scholarly journals Mining nematode protein secretomes to explain lifestyle and host specificity

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (9) ◽  
pp. e0009828
Author(s):  
Lucienne Tritten ◽  
Cristina Ballesteros ◽  
Robin Beech ◽  
Timothy G. Geary ◽  
Yovany Moreno

Parasitic nematodes are highly successful pathogens, inflicting disease on humans, animals and plants. Despite great differences in their life cycles, host preference and transmission modes, these parasites share a common capacity to manipulate their host’s immune system. This is at least partly achieved through the release of excretory/secretory proteins, the most well-characterized component of nematode secretomes, that are comprised of functionally diverse molecules. In this work, we analyzed published protein secretomes of parasitic nematodes to identify common patterns as well as species-specific traits. The 20 selected organisms span 4 nematode clades, including plant pathogens, animal parasites, and the free-living species Caenorhabditis elegans. Transthyretin-like proteins were the only component common to all adult secretomes; many other protein classes overlapped across multiple datasets. The glycolytic enzymes aldolase and enolase were present in all parasitic species, but missing from C. elegans. Secretomes from larval stages showed less overlap between species. Although comparison of secretome composition across species and life-cycle stages is challenged by the use of different methods and depths of sequencing among studies, our workflow enabled the identification of conserved protein families and pinpointed elements that may have evolved as to enable parasitism. This strategy, extended to more secretomes, may be exploited to prioritize therapeutic targets in the future.

Author(s):  
Peter Bryant ◽  
Timothy Arehart

Crustacea larvae and adults make up a large fraction of the biomass and number of organisms in both holoplankton (organisms that spend their entire lives in the plankton) and meroplankton (organisms that spend their larval stages in the plankton). The life cycles of these animals can be studied by raising individuals and studying them longitudinally in the laboratory, but this method can be very laborious. Here we show that DNA sequencing of a small element in the mitochondrial DNA (DNA barcoding) makes it possible to easily link life-cycle phases without the need for laboratory rearing. It can also be used to construct taxonomic trees, although it is not yet clear to what extent this barcode-based taxonomy reflects more traditional morphological or molecular taxonomy. Collections of zooplankton were made using conventional plankton nets in Newport Bay and the Pacific Ocean near Newport Beach, California, and individual crustacean specimens were documented by videomicroscopy. Adult crustaceans were collected from solid substrates in the same areas. Specimens were preserved in ethanol and sent to the Canