Francis EK, Šlapeta J. The proof is in the poo-ding: Benefits of the longitudinal molecular surveillance of drug resistance demonstrated in a New South Wales cattle herd. Vet Parasitol 2024; 327:110145. [PMID: 38382382 DOI: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2024.110145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2023] [Revised: 01/29/2024] [Accepted: 02/02/2024] [Indexed: 02/23/2024]
Abstract
Our understanding of anthelmintic resistance in the gastrointestinal nematodes of Australian cattle relies exclusively on small-scale phenotypic reports utilising traditional faecal egg count reduction tests. This approach is not readily scalable to establish the national prevalence of resistance, nor is it conducive of routine longitudinal surveillance for the emergence of resistance in its early stages. This study introduces the benefits of applying mixed amplicon metabarcoding longitudinally for timely and cost-efficient molecular surveillance of multiple anthelmintic resistance mutations, as they emerge on farms. Using opportunistically collected faecal samples from a cattle herd in central west New South Wales (2019-2023), we detected the early emergence of Haemonchus spp. levamisole-resistant S168T shortly after levamisole introduction, while benzimidazole-resistant allele frequencies remained constant. Additionally, we observed the possible spill-over of resistant Haemonchus contortus from sheep, along with variations in faecal burdens and species diversity influenced by climate stochasticity and host immunity. This study emphasises the power of molecular diagnostics for farm-level anthelmintic resistance management, providing essential evidence to support its integration into routine surveillance programmes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily Kate Francis
- Sydney School of Veterinary Science, Faculty of Science, The University of Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia.
| | - Jan Šlapeta
- Sydney School of Veterinary Science, Faculty of Science, The University of Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia; The University of Sydney Institute for Infectious Diseases, The University of Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia
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Antonopoulos A, Charvet CL, Maitland K, Doyle SR, Neveu C, Laing R. Functional validation of novel levamisole resistance marker S168T in Haemonchus contortus. Int J Parasitol Drugs Drug Resist 2024; 24:100524. [PMID: 38346379 PMCID: PMC10867575 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpddr.2024.100524] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2023] [Revised: 01/24/2024] [Accepted: 01/24/2024] [Indexed: 02/18/2024]
Abstract
Recently, a S168T variant in the acetylcholine receptor subunit ACR-8 was associated with levamisole resistance in the parasitic helminth Haemonchus contortus. Here, we used the Xenopus laevis oocyte expression system and two-electrode voltage-clamp electrophysiology to measure the functional impact of this S168T variant on the H. contortus levamisole-sensitive acetylcholine receptor, L-AChR-1.1. Expression of the ACR-8 S168T variant significantly reduced the current amplitude elicited by levamisole compared to acetylcholine, with levamisole changing from a full to partial agonist on the recombinant L-AChR. Functional validation of the S168T mutation on modulating levamisole activity at the receptor level highlights its critical importance as both a mechanism and a marker of levamisole resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alistair Antonopoulos
- School of Biodiversity, One Health and Veterinary Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom; Kreavet, Kruibeke, Belgium.
| | | | - Kirsty Maitland
- School of Biodiversity, One Health and Veterinary Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | - Stephen R Doyle
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom
| | | | - Roz Laing
- School of Biodiversity, One Health and Veterinary Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom
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Chen X, Wang T, Guo W, Yan X, Kou H, Yu Y, Liu C, Gao W, Wang W, Wang R. Transcriptome reveals the roles and potential mechanisms of lncRNAs in the regulation of albendazole resistance in Haemonchus contortus. BMC Genomics 2024; 25:188. [PMID: 38368335 PMCID: PMC10873934 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-024-10096-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2023] [Accepted: 02/07/2024] [Indexed: 02/19/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Haemonchus contortus (H. contortus) is the most common parasitic nematode in ruminants and is prevalent worldwide. H. contortus resistance to albendazole (ABZ) hinders the efficacy of anthelmintic drugs, but little is known about the molecular mechanisms that regulate this of drug resistance. Recent research has demonstrated that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) can exert significant influence as pivotal regulators of the emergence of drug resistance. RESULTS In this study, transcriptome sequencing was conducted on both albendazole-sensitive (ABZ-sensitive) and albendazole-resistant (ABZ-resistant) H. contortus strains, with three biological replicates for each group. The analysis of lncRNA in the transcriptomic data revealed that there were 276 differentially expressed lncRNA (DElncRNA) between strains with ABZ-sensitive and ABZ-resistant according to the criteria of |log2Foldchange|≥ 1 and FDR < 0.05. Notably, MSTRG.12969.2 and MSTRG.9827.1 exhibited the most significant upregulation and downregulation, respectively, in the resistant strains. The potential roles of the DElncRNAs included catalytic activity, stimulus response, regulation of drug metabolism, and modulation of the immune response. Moreover, we investigated the interactions between DElncRNAs and other RNAs, specifically MSTRG.12741.1, MSTRG.11848.1, MSTRG.5895.1, and MSTRG.14070.1, involved in regulating drug stimulation through cis/trans/antisense/lncRNA‒miRNA-mRNA interaction networks. This regulation leads to a decrease (or increase) in the expression of relevant genes, consequently enhancing the resistance of H. contortus to albendazole. Furthermore, through comprehensive analysis of competitive endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs) involved in drug resistance-related pathways, such as the mTOR signalling pathway and ABC transporter signalling pathway, the relevance of the MSTRG.2499.1-novel-m0062-3p-HCON_00099610 interaction was identified to mainly involve the regulation of catalytic activity, metabolism, ubiquitination and transcriptional regulation of gene promoters. Additionally, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) validation indicated that the transcription profiles of six DElncRNAs and six DEmRNAs were consistent with those obtained by RNA-seq. CONCLUSIONS The results of the present study allowed us to better understand the changes in the lncRNA expression profile of ABZ-resistant H. contortus. In total, these results suggest that the lncRNAs MSTRG.963.1, MSTRG.12741.1, MSTRG.11848.1 and MSTRG.2499.1 play important roles in the development of ABZ resistance and can serve as promising biomarkers for further study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xindi Chen
- Key Laboratory of Animal Disease Clinical Diagnosis and Treatment Technology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Ordos Street, Hohhot, 010018, Inner Mongolia Municipality, China
| | - Tengyu Wang
- Key Laboratory of Animal Disease Clinical Diagnosis and Treatment Technology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Ordos Street, Hohhot, 010018, Inner Mongolia Municipality, China
| | - Wenrui Guo
- Key Laboratory of Animal Disease Clinical Diagnosis and Treatment Technology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Ordos Street, Hohhot, 010018, Inner Mongolia Municipality, China
| | - Xu Yan
- Key Laboratory of Animal Disease Clinical Diagnosis and Treatment Technology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Ordos Street, Hohhot, 010018, Inner Mongolia Municipality, China
| | - Huilin Kou
- Key Laboratory of Animal Disease Clinical Diagnosis and Treatment Technology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Ordos Street, Hohhot, 010018, Inner Mongolia Municipality, China
| | - Yu Yu
- Key Laboratory of Animal Disease Clinical Diagnosis and Treatment Technology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Ordos Street, Hohhot, 010018, Inner Mongolia Municipality, China
| | - Chunxia Liu
- Key Laboratory of Animal Disease Clinical Diagnosis and Treatment Technology, College of Life Science, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, 010018, Inner Mongolia Municipality, China
| | - Wa Gao
- Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Tick-Borne Zoonotic Infectious Disease, Department of Medicine, Hetao College, Bayan Nur, 015000, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China
| | - Wenlong Wang
- Key Laboratory of Animal Disease Clinical Diagnosis and Treatment Technology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Ordos Street, Hohhot, 010018, Inner Mongolia Municipality, China.
| | - Rui Wang
- Key Laboratory of Animal Disease Clinical Diagnosis and Treatment Technology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Ordos Street, Hohhot, 010018, Inner Mongolia Municipality, China.
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Reyes-Guerrero DE, Higuera-Piedrahita RI, Maza-Lopez J, Mendoza-de-Gives P, Camas-Pereyra R, López-Arellano ME. Analysis of P-gp genes relative expression associated to ivermectin resistance in Haemonchus contortus larval stages from in vitro cultures (L 3 and xL 3) and from gerbils ( Meriones unguiculatus) (L 4) as models of study. J Helminthol 2024; 98:e19. [PMID: 38356358 DOI: 10.1017/s0022149x24000087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/16/2024]
Abstract
The aim of the study was to compare the relative gene expression of Haemonchus contortus P-glycoprotein genes (Hco-pgp) between fourth (L4), infective (L3), and transitory infective (xL3) larval stages as laboratory models to study ivermectin (IVM) resistance. The H. contortus resistant to IVM (IVMr) and susceptible to IVM (IVMs) strains were used to develop xL3in vitro culture and to infect Meriones unguiculatus (gerbils) to collect L4 stages. Morphometric differences were evaluated from 25 individuals of H. contortus from each strain. Relative gene expression from xL3 and L4 was determined between comparison of IVMr stages and from IVMr vs IVMs stages. Seven Hco-pgp genes (1, 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, and 16) were analysed by RT-qPCR using L3 stage as control group, per strain, and GAPDH and β-tubulin as constitutive genes. Morphological changes were confirmed between xL3 and L4 developing oral shape, oesophagus, and intestinal tube. In addition, the body length and width showed statistical differences (p < 0.05). The Hco-pgp1, 2, 3, and 4 genes (p < 0.05) were upregulated from 7.1- to 463.82-fold changes between IVMr stages, and Hco-pgp9 (13.12-fold) and Hco-pgp10 (13.56-fold) genes showed differences between L4 and xL3, respectively. The comparative study between IVMr vs IVMs strains associated to xL3 and L4 displayed significant upregulation for most of the Hco-pgp genes among 4.89-188.71 fold-change. In conclusion, these results suggest the use of H. contortus xL3 and L4 as suitable laboratory models to study IVMr associated with Hco-pgp genes to contribute to the understanding of anthelmintic resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- D E Reyes-Guerrero
- Centro Nacional de Investigación Disciplinaria en Salud Animal e Inocuidad, Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Forestales, Agrícolas y Pecuarias, Carr. Fed. Cuernavaca-Cuautla 8534, C.P. 62574 Jiutepec, Mor., México
- Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria, Ciudad de México, C.P. 04510, México
| | - R I Higuera-Piedrahita
- Facultad de Estudios Superiores Cuautitlán, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Cuautitlán-Teoloyucan Km 2.5, Col. San Sebastián Xhala. Cuautitlán, Estado de México, México
| | - J Maza-Lopez
- Centro Nacional de Investigación Disciplinaria en Salud Animal e Inocuidad, Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Forestales, Agrícolas y Pecuarias, Carr. Fed. Cuernavaca-Cuautla 8534, C.P. 62574 Jiutepec, Mor., México
- Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria, Ciudad de México, C.P. 04510, México
| | - P Mendoza-de-Gives
- Centro Nacional de Investigación Disciplinaria en Salud Animal e Inocuidad, Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Forestales, Agrícolas y Pecuarias, Carr. Fed. Cuernavaca-Cuautla 8534, C.P. 62574 Jiutepec, Mor., México
| | - R Camas-Pereyra
- Centro Nacional de Investigación Disciplinaria en Salud Animal e Inocuidad, Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Forestales, Agrícolas y Pecuarias, Carr. Fed. Cuernavaca-Cuautla 8534, C.P. 62574 Jiutepec, Mor., México
| | - M E López-Arellano
- Centro Nacional de Investigación Disciplinaria en Salud Animal e Inocuidad, Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Forestales, Agrícolas y Pecuarias, Carr. Fed. Cuernavaca-Cuautla 8534, C.P. 62574 Jiutepec, Mor., México
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Antonopoulos A, Higgins O, Doyle SR, Bartley D, Morrison A, Shalaby MM, Reboud J, Devaney E, Smith TJ, Laing R, Busin V. Real-time single-base specific detection of the Haemonchus contortus S168T variant associated with levamisole resistance using loop-primer endonuclease cleavage loop-mediated isothermal amplification. Mol Cell Probes 2024; 73:101946. [PMID: 38097144 PMCID: PMC10884526 DOI: 10.1016/j.mcp.2023.101946] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2023] [Revised: 12/07/2023] [Accepted: 12/07/2023] [Indexed: 12/22/2023]
Abstract
Haemonchus contortus is a parasitic haematophagous nematode that primarily affects small ruminants and causes significant economic loss to the global livestock industry. Treatment of haemonchosis typically relies on broad-spectrum anthelmintics, resistance to which is an important cause of treatment failure. Resistance to levamisole remains less widespread than to other major anthelmintic classes, prompting the need for more effective and accurate surveillance to maintain its efficacy. Loop-primer endonuclease cleavage loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LEC-LAMP) is a recently developed diagnostic method that facilitates multiplex target detection with single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) specificity and portable onsite testing. In this study, we designed a new LEC-LAMP assay and applied it to detect the levamisole resistance marker S168T in H. contortus. We explored multiplexing probes for both the resistant S168T and the susceptible S168 alleles in a single-tube assay. We then included a generic probe to detect the acr-8 gene in the multiplex assay, which could facilitate the quantification of both resistance markers and overall genetic material from H. contortus in a single step. Our results showed promising application of these technologies, demonstrating a proof-of-concept assay which is amenable to detection of resistance alleles within the parasite population, with the potential for multiplex detection, and point-of-care application enabled by lateral flow end-point detection. However, further optimisation and validation is necessary.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alistair Antonopoulos
- School of Biodiversity, One Health and Veterinary Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom; Kreavet, Kruibeke, Belgium.
| | - Owen Higgins
- Molecular Diagnostics Research Group, School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, University of Galway, Galway, Ireland
| | - Stephen R Doyle
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom
| | - David Bartley
- Moredun Research Institute, Penicuik, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | - Alison Morrison
- Moredun Research Institute, Penicuik, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | - Maha Mansour Shalaby
- James Watt School of Engineering, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom; Food Control Department, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kafrelsheikh University, Kafr-El-Sheikh, Egypt
| | - Julien Reboud
- James Watt School of Engineering, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | - Eileen Devaney
- School of Biodiversity, One Health and Veterinary Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | - Terry J Smith
- Molecular Diagnostics Research Group, School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, University of Galway, Galway, Ireland
| | - Roz Laing
- School of Biodiversity, One Health and Veterinary Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | - Valentina Busin
- School of Biodiversity, One Health and Veterinary Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom.
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Zhou C, Tuersong W, Liu L, Di W, He L, Li F, Wang C, Hu M. Non-coding RNA in the gut of the blood-feeding parasitic worm, Haemonchus contortus. Vet Res 2024; 55:1. [PMID: 38172997 PMCID: PMC10763314 DOI: 10.1186/s13567-023-01254-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2023] [Accepted: 10/05/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024] Open
Abstract
The intestine of Haemonchus contortus is an essential tissue that has been indicated to be a major target for the prevention of haemonchosis caused by this parasitic nematode of small ruminants. Biological peculiarities of the intestine warrant in-depth exploitation, which can be leveraged for future disease control efforts. Here, we determined the intestinal ncRNA (lncRNA, circRNA and miRNA) atlas using whole-transcriptome sequencing and bioinformatics approaches. In total, 4846 novel lncRNA, 982 circRNA, 96 miRNA (65 known and 31 novel) and 8821 mRNA were identified from the H. contortus intestine. The features of lncRNA, circRNA and miRNA were fully characterized. Comparison of miRNA from the intestines and extracellular vesicles supported the speculation that the miRNA from the latter were of intestinal origin in H. contortus. Further function analysis suggests that the cis-lncRNA targeted genes were involved in protein binding, intracellular anatomical structure, organelle and cellular process, whereas the circRNA parental genes were mainly enriched in molecular function categories, such as ribonucleotide binding, nucleotide binding, ATP binding and carbohydrate derivative binding. The miRNA target genes were related to the cellular process, cellular response to stimulus, cellular protein modification process and signal transduction. Moreover, competing endogenous RNA network analysis revealed that the majority of lncRNA, circRNA and mRNA only have one or two binding sites with specific miRNA. Lastly, randomly selected circRNA, lncRNA and miRNA were verified successfully using RT-PCR. Collectively, these data provide the most comprehensive compilation of intestinal transcripts and their functions, and it will be helpful to decipher the biological and molecular complexity of the intestine and lay the foundation for further functional research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caixian Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, Hubei, China
| | - Waresi Tuersong
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Wulumuqi, 830052, Xinjiang, China
| | - Lu Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, Hubei, China
| | - Wenda Di
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Guangxi University, Nanning, 530004, Guangxi, China
| | - Li He
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Hubei University of Medicine, Hubei, 442000, Shiyan, China
| | - Fangfang Li
- College of Biology and Food Engineering, Chongqing Three Gorges University, Chongqing, 402020, China
| | - Chunqun Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, Hubei, China.
| | - Min Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, Hubei, China.
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Francis EK, Antonopoulos A, Westman ME, McKay-Demeler J, Laing R, Šlapeta J. A mixed amplicon metabarcoding and sequencing approach for surveillance of drug resistance to levamisole and benzimidazole in Haemonchus spp. Int J Parasitol 2024; 54:55-64. [PMID: 37536387 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpara.2023.07.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2023] [Revised: 07/10/2023] [Accepted: 07/13/2023] [Indexed: 08/05/2023]
Abstract
Anthelmintic-resistant parasitic nematodes present a significant threat to sustainable livestock production worldwide. The ability to detect the emergence of anthelmintic resistance at an early stage, and therefore determine which drugs remain most effective, is crucial for minimising production losses. Despite many years of research into the molecular basis of anthelmintic resistance, no molecular-based tools are commercially available for the diagnosis of resistance as it emerges in field settings. We describe a mixed deep amplicon sequencing approach to determine the frequency of the levamisole (LEV)-resistant single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) within arc-8 exon 4 (S168T) in Haemonchus spp., coupled with benzimidazole (BZ)-resistant SNPs within β-tubulin isotype-1 and the internal transcribed spacer-2 (ITS-2) nemabiome. This constitutes the first known multi-drug and multi-species molecular diagnostic developed for helminths of veterinary importance. Of the ovine, bovine, caprine and camelid Australian field isolates we tested, S168T was detected in the majority of Haemonchus spp. populations from sheep and goats, but rarely at a frequency greater than 16%; an arbitrary threshold we set based on whole genome sequencing (WGS) of LEV-resistant Haemonchus contortus GWBII. Overall, BZ resistance was far more prevalent in Haemonchus spp. than LEV resistance, confirming that LEV is still an effective anthelmintic class for small ruminants in New South Wales, Australia. The mixed amplicon metabarcoding approach described herein paves the way towards the use of large scale sequencing as a surveillance technology in the field, the results of which can be translated into evidence-based recommendations for the livestock sector.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily Kate Francis
- Sydney School of Veterinary Science, Faculty of Science, The University of Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia
| | - Alistair Antonopoulos
- School of Biodiversity, One Health and Veterinary Medicine, University of Glasgow, G61 1QH Scotland, United Kingdom; Kreavet, Kruibeke, Belgium
| | - Mark Edward Westman
- Elizabeth Macarthur Agricultural Institute, New South Wales Department of Primary Industries, Menangle, New South Wales 2568, Australia
| | - Janina McKay-Demeler
- Elizabeth Macarthur Agricultural Institute, New South Wales Department of Primary Industries, Menangle, New South Wales 2568, Australia
| | - Roz Laing
- School of Biodiversity, One Health and Veterinary Medicine, University of Glasgow, G61 1QH Scotland, United Kingdom
| | - Jan Šlapeta
- Sydney School of Veterinary Science, Faculty of Science, The University of Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia; The University of Sydney Institute for Infectious Diseases, New South Wales 2006, Australia.
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Phalatsi MS, Dawuda PM, Adeola AC, Makalo MJR, Bohloa L, Thekisoe OMM. Characterization and population genetics of Haemonchus contortus in Merino sheep in Lesotho. Res Vet Sci 2023; 165:105049. [PMID: 37856947 DOI: 10.1016/j.rvsc.2023.105049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2023] [Revised: 08/06/2023] [Accepted: 10/01/2023] [Indexed: 10/21/2023]
Abstract
Haemonchus contortus is the most pathogenic and economically restrictive gastrointestinal nematode in the small ruminant industry globally. Morbidity, poor cross-bodily state, and mortality of sheep in Lesotho suggest the presence of H. contortus. The present study investigated the morphological, molecular, and population genetics of H. contortus third-stage larvae infecting sheep in four ecological zones (EZ) of Lesotho. Coprocultures were prepared for larval morphological identification and PCR determination. Larvae were identified morphologically as 100% H. contortus. The Second Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS-2) gene of the ribosomal DNA of H. contortus isolates in the present study revealed nucleotide homology ranging from 97 to 100% when compared with selected GenBank reference sequences. Pairwise evolutionary divergence among H. contortus isolates was low, with 0.01318 recorded as the highest in the present study. Five haplotypes resulted from 14 Lesotho sequences. Haplotype diversity and nucleotide diversity were 0.76923 and 0.00590, respectively. Genetic differentiation among isolates was low but not statistically significant. An analysis of molecular variance revealed that most molecular variation was distributed within topographic populations at 94.79% (FST = 0.05206, p > 0.05) and 5.21% among populations. There was high gene flow and no definite population genetic structure among Lesotho isolates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Moeketsi Solomon Phalatsi
- Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture National University of Lesotho, P.O. Roma 180, Lesotho; Department of Biology, Faculty of Science and Technology, National University of Lesotho, P.O Roma 180, Lesotho.
| | - Philip Makama Dawuda
- Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture National University of Lesotho, P.O. Roma 180, Lesotho
| | - Adeniyi Charles Adeola
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan, China
| | - Mabusetsa Joseph Raporoto Makalo
- Central Veterinary Laboratories, Department of Livestock Services, Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Private Bag A82, Maseru 100, Lesotho
| | - Lineo Bohloa
- Central Veterinary Laboratories, Department of Livestock Services, Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Private Bag A82, Maseru 100, Lesotho
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Mannan MA, Chowdhury S, Hossain MA, Kabir MHB. Genetic variability of Haemonchus contortus isolates in small ruminants from slaughterhouses in Bangladesh. Parasitol Res 2023; 122:3101-3107. [PMID: 37855972 PMCID: PMC10667388 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-023-08000-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2023] [Accepted: 10/04/2023] [Indexed: 10/20/2023]
Abstract
Haemonchus contortus is a blood-sucking gastrointestinal nematode that infects all ruminants and causes significant economic losses in production. Characterizing the genetic variability of H. contortus populations is crucial for understanding patterns of disease transmission and developing effective control strategies against haemonchosis. This study aimed to identify the genetic variability of H. contortus isolates in small ruminants from slaughterhouses in Bangladesh. During January to December 2015, 400 abomasa samples were collected and 186 were found to be positive for Haemonchus. A 321-bp fragment of the second internal transcribed spacer (ITS-2) of nuclear ribosomal DNA and an 800-bp fragment of the mitochondrial nicotinamide dehydrogenase subunit-4 gene (nad4) were amplified using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and directly sequenced. The results showed 10 genotypes (ITS-2) and 45 haplotypes (nad4) among the 186 worms. The sequences were 98.5 to 100% identical to reference sequences from the GenBank database. ITS-2 sequence analysis revealed four nucleotide substitutions at positions 30, 41, 42, and 216. There was one transition (C/T) at position 42 and three transversions (C/A at position 30, G/C at position 41, and T/A at position 216). The nad4 gene sequences showed 15 substitutions, all of which were transitions. The pairwise distance of ITS-2 between H. contortus populations ranged from 0.005 to 1.477. The nucleotide diversity (μ) among the populations was 0.009524 using ITS-2 and 0.00394 using nad4. This study indicated low genetic deviation among H. contortus populations in Bangladesh.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad Abdul Mannan
- Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, Dhaka, 1207, Bangladesh
- Department of Pathology and Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Chattogram Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Khulshi, Chittagong, 4225, Bangladesh
| | - Sharmin Chowdhury
- Department of Pathology and Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Chattogram Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Khulshi, Chittagong, 4225, Bangladesh
| | - Mohammad Alamgir Hossain
- Department of Pathology and Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Chattogram Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Khulshi, Chittagong, 4225, Bangladesh
| | - Md Hazzaz Bin Kabir
- Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, Dhaka, 1207, Bangladesh.
- Laboratory of Sustainable Animal Environment, Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University, 232-3 Yomogida, Naruko-onsen, Osaki, Tohoku, Miyagi, 989-6711, Japan.
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Katiki LM, Giglioti R, Ferreira JFS, Pacheco PA, Barbosa HZ, Rodrigues L, Veríssimo CJ, Braga PAC, Amarante AFT, Louvandini H. Combined effects of Limonene and Ivermectin on P-glycoprotein-9 gene expression of lambs Infected with Haemonchus contortus. Vet Parasitol 2023; 324:110069. [PMID: 37984155 DOI: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2023.110069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2023] [Revised: 10/26/2023] [Accepted: 10/26/2023] [Indexed: 11/22/2023]
Abstract
Although ivermectin (IVM) has a wide spectrum and long half-life, its frequent use as an anthelmintic for the last 42 years led to its worldwide tolerance by Haemonchus contortus. We evaluated the combination of limonene (LIM), a P-glycoprotein (Pgp) modulator, with IVM in lambs infected with a multidrug-resistant H. contortus. Twenty-four male Dorper lambs were artificially infected with two doses (seven days apart) of 8000 infective larvae of a multidrug-resistant isolate of H. contortus. The infection was patent 25 days later. Fifteen days before treatment with IVM (DAY -15), animals were divided into 4 groups: Infected-untreated control (CTL), IVM, LIM, and LIM+IVM. From DAY -15 to DAY + 14, groups LIM and LIM+IVM received 200 mg/kg of body weight/day of LIM via oral. On DAY 0, a single dose of IVM at 200 µg/kg of body weight was administered orally to groups IVM and LIM+IVM. On DAY + 7 and DAY + 14, fecal egg counts (FEC) were performed and on DAY + 14 animals were euthanized for total worm count (TWC), worm length, fecundity of females, and Pgp-9 gene expression. On DAY + 7, group LIM+IVM had 96.29% efficacy based on Fecal Egg Count Reduction TEST (FECRT) and a highly significant reduction in FEC (P = 0.0005) when compared to CTL. On DAY + 14, the efficacy of LIM+IVM was 82.87% on FECRT, although no differences were found among groups for FEC, TWC, worm length, or Pgp-9 gene expression. Female worms from the CTL group had higher egg counts in their uterus when compared to LIM. No differences were found for hematological or biochemical parameters, body weight, or weight gain among groups. Thus, LIM given daily at 200 mg/kg was safe for animals and, when combined with IVM, decreased egg shedding and could reduce pasture contamination, although it was unable to kill multidrug-resistant H. contortus.
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Affiliation(s)
- L M Katiki
- Instituto de Zootecnia, IZ, Nova Odessa, SP, Brazil.
| | - R Giglioti
- Instituto de Zootecnia, IZ, Nova Odessa, SP, Brazil
| | - J F S Ferreira
- United States Department of Agriculture, USDA, Riverside, CA, USA
| | - P A Pacheco
- Universidade de São Paulo, USP, Piracicaba, SP, Brazil
| | - H Z Barbosa
- Instituto de Zootecnia, IZ, Nova Odessa, SP, Brazil
| | - L Rodrigues
- Instituto de Zootecnia, IZ, Nova Odessa, SP, Brazil
| | | | - P A C Braga
- Universidade de Campinas, UNICAMP, Campinas, SP, Brazil
| | - A F T Amarante
- Universidade Estadual Paulista, UNESP, Botucatu, SP, Brazil
| | - H Louvandini
- Universidade de São Paulo, USP, Piracicaba, SP, Brazil
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Lins JGG, Albuquerque ACAD, Almeida FAD, Britton C, Malossi C, Araújo-Júnior JPD, Louvandini H, Amarante AFT. Abomasal RNA-seq reveals a strong local cellular response in suckling lambs with resistance against Haemonchus contortus. Int J Parasitol 2023; 53:739-749. [PMID: 37673202 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpara.2023.06.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2023] [Revised: 05/22/2023] [Accepted: 06/06/2023] [Indexed: 09/08/2023]
Abstract
Santa Ines (SI) and Ile de France (IF) sheep are known to be resistant and susceptible to Haemonchus contortus infection, respectively. Several studies have shown some genes as potential biological markers for sheep resistance against gastrointestinal nematodes using molecular tools, including transcriptomic analysis. In this study, we sequenced the polyadenylated RNA of the abomasal tissue of SI and IF suckling lambs to identify mucosa-specific transcript alterations between breeds artificially infected with H. contortus. Naïve SI (n = 4) and IF (n = 4) lambs were artificially infected every other day, over a period of 52 days, from 14 to 66 days old, with a total of 5,400 H. contortus infective larvae. Fundic abomasal tissue samples were collected at 68 days old, and submitted to high-throughput RNA sequencing (RNA-seq). Differential expression analysis (P value < 0.001 and False Discovery Rate (FDR) < 0.05) between SI and IF samples identified 292 genes, most of which showed greater expression in SI lambs. To help annotate and assign possible function to differentially expressed genes (DEGs), we used previously available single-cell RNA-seq (scRNA-seq) data from ovine abomasal mucosa to putatively identify cell types and possible mechanisms involved in resistance to H. contortus. In particular, genes associated with endothelial and tuft cells showed the greatest increases in expression in SI relative to IF lambs. SI lambs had higher percentages of tuft cells than IF lambs in the fundic abomasal mucosa. Although we found innate immunity (cell-mediated in mucosa) acting as a protagonist in impairing H. contortus infection, a stronger acquired immune response was being modulated at an earlier stage by SI lambs. We suggest that the complex connection between innate and adaptive immunity is via cellular antigen processing and presentation (APP). Based on comparison with scRNA-seq data, SI lambs showed a robust APP mechanism characterized mainly by greater T cell APP, macrophage differentiation, and cytokine signalling. We identified potential mechanisms and markers to advance knowledge for selection of H. contortus resistance at a very early age, in SI as well as in other commercial sheep breeds.
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Affiliation(s)
- José Gabriel Gonçalves Lins
- São Paulo State University (UNESP), School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, Botucatu, SP, Brazil; São Paulo State University (UNESP), Institute of Biosciences, Botucatu, SP, Brazil.
| | | | | | - Collette Britton
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Camila Malossi
- São Paulo State University (UNESP), Institute of Biosciences, Botucatu, SP, Brazil
| | | | - Helder Louvandini
- Center for Nuclear Energy in Agriculture, University of São Paulo, Piracicaba, SP, Brazil
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Gravdal M, Woolsey ID, Robertson LJ, Höglund J, Chartier C, Stuen S. Benzimidazole-resistance associated mutation in Haemonchus contortus in Norwegian sheep, as detected by droplet digital PCR. Vet Parasitol Reg Stud Reports 2023; 46:100938. [PMID: 37935539 DOI: 10.1016/j.vprsr.2023.100938] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2023] [Revised: 09/05/2023] [Accepted: 10/05/2023] [Indexed: 11/09/2023]
Abstract
The aim of this study was to investigate the occurrence of benzimidazole-resistant Haemonchus contortus in Norwegian sheep flocks. Screening was based on detection of one of the resistance-conferring mutations in the β tubulin isotype 1 gene (F200Y, TAC) in larvae (L3) cultivated from H. contortus eggs from naturally infected sheep. Faecal samples were collected in 2021/2022 from flocks in the northern (n = 34), central (n = 7), eastern (n = 40), southern (n = 1), and western (n = 87) areas of Norway. In total, samples were taken from 169 flocks (spring-ewes samples: 167, autumn-lambs samples: 134). Individual faecal samples were collected from 10 randomly selected ewes (spring) and 10 randomly selected lambs (autumn) in each flock. Faecal samples collected from each flock on each occasion were pooled (lamb and ewe samples pooled separately) and cultured for L3 development. After harvest of larvae (Baermann method), DNA was extracted and then analysed using droplet digital PCR with primer/probe sets targeting the BZ-associated F200Y (TAC) mutation. Haemonchus was found in 60% (80/134) of samples from lambs, and in 63% (106/167) from ewes. Among these, the F200Y mutation was detected in 73% (58/80) of larval samples from lambs and 69% (73/106) of larval samples from ewes, respectively. Although regional differences were evident, the mutation was detected in all areas indicating a widespread distribution and a strong potential for an increasing problem with treatment-resistant haemonchosis in Norwegian sheep flocks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maiken Gravdal
- Department of Production Animal Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, 4325 Sandnes, Norway.
| | - Ian D Woolsey
- Department of Preclinical Sciences and Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, 1433 Ås, Norway
| | - Lucy J Robertson
- Department of Paraclinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, 1433 Ås, Norway
| | - Johan Höglund
- Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Veterinary Public Health, Section for Parasitology, P.O. Box 7036, Uppsala, Sweden
| | | | - Snorre Stuen
- Department of Production Animal Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, 4325 Sandnes, Norway
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Bhat AH, Tak H, Ganai BA, Malik IM, Bhat TA. Bacteria associated with ovine gut parasites Trichuris ovis and Haemonchus contortus. J Helminthol 2023; 97:e75. [PMID: 37846203 DOI: 10.1017/s0022149x23000573] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2023]
Abstract
An associated microbiome of any host helps it in different metabolic processes ranging from the decomposition of food to the maturation of gametes. Organisms with a parasitic mode of life, though present at nutritious sites inside their host, maintain their own microbiome. Nevertheless, the comprehensive characterization and functionality of microbiome in parasitic organisms remain understudied. We selected two nematode parasites of Kashmir Merino sheep viz;Haemonchus contortus and Trichuris ovis based on their higher prevalence, difference in mode of nutrition, habitation site and effect on host. The objective of the study was to explore the bacteria associated with these parasitic nematodes of sheep. We adopted a 16S rRNA metagenomic sequencing approach to estimate and compare the bacterial communities present in these two nematode species. Nematode parasites from Kashmir Merino sheep were identified morphologically and confirmed with DNA characterization. H. contortus was dominated by phylum Proteobacteria (57%), Firmicutes (25%), Bacteroidota (15%) and Actinobacteriota (3%). Conversely, T. ovis showed Proteobacteria (78%) followed by Firmicutes (8%), Bacteroidota (8%), Actinobacteriota (1%), Fusobacteriota (1%) and other phyla (4%). This study provides a comprehensive account of the microbiome composition of H. contortus and T. ovis, both of which are highly prevalent among Kashmir Merino sheep. Additionally, T. ovis exhibited a greater bacterial diversity compared to H. contortus. Notably, these nematodes were found to harbor certain pathogenic bacteria. This study can further be carried forward in gaining insights into the complex relationship between the microbiota of a parasite and its pathogenicity, reproductive potential and host microbiome modification.
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Affiliation(s)
- A H Bhat
- Department of Zoology, University of Kashmir, Hazratbal-Srinagar, India
| | - H Tak
- Department of Zoology, University of Kashmir, Hazratbal-Srinagar, India
| | - B A Ganai
- Centre of Research for Development, University of Kashmir, Hazratbal-Srinagar, India
| | - I M Malik
- Department of Zoology, University of Kashmir, Hazratbal-Srinagar, India
| | - T A Bhat
- Centre of Research for Development, University of Kashmir, Hazratbal-Srinagar, India
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Maizels RM, Newfeld SJ. Convergent Evolution in a Murine Intestinal Parasite Rapidly Created the TGM Family of Molecular Mimics to Suppress the Host Immune Response. Genome Biol Evol 2023; 15:evad158. [PMID: 37625791 PMCID: PMC10516467 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evad158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2023] [Revised: 08/17/2023] [Accepted: 08/21/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023] Open
Abstract
The Transforming Growth Factor-β mimic (TGM) multigene family was recently discovered in the murine intestinal parasite Heligmosomoides polygyrus. This family was shaped by an atypical set of organismal and molecular evolutionary mechanisms along its path through the adaptive landscape. The relevant mechanisms are mimicry, convergence, exon modularity, new gene origination, and gene family neofunctionalization. We begin this review with a description of the TGM family and then address two evolutionary questions: "Why were TGM proteins needed for parasite survival" and "when did the TGM family originate"? For the former, we provide a likely answer, and for the latter, we identify multiple TGM building blocks in the ruminant intestinal parasite Haemonchus contortus. We close by identifying avenues for future investigation: new biochemical data to assign functions to more family members as well as new sequenced genomes in the Trichostrongyloidea superfamily and the Heligmosomoides genus to clarify TGM origins and expansion. Continued study of TGM proteins will generate increased knowledge of Transforming Growth Factor-β signaling, host-parasite interactions, and metazoan evolutionary mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rick M Maizels
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Parasitology, School of Infection and Immunity, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Stuart J Newfeld
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA
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Okino CH, Niciura SCM, Giaretta PR, Melito GR, Kapritchkoff RTI, Santos IBD, Rech RR, Minho AP, Esteves SN, Chagas ACDS. Enhanced mucosal response in sheep harbouring β A beta-globin against haemonchosis. Parasite Immunol 2023; 45:e13003. [PMID: 37400087 DOI: 10.1111/pim.13003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2022] [Revised: 06/07/2023] [Accepted: 06/19/2023] [Indexed: 07/05/2023]
Abstract
Association between ovine β-globin polymorphisms and resistance against haemonchosis was described and related to the mechanism of high oxygen affinity βA ➔ βC switch during anaemia, but there are no studies regarding the involved local host responses. Phenotypic parameters and local responses were evaluated in sheep from two β-globin haplotypes naturally infected with Haemonchus contortus. Morada Nova lambs were monitored at 63, 84 and 105 days of age for faecal egg counts and packed cell volume (PCV) under natural infection with H. contortus. At 210 days of age, lambs of Hb-AA and Hb-BB β-globin haplotypes were euthanised, and the fundic region of abomasum was sampled for evaluation of microscopic lesions and relative expression of genes related to immune, mucin and lectin activities. Lambs harbouring the βA allele presented an improved resistance/resilience against clinical haemonchosis, showing higher PCV during infection. Hb-AA animals presented increased eosinophilia in the abomasum compared to Hb-BB animals, accompanied by higher Th2 profile, mucin and lectin activity transcripts, while the inflammatory response was increased in Hb-BB animals. This is the first report to demonstrate an enhanced local response in the primary site of H. contortus infection related to βA allele of β-globin haplotype.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Paula Roberta Giaretta
- Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA
| | | | | | - Isabella Barbosa Dos Santos
- Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias, Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Jaboticabal, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Raquel Rubia Rech
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA
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Liu H, Tao Z, Wang Y, Liu X, Wang C, Liu L, Hu M. A member of the CAP protein superfamily, Hc-CAP-15, is important for the parasitic-stage development of Haemonchus contortus. Parasit Vectors 2023; 16:290. [PMID: 37592312 PMCID: PMC10433639 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-023-05907-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2023] [Accepted: 07/30/2023] [Indexed: 08/19/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The CAP superfamily proteins are distributed widely in eukaryotes and play crucial roles in various biological processes. However, very little is known about their functions in parasitic nematodes, including Haemonchus contortus, a socioeconomically important parasitic nematode. We have therefore studied a member of the CAP protein family of H. contortus, named Hc-CAP-15, with the aim to explore its roles in regulating the parasitic developmental process. METHODS The conservation and phylogenetic relationships, spatial expression and temporal transcription profiles of Hc-CAP/cap-15, as well its biological function during parasite development were investigated using bioinformatics, immunofluorescence, real-time PCR and RNA interference (RNAi). RESULTS Hc-CAP-15 was found to be a single-domain CAP protein consisting of four conserved motifs that is localized in the cuticle, intestine and oocyte of adult worms. Hc-cap-15 was transcribed at all developmental stages of H. contortus, with the highest transcription level in parasitic fourth-stage larvae (L4s). Silencing of Hc-cap-15 resulted in a significant increase in the body length of L4s. CONCLUSIONS The results suggested that Hc-CAP-15 is important for the development of H. contortus. Our findings provide a basis for further study of the functions of the CAP family proteins in H. contortus and related parasitic nematodes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Zhuolin Tao
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Yifan Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Xin Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Chunqun Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Lu Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China.
| | - Min Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China.
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Zheng Y, Young ND, Song J, Gasser RB. Genome-Wide Analysis of Haemonchus contortus Proteases and Protease Inhibitors Using Advanced Informatics Provides Insights into Parasite Biology and Host-Parasite Interactions. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:12320. [PMID: 37569696 PMCID: PMC10418638 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241512320] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2023] [Revised: 07/24/2023] [Accepted: 07/24/2023] [Indexed: 08/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Biodiversity within the animal kingdom is associated with extensive molecular diversity. The expansion of genomic, transcriptomic and proteomic data sets for invertebrate groups and species with unique biological traits necessitates reliable in silico tools for the accurate identification and annotation of molecules and molecular groups. However, conventional tools are inadequate for lesser-known organismal groups, such as eukaryotic pathogens (parasites), so that improved approaches are urgently needed. Here, we established a combined sequence- and structure-based workflow system to harness well-curated publicly available data sets and resources to identify, classify and annotate proteases and protease inhibitors of a highly pathogenic parasitic roundworm (nematode) of global relevance, called Haemonchus contortus (barber's pole worm). This workflow performed markedly better than conventional, sequence-based classification and annotation alone and allowed the first genome-wide characterisation of protease and protease inhibitor genes and gene products in this worm. In total, we identified 790 genes encoding 860 proteases and protease inhibitors representing 83 gene families. The proteins inferred included 280 metallo-, 145 cysteine, 142 serine, 121 aspartic and 81 "mixed" proteases as well as 91 protease inhibitors, all of which had marked physicochemical diversity and inferred involvements in >400 biological processes or pathways. A detailed investigation revealed a remarkable expansion of some protease or inhibitor gene families, which are likely linked to parasitism (e.g., host-parasite interactions, immunomodulation and blood-feeding) and exhibit stage- or sex-specific transcription profiles. This investigation provides a solid foundation for detailed explorations of the structures and functions of proteases and protease inhibitors of H. contortus and related nematodes, and it could assist in the discovery of new drug or vaccine targets against infections or diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuanting Zheng
- Melbourne Veterinary School, Faculty of Science, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia;
| | - Neil D. Young
- Melbourne Veterinary School, Faculty of Science, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia;
| | - Jiangning Song
- Department of Data Science and AI, Faculty of IT, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3800, Australia;
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3800, Australia
- Monash Data Futures Institute, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3800, Australia
| | - Robin B. Gasser
- Melbourne Veterinary School, Faculty of Science, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia;
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19
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Kalule F, Vudriko P, Nanteza A, Ekiri AB, Alafiatayo R, Betts J, Betson M, Mijten E, Varga G, Cook A. Prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites and molecular identification of beta-tubulin mutations associated with benzimidazole resistance in Haemonchus contortus in goats from selected districts of Uganda. Vet Parasitol Reg Stud Reports 2023; 42:100889. [PMID: 37321794 DOI: 10.1016/j.vprsr.2023.100889] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2022] [Revised: 03/21/2023] [Accepted: 05/06/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Gastrointestinal parasites are among the most economically important pathogens of small ruminants causing serious economic losses and animal welfare problems for the livestock industry worldwide. The emergence of anthelmintic resistant H. contortus in small ruminants is a serious problem because it undermines effective helminth control and results in reduced productivity. Little is known about resistance to benzimidazoles (BZ) in Haemonchus in goats and sheep in Uganda. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites and to identify the presence of benzimidazole resistance associated mutations in the β-tubulin isotype 1 gene of Haemonchus contortus in goats from selected districts of Uganda. A total of 200 goats from 10 districts of Uganda slaughtered at Kalerwe abattoir in Kampala were sampled for H. contortus adult worms. Faecal samples were also collected to detect other intestinal parasites. Faecal microscopy and analysis were performed using flotation and sedimentation techniques. DNA was extracted from adult worms and PCR and sequencing of the ITS- 2 region and β-tubulin isotype 1 gene performed to identify H. contortus species and to determine the presence of mutations associated with anthelmintic resistance respectively. Faecal microscopy showed that the most prevalent intestinal parasites were coccidia (98%), strongyles (97.5%), Strongyloides (82%), Paramphistomum (74.5%), Moniezia (46%), Fasciola (1.5%) and Trichuris (1%). Most goats had a high intestinal burden of coccidia (≥ 5000 oocyst per gram) and strongyles (≥ 1000 egg per gram), 65% and 67.5%, respectively. The prevalence of H. contortus adult worms was 63% (126/200). Sequencing of the partial β-tubulin isotype 1 gene of 54 Haemonchus contortus adult male isolates revealed the presence of mutations associated with anthelmintic resistance. The F200Y mutation was the most common mutation (13% of samples with good beta-tubulin sequences) followed by the E198A and E198K mutations, both found in 9% of sequenced samples. Mutation F167Y was not identified in any of the samples and there were no heterozygous individuals for any of the SNPS associated with BZ resistance that were identified in this study. These findings highlight the need for controlled use of anthelmintics especially benzimidazoles, to enable sustainable control of H. contortus in Uganda, and a need for further investigation to understand the resistance of other parasites identified in this study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francis Kalule
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Resources and Biosecurity, Makerere University, Box 7062, Kampala, Uganda; Zoetis, ALPHA Initiative, Mercuriusstraat 20, B-1930 Zaventem, Belgium
| | - Patrick Vudriko
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Resources and Biosecurity, Makerere University, Box 7062, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Ann Nanteza
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Resources and Biosecurity, Makerere University, Box 7062, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Abel B Ekiri
- vHive, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey GU2 7XH, United Kingdom; Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey GU2 7XH, United Kingdom.
| | - Ruth Alafiatayo
- vHive, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey GU2 7XH, United Kingdom
| | - Jonathan Betts
- vHive, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey GU2 7XH, United Kingdom
| | - Martha Betson
- Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey GU2 7XH, United Kingdom
| | - Erik Mijten
- Zoetis, ALPHA Initiative, Mercuriusstraat 20, B-1930 Zaventem, Belgium
| | - Gabriel Varga
- Zoetis, ALPHA Initiative, Mercuriusstraat 20, B-1930 Zaventem, Belgium
| | - Alasdair Cook
- vHive, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey GU2 7XH, United Kingdom; Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey GU2 7XH, United Kingdom
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Zhang X, Sicalo Gianechini L, Li K, Kaplan RM, Witola WH. Broad-Spectrum Inhibitors for Conserved Unique Phosphoethanolamine Methyltransferases in Parasitic Nematodes Possess Anthelmintic Efficacy. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2023; 67:e0000823. [PMID: 37212658 PMCID: PMC10269165 DOI: 10.1128/aac.00008-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2023] [Accepted: 04/20/2023] [Indexed: 05/23/2023] Open
Abstract
In humans, nematode infections are prevalent in developing countries, causing long-term ill health, particularly in children. Worldwide, nematode infections are prevalent in livestock and pets, affecting productivity and health. Anthelmintic drugs are the primary means of controlling nematodes, but there is now high prevalence of anthelmintic resistance, requiring urgent identification of new molecular targets for anthelmintics with novel mechanisms of action. Here, we identified orthologous genes for phosphoethanolamine methyltransferases (PMTs) in nematodes within the families Trichostrongylidae, Dictyocaulidae, Chabertiidae, Ancylostomatoidea, and Ascarididae. We characterized these putative PMTs and found that they possess bona fide PMT catalytic activities. By complementing a mutant yeast strain lacking the ability to synthesize phosphatidylcholine, the PMTs were validated to catalyze the biosynthesis of phosphatidylcholine. Using an in vitro phosphoethanolamine methyltransferase assay with PMTs as enzymes, we identified compounds with cross-inhibitory effects against the PMTs. Corroboratively, treatment of PMT-complemented yeast with the PMT inhibitors blocked growth of the yeast, underscoring the essential role of the PMTs in phosphatidylcholine synthesis. Fifteen of the inhibitors with the highest activity against complemented yeast were tested against Haemonchus contortus using larval development and motility assays. Among them, four were found to possess potent anthelmintic activity against both multiple drug-resistant and susceptible isolates of H. contortus, with IC50 values (95% confidence interval) of 4.30 μM (2.15-8.28), 4.46 μM (3.22-6.16), 28.7 μM (17.3-49.5), and 0.65 μM (0.21-1.88). Taken together, we have validated a molecular target conserved in a broad range of nematodes and identified its inhibitors that possess potent in vitro anthelmintic activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuejin Zhang
- Department of Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
| | | | - Kun Li
- Department of Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
- Institute of Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine, MOE Joint International Research Laboratory of Animal Health and Food Safety, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Ray M. Kaplan
- Department of Infectious Diseases, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA
- Pathobiology Department, School of Veterinary Medicine, St. George’s University, Grenada, West Indies
| | - William H. Witola
- Department of Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
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21
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Liu G, Liu Q, Han Z, Wang P, Li Y. Comparative proteomics analysis of adult Haemonchus contortus isolates from Ovis ammon. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2023; 13:1087210. [PMID: 37009511 PMCID: PMC10061303 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2023.1087210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2022] [Accepted: 01/19/2023] [Indexed: 03/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Haemonchus contortus is an important parasite that causes disease that seriously endangers ruminant animals cattle, sheep, goat, and camel. Here, we compared the proeomics analysis of three adult Haemonchus contortus isolates from mouflons (Ovis ammon). A total of 1,299 adult worm proteins were identified, and 461 proteins were quantified, of which 82 (108), 83 (97), and 97 (86) significantly upregulated (downregulated) differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were detected among pairwise comparisons (1-vs.-3, 2-vs.-3, and 2-vs.-1). Liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC−MS/MS) and bioinformatic analysis indicated that these DEPs are mainly concentrated in cellular composition, molecular function, biological function, and catabolism pathways. In addition, Gene Ontology (GO) classification and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses were carried out to screen the DEPs. The main biological processes involved were nucleotide, nucleotide phosphate, ribonucleotide, purine-containing compound, purine ribonucleotide, single-organism, oxoacid, organic, carboxylic, oxoacid metabolic processes and single-organism catabolic processes. The majority of KEGG pathways were found to be related to metabolic pathways, biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, biosynthesis of antibiotics, carbon metabolism, and microbial metabolism in diverse environments. Moreover, we also found differences in the expression of some important or novel regulatory proteases, such as serine hydroxymethyl transferase (SHMT), dihydrolipoyl dehydrogenase (DLD), and transket pyr domain-containing protein (TKPD). In summary, label-free proteomic analysis of adult H. contortus worms displayed significant differences in three different individual isolates, which helps to improve our understanding of the growth and metabolic mechanisms of H. contortus in different individuals and relative natural environments and provides novel drug targets for the treatment of parasitic diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gongzhen Liu
- College of Agriculture and Forestry, Linyi University, Linyi, Shandong, China
- *Correspondence: Gongzhen Liu,
| | - Qing Liu
- Jinan Park Development Service Center, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Zhaoqing Han
- College of Agriculture and Forestry, Linyi University, Linyi, Shandong, China
| | - Peikun Wang
- College of Agriculture and Forestry, Linyi University, Linyi, Shandong, China
| | - Yanshen Li
- Department of Marine Product Quality and Safety Inspection Key Laboratory, Yantai University, Yantai, Shandong, China
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22
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Aboshady HM, Choury A, Montout L, Félicité Y, Godard X, Bambou JC. Metagenome reveals caprine abomasal microbiota diversity at early and late stages of Haemonchus contortus infection. Sci Rep 2023; 13:2450. [PMID: 36774423 PMCID: PMC9922249 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-29096-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2022] [Accepted: 01/30/2023] [Indexed: 02/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Haemonchus contortus is one of the most detrimental gastrointestinal nematode parasites for small ruminants, especially in tropics and subtropics. Gastrointestinal nematode and microbiota share the same microhabitat; thus they interact with each other and their host. Metagenomics tools provide a promising way to examine the alterations in the gastric microbial composition induces by gastrointestinal parasites. In this study, we used metagenomics tools to characterize the impact of H. contortus infection on the caprine abomasal microbiota at early and late stage of infection and compared it with non-infected control. Our results showed that H. contortus infection caused a significant increase in abomasal pH at early (7 days post-infection) and late stage of infection (56 days post-infection). The analysis of alpha and beta diversity showed that the microbiota diversity both in number and in proportion was significantly affected at early and late stage of infection. All microbiota classes are impacted by H. contortus infection but Clostridia and Bacteroidia are more concerned. In infected animals, the genera Prevotella decreased at 7 and 56 days post-infection. Here we showed that the abomasal microbiota was significantly affected early after H. contortus infection, and these changes persist at late stage of the infection.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Alice Choury
- INRAE, ASSET, 97170, Petit-Bourg, Guadeloupe, France
| | - Laura Montout
- INRAE, ASSET, 97170, Petit-Bourg, Guadeloupe, France
| | | | - Xavier Godard
- INRAE, Plateforme Tropicale d'Expérimentation sur l'Animal, 97170, Petit Bourg, Guadeloupe, France
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23
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Yang Y, Zhou J, Wu F, Tong D, Chen X, Jiang S, Duan Y, Yao C, Wang T, Du A, Gasser RB, Ma G. Haem transporter HRG-1 is essential in the barber's pole worm and an intervention target candidate. PLoS Pathog 2023; 19:e1011129. [PMID: 36716341 PMCID: PMC9910794 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1011129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2022] [Revised: 02/09/2023] [Accepted: 01/18/2023] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Parasitic roundworms (nematodes) have lost genes involved in the de novo biosynthesis of haem, but have evolved the capacity to acquire and utilise exogenous haem from host animals. However, very little is known about the processes or mechanisms underlying haem acquisition and utilisation in parasites. Here, we reveal that HRG-1 is a conserved and unique haem transporter in a broad range of parasitic nematodes of socioeconomic importance, which enables haem uptake via intestinal cells, facilitates cellular haem utilisation through the endo-lysosomal system, and exhibits a conspicuous distribution at the basal laminae covering the alimentary tract, muscles and gonads. The broader tissue expression pattern of HRG-1 in Haemonchus contortus (barber's pole worm) compared with its orthologues in the free-living nematode Caenorhabditis elegans indicates critical involvement of this unique haem transporter in haem homeostasis in tissues and organs of the parasitic nematode. RNAi-mediated gene knockdown of hrg-1 resulted in sick and lethal phenotypes of infective larvae of H. contortus, which could only be rescued by supplementation of exogenous haem in the early developmental stage. Notably, the RNAi-treated infective larvae could not establish infection or survive in the mammalian host, suggesting an indispensable role of this haem transporter in the survival of this parasite. This study provides new insights into the haem biology of a parasitic nematode, demonstrates that haem acquisition by HRG-1 is essential for H. contortus survival and infection, and suggests that HRG-1 could be an intervention target candidate in a range of parasitic nematodes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi Yang
- Institute of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, College of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Jingru Zhou
- Institute of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, College of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Fei Wu
- Institute of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, College of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Danni Tong
- Institute of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, College of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Xueqiu Chen
- Institute of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, College of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Shengjun Jiang
- Institute of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, College of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Yu Duan
- Institute of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, College of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Chaoqun Yao
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and One Health Center for Zoonoses and Tropical Veterinary Medicine, Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine, Basseterre, St. Kitts, West Indies
| | - Tao Wang
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Melbourne Veterinary School, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Aifang Du
- Institute of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, College of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- * E-mail: (AD); (RBG); (GM)
| | - Robin B. Gasser
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Melbourne Veterinary School, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
- * E-mail: (AD); (RBG); (GM)
| | - Guangxu Ma
- Institute of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, College of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Melbourne Veterinary School, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
- * E-mail: (AD); (RBG); (GM)
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24
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Ortiz Caltempa A, Hernández M, Pérez AL, Aguilar L, Guzmán C, Ayón-Núñez DA, Fragoso G, Bobes RJ, López ME, Sciutto E, Villareal ML. Improvement of cell suspension cultures of transformed and untransformed Carica papaya cell lines, towards the development of an antiparasitic product against the gastrointestinal nematode Haemonchus contortus. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2022; 12:958741. [PMID: 36159651 PMCID: PMC9493254 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2022.958741] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2022] [Accepted: 08/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Parasitic diseases have a major impact on human and animal health worldwide. Despite the availability of effective anti-parasitic drugs, their excessive and uncontrolled use has promoted the emergence of drug resistance, severely affecting ecosystems and human health. Thus, developing environmentally friendly antiparasitic treatments is urgently needed. Carica papaya has shown promising effects against infectious diseases. C. papaya embryogenic calluses were genetically modified by our research team to insert immunogenic peptides with the goal of developing an oral anti-cysticercosis vaccine. Among these callus cell lines, one labeled as CF-23, which expresses the KETc7 immunogenic peptide, induced the highest protection levels against experimental cysticercosis. In the process of designing a natural antiparasitic product based on C. papaya that simultaneously induced immunity against cysticercosis, both transformed (SF-23) and untransformed (SF-WT) suspension cultures were produced and optimized. Our results showed a better duplication time (td) for SF-23 (6.9 days) than SF-WT (13.02 days); thus, the SF-23 line was selected for scale-up in a 2-L airlift bioreactor, reaching a td of 4.4 days. This is the first time that a transgenic line of C. papaya has been grown in an airlift bioreactor, highlighting its potential for scale-up cultivation in this type of reactor. Considering the previously reported nematocidal activity of C. papaya tissues, their activity against the nematode Haemonchus contortus of aqueous extracts of SF-WT and SF-23 was explored in this study, with promising results. The information herein reported will allow us to continue the cultivation of the transgenic cell suspension line of C. papaya under reproducible conditions, to develop a new anti-parasitic product.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anabel Ortiz Caltempa
- Centro de Investigación en Biotecnología, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos, Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico
| | - Marisela Hernández
- Laboratorio de Inmunología, Departamento de Inmunología, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Ana Lilia Pérez
- Centro de Investigación en Biotecnología, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos, Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico
| | - Liliana Aguilar
- Centro de Investigación Disciplinaria en Salud Animal e Inocuidad, Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Forestales, Agrícolas y Pecuarias, Jiutepec, Morelos, Mexico
| | - Cynthia Guzmán
- Centro de Investigación en Biotecnología, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos, Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico
| | - Dolores Adriana Ayón-Núñez
- Laboratorio de Inmunología, Departamento de Inmunología, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Gladis Fragoso
- Laboratorio de Inmunología, Departamento de Inmunología, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Raúl J. Bobes
- Laboratorio de Inmunología, Departamento de Inmunología, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Maria Eugenia López
- Centro de Investigación Disciplinaria en Salud Animal e Inocuidad, Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Forestales, Agrícolas y Pecuarias, Jiutepec, Morelos, Mexico
| | - Edda Sciutto
- Laboratorio de Inmunología, Departamento de Inmunología, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, Mexico
- *Correspondence: María Luisa Villareal, ; Edda Sciutto,
| | - María Luisa Villareal
- Centro de Investigación en Biotecnología, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos, Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico
- *Correspondence: María Luisa Villareal, ; Edda Sciutto,
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25
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Baltrušis P, Doyle SR, Halvarsson P, Höglund J. Genome-wide analysis of the response to ivermectin treatment by a Swedish field population of Haemonchus contortus. Int J Parasitol Drugs Drug Resist 2022; 18:12-19. [PMID: 34959200 PMCID: PMC8718930 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpddr.2021.12.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2021] [Revised: 12/20/2021] [Accepted: 12/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Haemonchus contortus is a pathogenic gastrointestinal nematode of small ruminants and, in part due to its capacity to develop resistance to drugs, contributes to significant losses in the animal production sector worldwide. Despite decades of research, comparatively little is known about the specific mechanism(s) driving resistance to drugs such as ivermectin in this species. Here we describe a genome-wide approach to detect evidence of selection by ivermectin treatment in a field population of H. contortus from Sweden, using parasites sampled from the same animals before and seven days after ivermectin exposure followed by whole-genome sequencing. Despite an 89% reduction in parasites recovered after treatment measured by the fecal egg count reduction test, the surviving population was highly genetically similar to the population before treatment, suggesting that resistance has likely evolved over time and that resistance alleles are present on diverse haplotypes. Pairwise gene and SNP frequency comparisons indicated the highest degree of differentiation was found at the terminal end of chromosome 4, whereas the most striking difference in nucleotide diversity was observed in a region on chromosome 5 previously reported to harbor a major quantitative trait locus involved in ivermectin resistance. These data provide novel insight into the genome-wide effect of ivermectin selection in a field population as well as confirm the importance of the previously established quantitative trait locus in the development of resistance to ivermectin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paulius Baltrušis
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Veterinary Public Health, Section for Parasitology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, P.O. Box 7036, Uppsala, Sweden.
| | - Stephen R Doyle
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire, CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Peter Halvarsson
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Veterinary Public Health, Section for Parasitology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, P.O. Box 7036, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Johan Höglund
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Veterinary Public Health, Section for Parasitology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, P.O. Box 7036, Uppsala, Sweden
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26
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Lubisch M, Moyzio S, Kaiser CS, Krafeld I, Leusder D, Scholz M, Hoepfner L, Hippler M, Liebau E, Kahl J. Using Caenorhabditis elegans to produce functional secretory proteins of parasitic nematodes. Acta Trop 2022; 225:106176. [PMID: 34627755 DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2021.106176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2021] [Revised: 08/31/2021] [Accepted: 09/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The expression of antigens in their immunologically-active form remains a challenge, both in the analysis of regulatory pathways exploited by parasitic nematodes or in the development of vaccines. Despite the success of native proteins to induce protective immunity, recombinant proteins expressed in bacteria, yeast or insect cells offer only limited protective capacities, presumably due to incorrect folding or missing complex posttranslational modifications. The present study investigates the feasibility of using the free-living nematode Caenorhabditis elegans as an alternative expression system for proteins found in the secretome of parasitic nematodes. Exemplified by the expression of the extracellular superoxide dismutase from Haemonchus contortus (HcSODe) and the extracellular and glycosylated glutathione S-transferase from the filarial parasite Onchocerca volvulus (OvGST1), we continue our efforts to improve production and purification of recombinant proteins expressed in C. elegans. We demonstrate that sufficient quantities of functional proteins can be expressed in C. elegans for subsequent immunological and biochemical studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Milena Lubisch
- Department of Molecular Physiology, Institute of Animal Physiology, Westfälische Wilhelms-University, Schlossplatz 8, 48143 Münster, Germany
| | - Sven Moyzio
- Department of Molecular Physiology, Institute of Animal Physiology, Westfälische Wilhelms-University, Schlossplatz 8, 48143 Münster, Germany
| | - Charlotte Sophia Kaiser
- Department of Molecular Physiology, Institute of Animal Physiology, Westfälische Wilhelms-University, Schlossplatz 8, 48143 Münster, Germany
| | - Isabel Krafeld
- Department of Molecular Physiology, Institute of Animal Physiology, Westfälische Wilhelms-University, Schlossplatz 8, 48143 Münster, Germany
| | - Dustin Leusder
- Department of Molecular Physiology, Institute of Animal Physiology, Westfälische Wilhelms-University, Schlossplatz 8, 48143 Münster, Germany
| | - Martin Scholz
- Plant Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Institute of Plant Biology and Biotechnology, Westfälische Wilhelms-University, Schlossplatz 8, 48143 Münster, Germany
| | - Lara Hoepfner
- Plant Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Institute of Plant Biology and Biotechnology, Westfälische Wilhelms-University, Schlossplatz 8, 48143 Münster, Germany
| | - Michael Hippler
- Plant Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Institute of Plant Biology and Biotechnology, Westfälische Wilhelms-University, Schlossplatz 8, 48143 Münster, Germany
| | - Eva Liebau
- Department of Molecular Physiology, Institute of Animal Physiology, Westfälische Wilhelms-University, Schlossplatz 8, 48143 Münster, Germany.
| | - Janina Kahl
- Department of Molecular Physiology, Institute of Animal Physiology, Westfälische Wilhelms-University, Schlossplatz 8, 48143 Münster, Germany
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27
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George MM, Vatta AF, Howell SB, Storey BE, McCoy CJ, Wolstenholme AJ, Redman EM, Gilleard JS, Kaplan RM. Evaluation of changes in drug susceptibility and population genetic structure in Haemonchus contortus following worm replacement as a means to reverse the impact of multiple-anthelmintic resistance on a sheep farm. Int J Parasitol Drugs Drug Resist 2021; 15:134-143. [PMID: 33667995 PMCID: PMC7937535 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpddr.2021.02.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2020] [Revised: 02/12/2021] [Accepted: 02/12/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
A population of Haemonchus contortus that was highly resistant to benzimidazoles and avermectin/milbemycins with a subpopulation that was resistant to levamisole, was replaced with a susceptible laboratory isolate of H. contortus in a flock of sheep. The anthelmintic susceptibility and population genetics of the newly established population were evaluated for 3.5 years using in vivo, in vitro, and molecular methods. Successful replacement of the resistant population with a susceptible population was confirmed using phenotypic and genotypic measurements; larval development assay indicated full anthelmintic susceptibility; albendazole treatment yielded 98.7% fecal egg count reduction; pyrosequence genotyping of single nucleotide polymorphisms in positions 167 and 200 of the isotype-1 beta tubulin gene were present at 0.0 and 1.7%, respectively; microsatellite genotyping indicated the background haplotype was similar to the susceptible isolate; and haplotypes of the isotype-1 beta tubulin gene were similar to the susceptible isolate. To sustain the susceptibility of the new population, targeted selective treatment was implemented using albendazole. Surprisingly, within 1.5 years post-replacement, the population reverted to a resistant phenotype. Resistance to albendazole, ivermectin, and moxidectin was confirmed via fecal egg count reduction test, larval development assay, and pyrosequencing-based genotyping. Targeted selective treatment was then carried out using levamisole. However, within one year, resistance was detected to levamisole. Population genetics demonstrated a gradual change in the genetic structure of the population until the final population was similar to the initial resistant population. Genetic analyses showed a lack of diversity in the susceptible isolate, suggesting the susceptible isolate had reduced environmental fitness compared to the resistant population, providing a possible explanation for the rapid reversion to resistance. This work demonstrates the power of combining molecular, in vitro, and in vivo assays to study phenotypic and genotypic changes in a field population of nematodes, enabling improved insights into the epidemiology of anthelmintic resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa M George
- Department of Infectious Diseases, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, 501 D.W. Brooks Drive, Athens, GA, 30602, USA.
| | - Adriano F Vatta
- Department of Infectious Diseases, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, 501 D.W. Brooks Drive, Athens, GA, 30602, USA
| | - Sue B Howell
- Department of Infectious Diseases, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, 501 D.W. Brooks Drive, Athens, GA, 30602, USA
| | - Bob E Storey
- Department of Infectious Diseases, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, 501 D.W. Brooks Drive, Athens, GA, 30602, USA
| | - Ciaran J McCoy
- Department of Infectious Diseases, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, 501 D.W. Brooks Drive, Athens, GA, 30602, USA
| | - Adrian J Wolstenholme
- Department of Infectious Diseases, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, 501 D.W. Brooks Drive, Athens, GA, 30602, USA
| | - Elizabeth M Redman
- Department of Comparative Biology and Experimental Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, 3330, Hospital Drive, Calgary, Alberta, T2N 4N1, Canada
| | - John S Gilleard
- Department of Comparative Biology and Experimental Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, 3330, Hospital Drive, Calgary, Alberta, T2N 4N1, Canada
| | - Ray M Kaplan
- Department of Infectious Diseases, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, 501 D.W. Brooks Drive, Athens, GA, 30602, USA
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Baltrušis P, Charvet CL, Halvarsson P, Mikko S, Höglund J. Using droplet digital PCR for the detection of hco-acr-8b levamisole resistance marker in H. contortus. Int J Parasitol Drugs Drug Resist 2021; 15:168-176. [PMID: 33799059 PMCID: PMC8044644 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpddr.2021.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2021] [Revised: 03/16/2021] [Accepted: 03/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The nematode Haemonchus contortus is one of the most prevalent and pathogenic parasites in small ruminants. Although usually controlled using anthelmintics, the development of drug resistance by the parasite has become a major issue in livestock production. While the molecular detection of benzimidazole resistance in H. contortus is well developed, the molecular tools and protocols are far less advanced for the detection of levamisole resistance. The hco-acr-8 gene encodes a critical acetylcholine susceptible subunit that confers levamisole-sensitivity to the receptor. Here, we report the development of a droplet digital PCR assay as a molecular tool to detect a 63 bp deletion in the hco-acr-8 that has been previously associated with levamisole resistance. Sanger sequencing of single adult H. contortus yielded 56 high-quality consensus sequences surrounding the region containing the deletion. Based on the sequencing data, new primers and probes were designed and validated with a novel droplet digital PCR assay for the quantification of the deletion containing “resistant” allele in genomic DNA samples. Single adult worms from six phenotypically described isolates (n = 60) and from two Swedish sheep farms (n = 30) where levamisole was effective were tested. Even though a significant difference in genotype frequencies between the resistant and susceptible reference isolates was found (p = 0.01), the homozygous “resistant” genotype was observed to be abundantly present in both the susceptible isolates as well as in some Swedish H. contortus samples. Furthermore, field larval culture samples, collected pre- (n = 7) and post- (n = 6) levamisole treatment on seven Swedish sheep farms where levamisole was fully efficacious according to Fecal Egg Count Reduction Test results, were tested to evaluate the frequency of the “resistant” allele in each. Frequencies of the deletion ranged from 35 to 80% in the pre-treatment samples, whereas no amplifiable H. contortus genomic DNA was detected in the post-treatment samples. Together, these data reveal relatively high frequencies of the 63 bp deletion in the hco-acr-8 both on individual H. contortus and field larval culture scales, and cast doubt on the utility of the deletion in the hco-acr-8 as a molecular marker for levamisole resistance detection on sheep farms. Acr8b – levamisole resistance marker investigated in single worms and larval cultures. Individuals homozygous for acr8b found more commonly, even in susceptible isolates. Levamisole treatment efficacy was unaffected by increased acr8b frequencies in larvae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paulius Baltrušis
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Veterinary Public Health, Section for Parasitology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden.
| | | | - Peter Halvarsson
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Veterinary Public Health, Section for Parasitology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Sofia Mikko
- Department of Animal Breeding & Genetics, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Johan Höglund
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Veterinary Public Health, Section for Parasitology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
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Königová A, Urda Dolinská M, Babják M, von Samson-Himmelstjerna G, Komáromyová M, Várady M. Experimental evidence for the lack of sensitivity of in vivo faecal egg count reduction testing for the detection of early development of benzimidazole resistance. Parasitol Res 2020; 120:153-159. [PMID: 33174071 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-020-06965-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2020] [Accepted: 11/03/2020] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
The objective of this study was to compare the results of an in vitro egg hatch test (EHT), micro-agar larval development test (MALDT) and in vivo faecal egg count reduction test (FECRT) between worm strains obtained from goats and sheep identically infected with the gastrointestinal parasitic nematode Haemonchus contortus. Results from the in vivo and in vitro tests were compared with benzimidazole (BZ)-resistance-associated β-tubulin allele frequencies determined using Pyrosequencing™. BZ resistance was not detected by the in vivo FECRT, where reductions of > 99% for both the resistant and the susceptible H. contortus strains were detected in both species. Discriminating doses in EHT and MALDT for the resistant strain indicated a low level (approx. 25%) of resistant individuals. Genotyping indicated that the susceptible strain had 10% BZ-resistant β-tubulin codon 200 alleles and the resistant strain had 26% respective resistant alleles. The in vitro tests and allele-frequency distribution suggested low levels of resistance in both strains; however, the FECRT did not support the evidence of resistant individuals of either strain in either species, suggesting a potential underestimation of low-level resistance in sheep and goats when employing this test.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alžbeta Königová
- Institute of Parasitology of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, Hlinkova 3, 040 01, Košice, Slovakia
| | - Michaela Urda Dolinská
- Institute of Parasitology of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, Hlinkova 3, 040 01, Košice, Slovakia
| | - Michal Babják
- Institute of Parasitology of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, Hlinkova 3, 040 01, Košice, Slovakia
| | - Georg von Samson-Himmelstjerna
- Institute for Parasitology and Tropical Veterinary Medicine, Freie Universität Berlin, Robert-von-Ostertag-Str. 7-13, 14163, Berlin, Germany
| | - Michaela Komáromyová
- Institute of Parasitology of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, Hlinkova 3, 040 01, Košice, Slovakia
- University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy in Košice, Komenského 73, 041 81, Košice, Slovakia
| | - Marián Várady
- Institute of Parasitology of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, Hlinkova 3, 040 01, Košice, Slovakia.
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Doyle SR, Tracey A, Laing R, Holroyd N, Bartley D, Bazant W, Beasley H, Beech R, Britton C, Brooks K, Chaudhry U, Maitland K, Martinelli A, Noonan JD, Paulini M, Quail MA, Redman E, Rodgers FH, Sallé G, Shabbir MZ, Sankaranarayanan G, Wit J, Howe KL, Sargison N, Devaney E, Berriman M, Gilleard JS, Cotton JA. Genomic and transcriptomic variation defines the chromosome-scale assembly of Haemonchus contortus, a model gastrointestinal worm. Commun Biol 2020; 3:656. [PMID: 33168940 PMCID: PMC7652881 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-020-01377-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2020] [Accepted: 10/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Haemonchus contortus is a globally distributed and economically important gastrointestinal pathogen of small ruminants and has become a key nematode model for studying anthelmintic resistance and other parasite-specific traits among a wider group of parasites including major human pathogens. Here, we report using PacBio long-read and OpGen and 10X Genomics long-molecule methods to generate a highly contiguous 283.4 Mbp chromosome-scale genome assembly including a resolved sex chromosome for the MHco3(ISE).N1 isolate. We show a remarkable pattern of conservation of chromosome content with Caenorhabditis elegans, but almost no conservation of gene order. Short and long-read transcriptome sequencing allowed us to define coordinated transcriptional regulation throughout the parasite's life cycle and refine our understanding of cis- and trans-splicing. Finally, we provide a comprehensive picture of chromosome-wide genetic diversity both within a single isolate and globally. These data provide a high-quality comparison for understanding the evolution and genomics of Caenorhabditis and other nematodes and extend the experimental tractability of this model parasitic nematode in understanding helminth biology, drug discovery and vaccine development, as well as important adaptive traits such as drug resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen R Doyle
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire, CB10 1SA, UK.
| | - Alan Tracey
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire, CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Roz Laing
- Institute of Biodiversity Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Garscube Campus, Glasgow, G61 1QH, UK
| | - Nancy Holroyd
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire, CB10 1SA, UK
| | - David Bartley
- Moredun Research Institute, Pentlands Science Park, Bush Loan, Penicuik, EH26 0PZ, UK
| | - Wojtek Bazant
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire, CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Helen Beasley
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire, CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Robin Beech
- Institute of Parasitology, McGill University, 21111 Lakeshore Road, Sainte Anne-de-Bellevue, QC, H9X3V9, Canada
| | - Collette Britton
- Institute of Biodiversity Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Garscube Campus, Glasgow, G61 1QH, UK
| | - Karen Brooks
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire, CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Umer Chaudhry
- Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH25 9RG, UK
| | - Kirsty Maitland
- Institute of Biodiversity Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Garscube Campus, Glasgow, G61 1QH, UK
| | - Axel Martinelli
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire, CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Jennifer D Noonan
- Institute of Parasitology, McGill University, 21111 Lakeshore Road, Sainte Anne-de-Bellevue, QC, H9X3V9, Canada
| | - Michael Paulini
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire, CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Michael A Quail
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire, CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Elizabeth Redman
- Department of Comparative Biology and Experimental Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Faye H Rodgers
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire, CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Guillaume Sallé
- INRAE - U. Tours, UMR 1282 ISP Infectiologie et Santé Publique, Centre de recherche Val de Loire, Nouzilly, France
| | | | | | - Janneke Wit
- Department of Comparative Biology and Experimental Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Kevin L Howe
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire, CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Neil Sargison
- Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH25 9RG, UK
| | - Eileen Devaney
- Institute of Biodiversity Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Garscube Campus, Glasgow, G61 1QH, UK
| | - Matthew Berriman
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire, CB10 1SA, UK
| | - John S Gilleard
- Department of Comparative Biology and Experimental Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - James A Cotton
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire, CB10 1SA, UK.
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Wang Y, Ehsan M, Wang S, Tian X, Yan R, Song X, Xu L, Li X. Modulatory functions of recombinant electron transfer flavoprotein α subunit protein from Haemonchus contortus on goat immune cells in vitro. Vet Parasitol 2020; 288:109300. [PMID: 33152677 DOI: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2020.109300] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2020] [Revised: 10/25/2020] [Accepted: 10/26/2020] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Suppression and modulation of the host immune response to parasitic nematodes have been extensively studied. In the present study, we cloned and produced recombinant electron transfer flavoprotein α subunit (ETFα) protein from Haemonchus contortus (rHCETFα), a parasitic nematode of small ruminants, and studied the effect of this protein on modulating the immune response of goat peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and monocytes. Immunohistochemical tests verified that the HCETFα protein was localized mainly in the intestinal wall and on the body surface of worms. Immunoblot analysis revealed that rHCETFα was recognized by the serum of goats artificially infected with H. contortus. Immunofluorescence analysis indicated that rHCETFα bound to the surface of PBMCs. rHCETFα was co-incubated with goat PBMCs to observe the immunomodulatory effects exerted by HCETFα on proliferation, apoptosis, cytokine secretion and nitric oxide (NO) production. The results showed that rHCETFα suppressed the proliferation of goat PBMCs stimulated by concanavalin A and induced apoptosis in goat PBMCs. After rHCETFα exposure, IL-2, IL-4, IL-17A and TNF-α expression was markedly reduced, whereas secretion of TGF-β1 was significantly elevated, in goat PBMCs. Moreover, rHCETFα up-regulated NO production in a dose-dependent manner. FITC-dextran internalization assays showed that rHCETFα inhibited phagocytosis of goat monocytes. These results elucidate the interaction between parasites and hosts at the molecular level, suggest a possible immunomodulatory target and contribute to the search for innovative proteins that may be candidate targets for drugs and vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yujian Wang
- MOE Joint International Research Laboratory of Animal Health and Food Safety, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, PR China; School of Life Science, Huizhou University, Huizhou 516007, PR China.
| | - Muhammad Ehsan
- MOE Joint International Research Laboratory of Animal Health and Food Safety, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, PR China.
| | - Shuai Wang
- MOE Joint International Research Laboratory of Animal Health and Food Safety, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, PR China.
| | - Xiaowei Tian
- MOE Joint International Research Laboratory of Animal Health and Food Safety, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, PR China.
| | - RuoFeng Yan
- MOE Joint International Research Laboratory of Animal Health and Food Safety, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, PR China.
| | - XiaoKai Song
- MOE Joint International Research Laboratory of Animal Health and Food Safety, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, PR China.
| | - LiXin Xu
- MOE Joint International Research Laboratory of Animal Health and Food Safety, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, PR China.
| | - XiangRui Li
- MOE Joint International Research Laboratory of Animal Health and Food Safety, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, PR China.
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Bu Y, Cao M, Tian X, Lu M, Li J, Mao D, Yu L, Memon MA, Li C, Xu L, Song X, Yan R, Li X. HcFAR, a functional inhibitor of goat TGF-β1 identified from excretory and secretory products of Haemonchus contortus. Vet Parasitol 2020; 286:109236. [PMID: 32961509 DOI: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2020.109236] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2020] [Revised: 09/01/2020] [Accepted: 09/02/2020] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
Haemonchus contortus has developed complexed and multifaceted mechanisms of immune evasion to enable the survival in the host. Generating excretion and secretion products (ESPs) to subvert or suppress the functions of host cytokines is a newly immune regulatory pattern found during recent years. Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) has critical immune regulatory functions in nematode infections. In this study, co-immunoprecipitation (co-IP) assay was used to identify the goat TGF-β1 binding proteins from HcESPs. The interaction between TGF-β1 and nematode fatty acid retinoid binding domain containing protein of H. contortus (HcFAR) was analyzed by glutathione S-transferase (GST)-pull down assay. The suppressive effect of rHcFAR on TGF-β1-induced immunoglobulin A (IgA) secretion was observed by co-incubation of rHcFAR and TGF-β1 with goat peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). The IgA concentrations were determined using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit. Meanwhile, the suppressive effect of rHcFAR on TGF-β1-induced T helper (Th) 9 differentiation was investigated by co-incubation of rHcFAR, TGF-β1 and interleukin (IL)-4 with goats PBMCs. In parallel, IL-4 was replaced by IL-6 to determine the effects on the Th17 differentiation. The transcriptions of IL-9 and IL-17 in PBMCs were then evaluated by real-time PCR. Finally, we found that HcFAR from HcESPs could bind to goat TGF-β1 in vitro. The ELISA results of IgA showed that 40 μg/mL rHcFAR could suppress the IgA secretion of PBMCs induced by TGF-β1. Additionally, rHcFAR (at 10 μg/mL and 20 μg/mL) could inhibit the mRNA transcription of IL-9 induced by TGF-β1 and IL-4. Meanwhile, rHcFAR could also downregulate the transcription of IL-17 induced by TGF-β1 and IL-6 in a dose-dependent manner. These results indicated that HcFAR was a functional inhibitor of goat TGF-β1 and this information may help contribute to understanding of the relationship between the ESPs and host cytokines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yongqian Bu
- MOE Joint International Research Laboratory of Animal Health and Food Safety, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, PR China.
| | - Man Cao
- MOE Joint International Research Laboratory of Animal Health and Food Safety, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, PR China.
| | - Xiaowei Tian
- MOE Joint International Research Laboratory of Animal Health and Food Safety, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, PR China.
| | - Mingmin Lu
- MOE Joint International Research Laboratory of Animal Health and Food Safety, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, PR China.
| | - Junjie Li
- MOE Joint International Research Laboratory of Animal Health and Food Safety, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, PR China.
| | - Dingyi Mao
- MOE Joint International Research Laboratory of Animal Health and Food Safety, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, PR China.
| | - Lin Yu
- MOE Joint International Research Laboratory of Animal Health and Food Safety, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, PR China.
| | - Muhammad Ali Memon
- MOE Joint International Research Laboratory of Animal Health and Food Safety, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, PR China.
| | - Charles Li
- Animal Biosciences and Biotechnology Laboratory, Agricultural Research Service, United States; Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, MD 20705, United States.
| | - Lixin Xu
- MOE Joint International Research Laboratory of Animal Health and Food Safety, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, PR China.
| | - Xiaokai Song
- MOE Joint International Research Laboratory of Animal Health and Food Safety, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, PR China.
| | - Ruofeng Yan
- MOE Joint International Research Laboratory of Animal Health and Food Safety, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, PR China.
| | - Xiangrui Li
- MOE Joint International Research Laboratory of Animal Health and Food Safety, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, PR China.
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Yang Y, Guo X, Chen X, Zhou J, Wu F, Huang Y, Shi H, Du A. Functional characterization of a novel gene, Hc-dhs-28 and its role in protecting the host after Haemonchus contortus infection through regulation of diapause formation. Int J Parasitol 2020; 50:945-957. [PMID: 32858035 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpara.2020.04.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2020] [Revised: 04/23/2020] [Accepted: 04/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Haemonchus contortus could enter the diapause stage to avoid hostile conditions, however the inducing mechanism still remains poorly understood. A similar dauer strategy exists in Caenorhabditis elegans, and dauer phenomones, which are produced through a four step cycle of peroxisomal fatty acid β-oxidation, are essential in this stage. In this study, a novel gene, Hc-dhs-28, was identified and characterised. Hc-DHS-28 was the homologue of Ce-DHS-28, a key enzyme in the oxidation cycle, and the protein contained a short chain dehydrogenase domain and a peroxisomal targeting signal 1. The expression pattern of Hc-DHS-28 detected by quantitative real-time PCR and indirect immunofluorescence assay revealed that this protein was mainly expressed in the intestine and subdermal regions of larvae at diapause and in free-living stages. Enzyme activity analysis confirmed its 3-hydroxyacyl CoA dehydrogenase activity with 121, 149, 162 and 166 as key functional sites; meanwhile co-localization in human embryonic kidney 293 cells indicated that Hc-DHS-28 was targeted to the peroxisome of cytoplasm under the guide of peroxisomal targeting signal 1, which was consistent with the functional domain prediction of Hc-dhs-28. Overexpression, rescue and RNA interference experiments were carried out to explore the function of Hc-dhs-28. Our results showed that Hc-dhs-28 was very similar to Ce-dhs-28 and partially rescued its function in C. elegans. RNAi with Hc-dhs-28 in C. elegans led to decreased transcription of genes in the peroxisomal fatty acid β-oxidation cycle, considerable fat accumulation and dauer formation defects. Furthermore, immunisation with recombinant Hc-DHS-28 protein in sheep was able to maintain the body weight of the host after infection and reduce the worm burden. In conclusion, Hc-DHS-28 is most likely involved in the peroxisome fatty acid β-oxidation as the third 3-hydroxyacyl CoA dehydrogenase to regulate the production of diapause-related pheromones, and then influence the formation of diapause in H. contortus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi Yang
- College of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, Institute of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Xiaolu Guo
- Kangmeihuada Gene Technology Co., Ltd, Hangcheng Industrial Zone, Baoan District, Shenzhen 518126, China
| | - Xueqiu Chen
- College of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, Institute of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Jingru Zhou
- College of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, Institute of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Fei Wu
- College of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, Institute of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Yan Huang
- College of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, Institute of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Hengzhi Shi
- College of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, Institute of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Aifang Du
- College of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, Institute of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China.
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Naqvi MAUH, Li H, Gao W, Naqvi SZ, Jamil T, Aimulajiang K, Xu L, Song X, Li X, Yan R. Haemonchus contortus: siRNA mediated knockdown of matrix metalloproteinase 12A (MMP-12) results in reduction of infectivity. Parasit Vectors 2020; 13:151. [PMID: 32204731 PMCID: PMC7092576 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-020-04025-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2020] [Accepted: 03/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND RNA interference (RNAi) is an important tool to determine the role of genes. RNAi has been widely used to downregulate target molecules, resulting in the reduction of mRNA for protein expression. Matrix metalloprotease 12A (MMP-12) is known to have important roles during embryonic development, organ morphogenesis and pathological processes in animals. However, MMP-12 from Haemonchus contortus has not been characterized. METHODS Haemonchus contortus MMP-12 gene was cloned and recombinant protein of MMP-12 (rHc-MMP-12) was expressed. Binding activities of rHc-MMP-12 to goat peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were assessed by immunofluorescence assay (IFA) and the immuno-regulatory effects of rHc-MMP-12 on cell proliferation and nitric oxide production were observed by co-incubation of rHc-MMP-12 with goat PBMCs. Furthermore, a soaking method was used to knockdown the expression of Hc-MMP12 gene using three siRNA, targeting different regions of the gene and infectivity of effective siRNA on the development of H. contortus was evaluated in goat. RESULTS rHc-MMP-12 was successfully expressed in an expression vector as well as the tissues of the cuticle of adult H. contortus worms and a successful binding with PBMCs surface were observed. Increased cellular proliferation and nitric oxide production by goat PBMCs was observed in a dose-dependent manner. Quantitative real time PCR (qRT-PCR) results confirmed the successful silencing of Hc-MMP-12 gene in siRNA of 1, 2 and 3 treated third-stage larvae (L3) of H. contortus in vitro. The most efficient qRT-PCR-identified siRNA template was siRNA-2, with a 69% suppression rate compared to the control groups. Moreover, in an in vivo study, silencing of the Hc-MMP-12 gene by siRNA-2 reduced the number of eggs (54.02%), hatchability (16.84%) and worm burden (51.47%) as compared to snRNA-treated control group. In addition, a shorter length of worms in siRNA-2-treated group was observed as compared to control groups. CONCLUSIONS Our results indicate that siRNA-mediated silencing of Hc-MMP-12 gene in H. contortus significantly reduce the egg counts, larval hatchability, and adult worm counts and sizes. The findings of the present study demonstrate important roles of Hc-MMP-12 in the development of H. contortus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad Ali-ul-Husnain Naqvi
- MOE Joint International Research Laboratory of Animal Health and Food Safety, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095 China
| | - Hao Li
- MOE Joint International Research Laboratory of Animal Health and Food Safety, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095 China
| | - Wenxiang Gao
- MOE Joint International Research Laboratory of Animal Health and Food Safety, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095 China
| | - Sana Zahra Naqvi
- MOE Joint International Research Laboratory of Animal Health and Food Safety, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095 China
| | - Tahseen Jamil
- Sindh Agriculture University, Tandojam, Sindh 70050 Pakistan
| | - Kalibixiati Aimulajiang
- MOE Joint International Research Laboratory of Animal Health and Food Safety, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095 China
| | - Lixin Xu
- MOE Joint International Research Laboratory of Animal Health and Food Safety, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095 China
| | - Xiaokai Song
- MOE Joint International Research Laboratory of Animal Health and Food Safety, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095 China
| | - Xiangrui Li
- MOE Joint International Research Laboratory of Animal Health and Food Safety, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095 China
| | - Ruofeng Yan
- MOE Joint International Research Laboratory of Animal Health and Food Safety, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095 China
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Haehling MB, Cruvinel GG, Toscano JHB, Giraldelo LA, Santos IB, Esteves SN, Benavides MV, Barioni Júnior W, Niciura SCM, Chagas ACS. Four single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are associated with resistance and resilience to Haemonchus contortus in Brazilian Morada Nova sheep. Vet Parasitol 2020; 279:109053. [PMID: 32109653 DOI: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2020.109053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2019] [Revised: 02/05/2020] [Accepted: 02/06/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Gastrointestinal nematodes are a major constraint in sheep production. Breeding for resistance has proven to be an effective and feasible approach to address this problem. The use and investigation of genetic markers for resistance traits could accelerate genetic progress and lead to a better understanding of underlying molecular mechanisms. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate if five single nucleotide polymorphisms SNPs OAR2_14765360, OAR6_81718546, OAR11_62887032, OAR12_69606944 and OAR15_59871543 are associated with resistance and resilience traits in a flock of the Morada Nova sheep breed. Lambs were submitted to two consecutive parasite challenges by oral infection with 4000 infective larvae L3) of Haemonchus contortus. Fecal egg counts (FEC), packed cell volume (PVC) and body weight were measured every one or two weeks for 42 days in each trial. DNA samples from 287 lambs, 131 ewes and 4 rams were amplified by ARMS-PCR or PCR-RFLP and genotypes were determined. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used for association analyses between genotypes and phenotypes. In case of significant association, the allele substitution effect was calculated based on a linear model. OAR2_14765360 and OAR12_69606944 were associated with FEC, and OAR12_69606944 also had significant effects on PCV and weight gain, showing favourable associations of the CC genotype with all evaluated traits. Both OAR6_81718546 and OAR11_62887032 were associated with weight gain, and OAR6_81718546 had an additional effect on PCV. OAR15_59871543 was not polymorphic in the population. OAR6_81718546 and OAR12_69606944 presented significant allele substitution effects of -1.06 ± 0.52 kg for the T allele on final body weight and 0.74 ± 0.32 for the C allele in PCV of the same sampling date, respectively. This is the first report of SNPs associated with gastrointestinal nematode resistance in this sheep breed. Our findings support the existence of quantitatice trait loci (QTL) for resistance and resilience in linkage disequilibrium with the polymorphic SNPs and suggest their future use for explorations of these traits in Morada Nova sheep.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marei B Haehling
- Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias, Universidade Estadual Paulista Júlio de Mesquita Filho (UNESP), Via de Acesso Prof. Paulo Donato Castellane s/n, CEP 14884-900, Jaboticabal, SP, Brazil.
| | - Giovanna G Cruvinel
- Centro Universitário Central Paulista (UNICEP), Rua Miguel Petroni, 5111, CEP 13563-470, São Carlos, SP, Brazil
| | - João H B Toscano
- Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias, Universidade Estadual Paulista Júlio de Mesquita Filho (UNESP), Via de Acesso Prof. Paulo Donato Castellane s/n, CEP 14884-900, Jaboticabal, SP, Brazil
| | - Luciana A Giraldelo
- Centro Universitário Central Paulista (UNICEP), Rua Miguel Petroni, 5111, CEP 13563-470, São Carlos, SP, Brazil
| | - Isabella B Santos
- Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias, Universidade Estadual Paulista Júlio de Mesquita Filho (UNESP), Via de Acesso Prof. Paulo Donato Castellane s/n, CEP 14884-900, Jaboticabal, SP, Brazil
| | - Sergio N Esteves
- Embrapa Pecuária Sudeste, Rod. Washington Luiz, Km 234 - Fazenda Canchim, CEP 13560-970, São Carlos, SP, Brazil
| | - Magda V Benavides
- Embrapa Pecuária Sul, BR 153 Km 633, Vila Industrial, Bagé, RS, Brazil
| | - Waldomiro Barioni Júnior
- Embrapa Pecuária Sudeste, Rod. Washington Luiz, Km 234 - Fazenda Canchim, CEP 13560-970, São Carlos, SP, Brazil
| | - Simone C M Niciura
- Embrapa Pecuária Sudeste, Rod. Washington Luiz, Km 234 - Fazenda Canchim, CEP 13560-970, São Carlos, SP, Brazil
| | - Ana Carolina S Chagas
- Embrapa Pecuária Sudeste, Rod. Washington Luiz, Km 234 - Fazenda Canchim, CEP 13560-970, São Carlos, SP, Brazil
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Dos Santos MC, Amarante MRV, Amarante AFT. Is there competition between Haemonchus contortus and Haemonchus placei in a pasture grazed by only sheep? Vet Parasitol 2020; 279:109054. [PMID: 32065932 DOI: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2020.109054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2019] [Revised: 02/03/2020] [Accepted: 02/06/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
This study aimed to evaluate the dynamics of Haemonchus contortus and Haemonchus placei infections and hybridization between these species in grazing sheep without contact with cattle. On January 14, 2014, sixteen young sheep were infected with 4000 infective H. placei third-stage larvae L3; 11 days later, another group n = 16 was infected with 4000 H. contortus L3. The establishment rates of H. contortus and H. placei L3 were, on average, 61.6 % and 56.8 %, respectively, in the permanent sheep. After the establishment of patent infections, all permanent sheep were allocated together in the same clean pasture where they grazed for the next 12 months. Euthanasia of a sample of the permanent sheep was performed every three months: in May, August, November and February. Two weeks before the sheep were removed for euthanasia, 2 worm-free tracer sheep were introduced to the pasture to evaluate the larval population in the field. The tracer sheep grazed alongside the permanent sheep for 2 weeks. Then, they were housed indoors for 20 days; at the end of this period, they were euthanized. Parasites were recovered from the permanent and tracer sheep and identified using morphological and molecular techniques. A total of 432 worms (from permanent and tracer animals) were analyzed by PCR using species-specific primer pairs. Of these specimens, only two (0.46 %) male worms were identified as hybrids: one was recovered from a permanent animal euthanized in August and the other from a tracer sheep that grazed in May. The last detection of adult H. placei worms occurred in sheep euthanized in May (approximately 3.5 months after the beginning of the grazing period). The morphological evaluation of the L3 produced in fecal cultures showed that H. placei were progressively replaced by H. contortus populations starting in March. The last trace of H. placei L3 was found in August, when a small percentage (0.5 %) of infective larvae with H. placei morphology was identified in a fecal culture. In conclusion, hybridization between H. contortus and H. placei can occur in the field during coinfection. It was demonstrated that H. placei established successfully in artificially infected worm-free sheep; however, with concomitant natural reinfection with H. contortus, the H. placei population showed a rapid decrease and was eliminated within a few months in an environment without cattle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michelle C Dos Santos
- Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Instituto de Biociências, Botucatu, SP, Brazil
| | - Mônica R V Amarante
- Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Instituto de Biociências, Botucatu, SP, Brazil
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Duzlu O, Yildirim A, Yetismis G, Onder Z, Simsek E, Ciloglu A, Demirpolat GS, Inci A. Development and field evaluation of a species-specific mt-COI targeted SYBR-Green Real Time PCR for detection and quantification of Haemonchus contortus in cattle in Turkey. Vet Parasitol 2019; 277:109020. [PMID: 31896019 DOI: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2019.109020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2019] [Revised: 12/19/2019] [Accepted: 12/20/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Haemonchus contortus is one of the most important gastrointestinal nematodes (GINs) infecting sheep, goats, and cattle worldwide. We developed a SYBR Green real-time PCR (qPCR) assay for detection and quantification of H. contortus by using specific primers based on a conserved region of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (mt-COI) gene, and evaluated this technique in the detection of H. contortus infections in cattle in Central Anatolia Region of Turkey. The newly developed qPCR assay successfully discriminated H. contortus from other GIN species infecting cattle in the specificity evaluations, with a specific melt peak of 77.5 °C. Our results revealed the efficient amplification of the proposed target COI region within the range of plasmid copies, from 2 × 106 to 2 × 101 per μl, with 96.9 % efficiency, R² value of 0.999, and a slope of -3.398. Among the 920 cattle fecal samples from the field, 58 samples (6.3 %) were positive with qPCR assay, whereas 45 samples (4.9 %) were positive, as determined by larval culture, suggesting the utility of SYBR Green qPCR. Phylogenetic characterization of the partial COI gene of H. contortus isolates was also evaluated for 100 eggs and third stage larvae recovered from positive cattle faecal samples, which were verified with the qPCR assay prior to analyses. COI sequences were classified into three haplotypes (THC1 to THC3) with intraspecific nucleotide differences of 0.50 to 0.76 %. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that the haplotypes grouped with H. contortus isolates from several countries in a monophyletic cluster, with evidence of at least two main haplogroups. Overall, the SYBR Green qPCR assay was highly specific and sensitive, suggesting that it can be used for screening of H. contortus infections in livestock populations in epidemiological studies and the control of this important parasite.
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Affiliation(s)
- Onder Duzlu
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Erciyes University, Kayseri, Turkey.
| | - Alparslan Yildirim
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Erciyes University, Kayseri, Turkey
| | - Gamze Yetismis
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Erciyes University, Kayseri, Turkey
| | - Zuhal Onder
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Erciyes University, Kayseri, Turkey
| | - Emrah Simsek
- Preclinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Erciyes University, Kayseri, Turkey
| | - Arif Ciloglu
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Erciyes University, Kayseri, Turkey
| | | | - Abdullah Inci
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Erciyes University, Kayseri, Turkey
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Marks ND, Winter AD, Gu HY, Maitland K, Gillan V, Ambroz M, Martinelli A, Laing R, MacLellan R, Towne J, Roberts B, Hanks E, Devaney E, Britton C. Profiling microRNAs through development of the parasitic nematode Haemonchus identifies nematode-specific miRNAs that suppress larval development. Sci Rep 2019; 9:17594. [PMID: 31772378 PMCID: PMC6879476 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-54154-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2019] [Accepted: 11/04/2019] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Parasitic nematodes transition between dramatically different free-living and parasitic stages, with correctly timed development and migration crucial to successful completion of their lifecycle. However little is known of the mechanisms controlling these transitions. microRNAs (miRNAs) negatively regulate gene expression post-transcriptionally and regulate development of diverse organisms. Here we used microarrays to determine the expression profile of miRNAs through development and in gut tissue of the pathogenic nematode Haemonchus contortus. Two miRNAs, mir-228 and mir-235, were enriched in infective L3 larvae, an arrested stage analogous to Caenorhabditis elegans dauer larvae. We hypothesized that these miRNAs may suppress development and maintain arrest. Consistent with this, inhibitors of these miRNAs promoted H. contortus development from L3 to L4 stage, while genetic deletion of C. elegans homologous miRNAs reduced dauer arrest. Epistasis studies with C. elegans daf-2 mutants showed that mir-228 and mir-235 synergise with FOXO transcription factor DAF-16 in the insulin signaling pathway. Target prediction suggests that these miRNAs suppress metabolic and transcription factor activity required for development. Our results provide novel insight into the expression and functions of specific miRNAs in regulating nematode development and identify miRNAs and their target genes as potential therapeutic targets to limit parasite survival within the host.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neil D Marks
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Bearsden Road, Glasgow, G61 1QH, UK
| | - Alan D Winter
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Bearsden Road, Glasgow, G61 1QH, UK
- West of Scotland Genetic Services, Level 2B, Laboratory Medicine, Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, Govan Road, Glasgow, G51 4TF, UK
| | - Henry Y Gu
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Bearsden Road, Glasgow, G61 1QH, UK
| | - Kirsty Maitland
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Bearsden Road, Glasgow, G61 1QH, UK
| | - Victoria Gillan
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Bearsden Road, Glasgow, G61 1QH, UK
| | - Martin Ambroz
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Bearsden Road, Glasgow, G61 1QH, UK
- Department of Biochemical Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, Charles University, Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic
| | - Axel Martinelli
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire, CB10 1SA, UK
- Global Station for Zoonosis Control, Global Institution for Collaborative Research and Education (GI-CoRE), Hokkaido University, N20 W10, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Roz Laing
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Bearsden Road, Glasgow, G61 1QH, UK
| | - Rachel MacLellan
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Bearsden Road, Glasgow, G61 1QH, UK
| | - Jessica Towne
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Bearsden Road, Glasgow, G61 1QH, UK
| | - Brett Roberts
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Bearsden Road, Glasgow, G61 1QH, UK
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Parasitology, Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University Avenue, Glasgow, G12 8QQ, UK
| | - Eve Hanks
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Bearsden Road, Glasgow, G61 1QH, UK
| | - Eileen Devaney
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Bearsden Road, Glasgow, G61 1QH, UK.
| | - Collette Britton
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Bearsden Road, Glasgow, G61 1QH, UK.
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Khan S, Zhao X, Hou Y, Yuan C, Li Y, Luo X, Liu J, Feng X. Analysis of genome-wide SNPs based on 2b-RAD sequencing of pooled samples reveals signature of selection in different populations of Haemonchus contortus. J Biosci 2019; 44:97. [PMID: 31502575] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
The parasitic nematode Haemonchus contortus is one of the world's most important parasites of small ruminants that causes significant economic losses to the livestock sector. The population structure and selection in its various strains are poorly understood. No study so far compared its different populations using genome-wide data. Here, we focused on different geographic populations of H. contours from China (Tibet, TB; Hubei, HB; Inner Mongolia, IM; Sichuan, SC), UK and Australia (AS), using genome-wide population-genomic approaches, to explore genetic diversity, population structure and selection. We first performed next-generation high-throughput 2b RAD pool sequencing using Illumina technology, and identified single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in all the strains. We identified 75,187 SNPs for TB, 82,271 for HB, 82,420 for IM, 79,803 for SC, 83,504 for AS and 78,747 for UK strain. The SNPs revealed low-nucleotide diversity (pi= 0.0092-0.0133) within each strain, and a significant differentiation level (average Fst = 0.34264) among them. Chinese populations TB and SC, along with the UK strain, were more divergent populations. Chinese populations IM and HB showed affinities to the Australian strain. We then analysed signature of selection and detected 44 (UK) and 03 (AS) private selective sweeps containing 49 and 05 genes, respectively. Finally, we performed the functional annotation of selective sweeps and proposed biological significance to signature of selection. Our data suggest that 2b-RAD pool sequencing can be used to assess the signature of selection in H. contortus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sawar Khan
- Shanghai Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Animal Parasitology, Ministry of Agriculture of China, Shanghai 200241, People's Republic of China
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Palevich N, Maclean PH, Baten A, Scott RW, Leathwick DM. The Genome Sequence of the Anthelmintic-Susceptible New Zealand Haemonchus contortus. Genome Biol Evol 2019; 11:1965-1970. [PMID: 31263885 PMCID: PMC6644846 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evz141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/30/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Internal parasitic nematodes are a global animal health issue causing drastic losses in livestock. Here, we report a H. contortus representative draft genome to serve as a genetic resource to the scientific community and support future experimental research of molecular mechanisms in related parasites. A de novo hybrid assembly was generated from PCR-free whole genome sequence data, resulting in a chromosome-level assembly that is 465 Mb in size encoding 22,341 genes. The genome sequence presented here is consistent with the genome architecture of the existing Haemonchus species and is a valuable resource for future studies regarding population genetic structures of parasitic nematodes. Additionally, comparative pan-genomics with other species of economically important parasitic nematodes have revealed highly open genomes and strong collinearities within the phylum Nematoda.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikola Palevich
- AgResearch Limited, Grasslands Research Centre, Palmerston North, New Zealand
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Abstract
BACKGROUND Signalling pathways have been extensively investigated in the free-living nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, but very little is known about these pathways in parasitic nematodes. Here, we constructed a model for the dauer-associated signalling pathways in an economically highly significant parasitic worm, Haemonchus contortus. METHODS Guided by data and information available for C. elegans, we used extensive genomic and transcriptomic datasets to infer gene homologues in the dauer-associated pathways, explore developmental transcriptomic, proteomic and phosphoproteomic profiles in H. contortus and study selected molecular structures. RESULTS The canonical cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP), transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) and steroid hormone signalling pathways of H. contortus were inferred to represent a total of 61 gene homologues. Compared with C. elegans, H. contortus has a reduced set of genes encoding insulin-like peptides, implying evolutionary and biological divergences between the parasitic and free-living nematodes. Similar transcription profiles were found for all gene homologues between the infective stage of H. contortus and dauer stage of C. elegans. High transcriptional levels for genes encoding G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), TGF-β, insulin-like ligands (e.g. ins-1, ins-17 and ins-18) and transcriptional factors (e.g. daf-16) in the infective L3 stage of H. contortus were suggestive of critical functional roles in this stage. Conspicuous protein expression patterns and extensive phosphorylation of some components of these pathways suggested marked post-translational modifications also in the L3 stage. The high structural similarity in the DAF-12 ligand binding domain among nematodes indicated functional conservation in steroid (i.e. dafachronic acid) signalling linked to worm development. CONCLUSIONS Taken together, this pathway model provides a basis to explore hypotheses regarding biological processes and regulatory mechanisms (via particular microRNAs, phosphorylation events and/or lipids) associated with the development of H. contortus and related nematodes as well as parasite-host cross talk, which could aid the discovery of new therapeutic targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guangxu Ma
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Melbourne Veterinary School, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010 Australia
| | - Tao Wang
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Melbourne Veterinary School, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010 Australia
| | - Pasi K. Korhonen
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Melbourne Veterinary School, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010 Australia
| | - Andreas J. Stroehlein
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Melbourne Veterinary School, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010 Australia
| | - Neil D. Young
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Melbourne Veterinary School, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010 Australia
| | - Robin B. Gasser
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Melbourne Veterinary School, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010 Australia
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Doyle SR, Illingworth CJR, Laing R, Bartley DJ, Redman E, Martinelli A, Holroyd N, Morrison AA, Rezansoff A, Tracey A, Devaney E, Berriman M, Sargison N, Cotton JA, Gilleard JS. Population genomic and evolutionary modelling analyses reveal a single major QTL for ivermectin drug resistance in the pathogenic nematode, Haemonchus contortus. BMC Genomics 2019; 20:218. [PMID: 30876405 PMCID: PMC6420744 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-019-5592-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2018] [Accepted: 03/11/2019] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Infections with helminths cause an enormous disease burden in billions of animals and plants worldwide. Large scale use of anthelmintics has driven the evolution of resistance in a number of species that infect livestock and companion animals, and there are growing concerns regarding the reduced efficacy in some human-infective helminths. Understanding the mechanisms by which resistance evolves is the focus of increasing interest; robust genetic analysis of helminths is challenging, and although many candidate genes have been proposed, the genetic basis of resistance remains poorly resolved. RESULTS Here, we present a genome-wide analysis of two genetic crosses between ivermectin resistant and sensitive isolates of the parasitic nematode Haemonchus contortus, an economically important gastrointestinal parasite of small ruminants and a model for anthelmintic research. Whole genome sequencing of parental populations, and key stages throughout the crosses, identified extensive genomic diversity that differentiates populations, but after backcrossing and selection, a single genomic quantitative trait locus (QTL) localised on chromosome V was revealed to be associated with ivermectin resistance. This QTL was common between the two geographically and genetically divergent resistant populations and did not include any leading candidate genes, suggestive of a previously uncharacterised mechanism and/or driver of resistance. Despite limited resolution due to low recombination in this region, population genetic analyses and novel evolutionary models supported strong selection at this QTL, driven by at least partial dominance of the resistant allele, and that large resistance-associated haplotype blocks were enriched in response to selection. CONCLUSIONS We have described the genetic architecture and mode of ivermectin selection, revealing a major genomic locus associated with ivermectin resistance, the most conclusive evidence to date in any parasitic nematode. This study highlights a novel genome-wide approach to the analysis of a genetic cross in non-model organisms with extreme genetic diversity, and the importance of a high-quality reference genome in interpreting the signals of selection so identified.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Christopher J. R. Illingworth
- Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3EH UK
- Department of Applied Maths and Theoretical Physics, Wilberforce Road, Cambridge, CB3 0WA UK
| | - Roz Laing
- Institute of Biodiversity Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Garscube Campus, Glasgow, G61 1QH UK
| | - David J. Bartley
- Moredun Research Institute, Pentlands Science Park, Bush Loan, Penicuik, EH26 0PZ UK
| | - Elizabeth Redman
- Department of Comparative Biology and Experimental Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta Canada
| | - Axel Martinelli
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire, CB10 1SA UK
- Present Address: Global Station for Zoonosis Control, Global Institution for Collaborative Research and Education (GI-CoRE), Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
- Present Address: Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering (BESE) Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
| | - Nancy Holroyd
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire, CB10 1SA UK
| | - Alison A. Morrison
- Moredun Research Institute, Pentlands Science Park, Bush Loan, Penicuik, EH26 0PZ UK
| | - Andrew Rezansoff
- Department of Comparative Biology and Experimental Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta Canada
| | - Alan Tracey
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire, CB10 1SA UK
| | - Eileen Devaney
- Institute of Biodiversity Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Garscube Campus, Glasgow, G61 1QH UK
| | | | - Neil Sargison
- University of Edinburgh, Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, Edinburgh, EH25 9RG UK
| | - James A. Cotton
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire, CB10 1SA UK
| | - John S. Gilleard
- Department of Comparative Biology and Experimental Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta Canada
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Callanan MK, Habibi SA, Law WJ, Nazareth K, Komuniecki RL, Forrester SG. Investigating the function and possible biological role of an acetylcholine-gated chloride channel subunit (ACC-1) from the parasitic nematode Haemonchus contortus. Int J Parasitol Drugs Drug Resist 2018; 8:526-533. [PMID: 30401619 PMCID: PMC6287539 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpddr.2018.10.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2018] [Revised: 10/25/2018] [Accepted: 10/26/2018] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
The cys-loop superfamily of ligand-gated ion channels are well recognized as important drug targets for many invertebrate specific compounds. With the rise in resistance seen worldwide to existing anthelmintics, novel drug targets must be identified so new treatments can be developed. The acetylcholine-gated chloride channel (ACC) family is a unique family of cholinergic receptors that have been shown, using Caenorhabditis elegans as a model, to have potential as anti-parasitic drug targets. However, there is little known about the function of these receptors in parasitic nematodes. Here, we have identified an acc gene (hco-acc-1) from the sheep parasitic nematode Haemonchus contortus. While similar in sequence to the previously characterized C. elegans ACC-1 receptor, Hco-ACC-1 does not form a functional homomeric channel in Xenopus oocytes. Instead, co-expression of Hco-ACC-1 with a previously characterized subunit Hco-ACC-2 produced a functional heteromeric channel which was 3x more sensitive to acetylcholine compared to the Hco-ACC-2 homomeric channel. We have also found that Hco-ACC-1 can be functionally expressed in C. elegans. Overexpression of both cel-acc-1 and hco-acc-1 in both C. elegans N2 and acc-1 null mutants decreased the time for worms to initiate reversal avoidance to octanol. Moreover, antibodies were generated against the Hco-ACC-1 protein for use in immunolocalization studies. Hco-ACC-1 consistently localized to the anterior half of the pharynx, specifically in pharyngeal muscle tissue in H. contortus. On the other hand, expression of Hco-ACC-1 in C. elegans was restricted to neuronal tissue. Overall, this research has provided new insight into the potential role of ACC receptors in parasitic nematodes. Isolation of an ACC-1 orthologue from Haemonchus contortus. Hco-ACC-1 may play a role in pharyngeal pumping. Hco-ACC-1 forms a sensitive ACh heteromeric channel when co-expressed with Hco-ACC-2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Micah K Callanan
- Faculty of Science, University of Ontario Institute of Technology, 2000, Simcoe Street North, Oshawa, ON, L1H 7K4, Canada
| | - Sarah A Habibi
- Faculty of Science, University of Ontario Institute of Technology, 2000, Simcoe Street North, Oshawa, ON, L1H 7K4, Canada
| | - Wen Jing Law
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, 43606, USA
| | - Kristen Nazareth
- Faculty of Science, University of Ontario Institute of Technology, 2000, Simcoe Street North, Oshawa, ON, L1H 7K4, Canada
| | | | - Sean G Forrester
- Faculty of Science, University of Ontario Institute of Technology, 2000, Simcoe Street North, Oshawa, ON, L1H 7K4, Canada.
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Esmaeilnejad B, Samiei A, Mirzaei Y, Farhang-Pajuh F. Assessment of oxidative/nitrosative stress biomarkers and DNA damage in Haemonchus contortus, following exposure to zinc oxide nanoparticles. Acta Parasitol 2018; 63:563-571. [PMID: 29975659 DOI: 10.1515/ap-2018-0065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2018] [Accepted: 04/20/2018] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Drug resistance in helminth parasites has incurred several difficulties to livestock industry and ranked among the top public health concerns. Therefore, seeking for new agents to control parasites is an urgent strategy. In the recent years, metallic nanoparticles have been considerably evaluated for anthelmintic effects. The current research was conducted to assess possible anthelmintic impacts of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) on a prevalent gastrointestinal nematode, H. contortus. Moreover, several biomarkers of oxidative/nitrosative stress and DNA damage were measured. Various concentrations of the nanoparticle were prepared and incubated with the worms for 24 hours. The parasite mobility, mortality rate, antioxidant enzymes activities (SOD, Catalase and GSH-Px), lipid peroxidation, total antioxidant status as well as nitric oxide (NO) contents and DNA damage were determined. ZnO-NPs exerted significant wormicidal effects via induction of oxidative/nitrosative stress and DNA damage. Conclusively, ZnO-NPs can be utilized as a novel and potential agent to control and treatment of helminth parasitic infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bijan Esmaeilnejad
- Department of Pathobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran
| | - Awat Samiei
- Veterinary Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran
| | - Yousef Mirzaei
- Veterinary Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Soran University, Soran, Iraq
| | - Farhad Farhang-Pajuh
- Veterinary Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Iran
- Central Laboratory of Urmia University, Urmia, Iran
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45
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Elmahalawy ST, Halvarsson P, Skarin M, Höglund J. Genetic variants in dyf-7 validated by droplet digital PCR are not drivers for ivermectin resistance in Haemonchus contortus. Int J Parasitol Drugs Drug Resist 2018; 8:278-286. [PMID: 29758488 PMCID: PMC6019680 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpddr.2018.04.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2018] [Revised: 04/18/2018] [Accepted: 04/22/2018] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Resistance to ivermectin (IVM) in the nematode Haemonchus contortus in small ruminants is an increasing problem throughout the world. Access to molecular diagnostics will allow early detection of IVM resistance, which in turn can limit the spread of resistant isolates. One candidate gene which has recently been suggested as a marker for IVM resistance is that for dye-filling protein (dyf-7). In this study, we critically investigated the suitability of A141G and G153T single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) of dyf-7 as a marker in larval cultures collected from sheep farms in Sweden, involving several isolates for which resistance status had been characterised by the faecal egg count reduction test (FECRT). Initially, we designed dyf-7 primers from a worldwide collection of adult Haemonchus contortus DNA. With the sequence data, we created a haplotype network. We then optimised and used the same sets of primers and probes in a droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) assay for precise quantification of dyf-7 allele frequencies in pre- and post-anthelmintic treatment faecal larval cultures. The fractional abundance (FA) of the mutant SNP was within the range 7.8 and 31%. However, the FA was generally stable in samples collected from the same farms, even though they were obtained on different occasions up to 25 months apart. There was also no indication that the level of IVM resistance as measured by the faecal egg count reduction test was higher on farms with high FA. Furthermore, by comparing FA in samples from the same farms pre- and post-IVM treatment, we found no evidence of a correlation between dyf-7 and level of IVM resistance. Based on these results, dyf-7 is not a suitable marker for field testing of IVM resistance in H. contortus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Safaa T Elmahalawy
- Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Biomedical Sciences and Veterinary Public Health, Section for Parasitology, P.O. Box 7036, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Peter Halvarsson
- Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Biomedical Sciences and Veterinary Public Health, Section for Parasitology, P.O. Box 7036, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Moa Skarin
- Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Biomedical Sciences and Veterinary Public Health, Section for Parasitology, P.O. Box 7036, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Johan Höglund
- Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Biomedical Sciences and Veterinary Public Health, Section for Parasitology, P.O. Box 7036, Uppsala, Sweden.
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46
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Blanchard A, Guégnard F, Charvet CL, Crisford A, Courtot E, Sauvé C, Harmache A, Duguet T, O’Connor V, Castagnone-Sereno P, Reaves B, Wolstenholme AJ, Beech RN, Holden-Dye L, Neveu C. Deciphering the molecular determinants of cholinergic anthelmintic sensitivity in nematodes: When novel functional validation approaches highlight major differences between the model Caenorhabditis elegans and parasitic species. PLoS Pathog 2018; 14:e1006996. [PMID: 29719008 PMCID: PMC5931475 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1006996] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2017] [Accepted: 03/28/2018] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Cholinergic agonists such as levamisole and pyrantel are widely used as anthelmintics to treat parasitic nematode infestations. These drugs elicit spastic paralysis by activating acetylcholine receptors (AChRs) expressed in nematode body wall muscles. In the model nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, genetic screens led to the identification of five genes encoding levamisole-sensitive-AChR (L-AChR) subunits: unc-38, unc-63, unc-29, lev-1 and lev-8. These subunits form a functional L-AChR when heterologously expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes. Here we show that the majority of parasitic species that are sensitive to levamisole lack a gene orthologous to C. elegans lev-8. This raises important questions concerning the properties of the native receptor that constitutes the target for cholinergic anthelmintics. We demonstrate that the closely related ACR-8 subunit from phylogenetically distant animal and plant parasitic nematode species functionally substitutes for LEV-8 in the C. elegans L-AChR when expressed in Xenopus oocytes. The importance of ACR-8 in parasitic nematode sensitivity to cholinergic anthelmintics is reinforced by a ‘model hopping’ approach in which we demonstrate the ability of ACR-8 from the hematophagous parasitic nematode Haemonchus contortus to fully restore levamisole sensitivity, and to confer high sensitivity to pyrantel, when expressed in the body wall muscle of C. elegans lev-8 null mutants. The critical role of acr-8 to in vivo drug sensitivity is substantiated by the successful demonstration of RNAi gene silencing for Hco-acr-8 which reduced the sensitivity of H. contortus larvae to levamisole. Intriguingly, the pyrantel sensitivity remained unchanged thus providing new evidence for distinct modes of action of these important anthelmintics in parasitic species versus C. elegans. More broadly, this highlights the limits of C. elegans as a predictive model to decipher cholinergic agonist targets from parasitic nematode species and provides key molecular insight to inform the discovery of next generation anthelmintic compounds. Parasitic nematodes have global health and economic impacts. They infect animals, including livestock, humans, and plants including all major food crops. Their control in human and veterinary medicine is reliant on anthelmintic drugs but this is now challenged by resistant worms especially in livestock. Importantly, for anthelmintics such as levamisole and other cholinergic agonists, resistance appears to be less frequent stressing the need to investigate their molecular target in parasitic nematodes. The levamisole receptor was first identified in the free-living model nematode C. elegans but it is now becoming apparent that this is not a good predictor for many parasitic species. In particular we have found that the LEV-8 subunit which is involved in levamisole sensitivity in C. elegans, is not present in many levamisole-sensitive parasitic species. Here we used heterologous expression systems and gene silencing to provide the functional in vivo demonstration that the ACR-8 subunit, which is not an essential component of the levamisole receptor in C. elegans, has a critical role in the levamisole sensitivity of parasitic nematodes. This has important significance for understanding the molecular targets of cholinergic anthelmintics and addresses the increasing challenge of drug resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Anna Crisford
- Biological Sciences, Institute for Life Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom
| | - Elise Courtot
- ISP, INRA, Université Tours, UMR1282, Nouzilly, France
| | | | | | - Thomas Duguet
- Institute of Parasitology, McGill University, Macdonald Campus, Ste. Anne de Bellevue, Québec, Canada
| | - Vincent O’Connor
- Biological Sciences, Institute for Life Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom
| | | | - Barbara Reaves
- Department of Infectious Disease & Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Disease, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, United States of America
| | - Adrian J. Wolstenholme
- Department of Infectious Disease & Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Disease, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, United States of America
| | - Robin N. Beech
- Institute of Parasitology, McGill University, Macdonald Campus, Ste. Anne de Bellevue, Québec, Canada
| | - Lindy Holden-Dye
- Biological Sciences, Institute for Life Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom
| | - Cedric Neveu
- ISP, INRA, Université Tours, UMR1282, Nouzilly, France
- * E-mail:
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47
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Stroehlein AJ, Young ND, Gasser RB. Improved strategy for the curation and classification of kinases, with broad applicability to other eukaryotic protein groups. Sci Rep 2018; 8:6808. [PMID: 29717207 PMCID: PMC5931623 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-25020-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2018] [Accepted: 04/12/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite the substantial amount of genomic and transcriptomic data available for a wide range of eukaryotic organisms, most genomes are still in a draft state and can have inaccurate gene predictions. To gain a sound understanding of the biology of an organism, it is crucial that inferred protein sequences are accurately identified and annotated. However, this can be challenging to achieve, particularly for organisms such as parasitic worms (helminths), as most gene prediction approaches do not account for substantial phylogenetic divergence from model organisms, such as Caenorhabditis elegans and Drosophila melanogaster, whose genomes are well-curated. In this paper, we describe a bioinformatic strategy for the curation of gene families and subsequent annotation of encoded proteins. This strategy relies on pairwise gene curation between at least two closely related species using genomic and transcriptomic data sets, and is built on recent work on kinase complements of parasitic worms. Here, we discuss salient technical aspects of this strategy and its implications for the curation of protein families more generally.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas J Stroehlein
- Melbourne Veterinary School, Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, 3010, Australia.
| | - Neil D Young
- Melbourne Veterinary School, Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, 3010, Australia
| | - Robin B Gasser
- Melbourne Veterinary School, Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, 3010, Australia.
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48
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David M, Lebrun C, Duguet T, Talmont F, Beech R, Orlowski S, André F, Prichard RK, Lespine A. Structural model, functional modulation by ivermectin and tissue localization of Haemonchus contortus P-glycoprotein-13. Int J Parasitol Drugs Drug Resist 2018; 8:145-157. [PMID: 29571165 PMCID: PMC6114108 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpddr.2018.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2017] [Revised: 02/09/2018] [Accepted: 02/12/2018] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Haemonchus contortus, one of the most economically important parasites of small ruminants, has become resistant to the anthelmintic ivermectin. Deciphering the role of P-glycoproteins in ivermectin resistance is desirable for understanding and overcoming this resistance. In the model nematode, Caenorhabditis elegans, P-glycoprotein-13 is expressed in the amphids, important neuronal structures for ivermectin activity. We have focused on its ortholog in the parasite, Hco-Pgp-13. A 3D model of Hco-Pgp-13, presenting an open inward-facing conformation, has been constructed by homology with the Cel-Pgp-1 crystal structure. In silico docking calculations predicted high affinity binding of ivermectin and actinomycin D to the inner chamber of the protein. Following in vitro expression, we showed that ivermectin and actinomycin D modulated Hco-Pgp-13 ATPase activity with high affinity. Finally, we found in vivo Hco-Pgp-13 localization in epithelial, pharyngeal and neuronal tissues. Taken together, these data suggest a role for Hco-Pgp-13 in ivermectin transport, which could contribute to anthelmintic resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marion David
- INTHERES, Université de Toulouse, INRA, ENVT, Toulouse, France; Institute of Parasitology, McGill University, Sainte-Anne-De-Bellevue, Canada
| | - Chantal Lebrun
- INTHERES, Université de Toulouse, INRA, ENVT, Toulouse, France
| | - Thomas Duguet
- Institute of Parasitology, McGill University, Sainte-Anne-De-Bellevue, Canada
| | - Franck Talmont
- Institute of Pharmacology and Structural Biology, UMR 5089, CNRS, Toulouse, France
| | - Robin Beech
- Institute of Parasitology, McGill University, Sainte-Anne-De-Bellevue, Canada
| | - Stéphane Orlowski
- CEA, Institut de Biologie Frédéric Joliot, Centre de Saclay, SB2SM, UMR9198 CNRS, I2BC; 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette Cedex, France
| | - François André
- CEA, Institut de Biologie Frédéric Joliot, Centre de Saclay, SB2SM, UMR9198 CNRS, I2BC; 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette Cedex, France
| | - Roger K Prichard
- Institute of Parasitology, McGill University, Sainte-Anne-De-Bellevue, Canada.
| | - Anne Lespine
- INTHERES, Université de Toulouse, INRA, ENVT, Toulouse, France.
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49
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González-Sánchez ME, Cuquerella M, Alunda JM. Vaccination of lambs against Haemonchus contortus with the recombinant rHc23. Effect of adjuvant and antigen dose. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0193118. [PMID: 29513692 PMCID: PMC5841749 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0193118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2017] [Accepted: 02/05/2018] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Haemonchus contortus is the most pathogenic gastrointestinal helminth of small ruminants. Natural or experimental repeated infections and several native antigens confer a partially protective immune response but vaccination with subunit antigens has been elusive. Promising results have been obtained with a recombinant form of a somatic antigen (rHc23). In this paper we present the results obtained in vaccination trials in lambs using two dosages of rHc23 and standard adjuvants. Six-months old Manchego females lambs were vaccinated with rHc23 (50 or 200 μg/dose) adjuvanted with 1mL aluminum hydroxide on days -42, -28 and -14 or with 200 μg/dose rHc23 and 5 mg Quil A on days -49, -28 and -7. Control lambs were kept receiving only the adjuvants the same days or no treatment. Moreover one group did not receive any treatment or infection. On day 0 vaccinated lambs, untreated animals and those receiving the adjuvant were infected per os with a monospecific single infection of 4000 L3 of H. contortus. Infection was kept for 58 days and follow-up included the determination of serum specific antibody response (ELISA, WB), hematological parameters (eosinophil counts, hematocrit) and fecal egg counts (epg). Absence of hematocrit alterations, reduction of helminth's eggs output and abomasal parasite burden at the end of the experiment were the efficacy criteria of vaccination with the recombinant. Immunization with both adjuvants and antigen dosages elicited strong antibody responses particularly with Quil A. Vaccinated groups showed significant reduction of fecal egg excretion and abomasal helminth burdens. Highest protection of lambs against challenge was achieved with aluminum hydroxide and 200 μg/dose rHc23 with a reduction of over 70% of the abomasal burden and over 80% of fecal egg output. Results suggest that rHc23 could be a valuable recombinant candidate for vaccination against haemonchosis. No clear relationship was found between antibody levels and protection this pointing towards involvement of both humoral and cellular components in the protective response elicited by rHc23.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Montserrat Cuquerella
- Department of Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universidad Complutense, Madrid, Spain
| | - José M. Alunda
- Department of Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universidad Complutense, Madrid, Spain
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50
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Doyle SR, Laing R, Bartley DJ, Britton C, Chaudhry U, Gilleard JS, Holroyd N, Mable BK, Maitland K, Morrison AA, Tait A, Tracey A, Berriman M, Devaney E, Cotton JA, Sargison ND. A Genome Resequencing-Based Genetic Map Reveals the Recombination Landscape of an Outbred Parasitic Nematode in the Presence of Polyploidy and Polyandry. Genome Biol Evol 2018; 10:396-409. [PMID: 29267942 PMCID: PMC5793844 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evx269] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/15/2017] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
The parasitic nematode Haemonchus contortus is an economically and clinically important pathogen of small ruminants, and a model system for understanding the mechanisms and evolution of traits such as anthelmintic resistance. Anthelmintic resistance is widespread and is a major threat to the sustainability of livestock agriculture globally; however, little is known about the genome architecture and parameters such as recombination that will ultimately influence the rate at which resistance may evolve and spread. Here, we performed a genetic cross between two divergent strains of H. contortus, and subsequently used whole-genome resequencing of a female worm and her brood to identify the distribution of genome-wide variation that characterizes these strains. Using a novel bioinformatic approach to identify variants that segregate as expected in a pseudotestcross, we characterized linkage groups and estimated genetic distances between markers to generate a chromosome-scale F1 genetic map. We exploited this map to reveal the recombination landscape, the first for any helminth species, demonstrating extensive variation in recombination rate within and between chromosomes. Analyses of these data also revealed the extent of polyandry, whereby at least eight males were found to have contributed to the genetic variation of the progeny analyzed. Triploid offspring were also identified, which we hypothesize are the result of nondisjunction during female meiosis or polyspermy. These results expand our knowledge of the genetics of parasitic helminths and the unusual life-history of H. contortus, and enhance ongoing efforts to understand the genetic basis of resistance to the drugs used to control these worms and for related species that infect livestock and humans throughout the world. This study also demonstrates the feasibility of using whole-genome resequencing data to directly construct a genetic map in a single generation cross from a noninbred nonmodel organism with a complex lifecycle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen R Doyle
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom
| | - Roz Laing
- Institute of Biodiversity Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - David J Bartley
- Moredun Research Institute, Pentlands Science Park, Penicuik, United Kingdom
| | - Collette Britton
- Institute of Biodiversity Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Umer Chaudhry
- Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - John S Gilleard
- Department of Comparative Biology and Experimental Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Nancy Holroyd
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom
| | - Barbara K Mable
- Institute of Biodiversity Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Kirsty Maitland
- Institute of Biodiversity Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Alison A Morrison
- Moredun Research Institute, Pentlands Science Park, Penicuik, United Kingdom
| | - Andy Tait
- Institute of Biodiversity Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Alan Tracey
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom
| | - Matthew Berriman
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom
| | - Eileen Devaney
- Institute of Biodiversity Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - James A Cotton
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom
| | - Neil D Sargison
- Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom
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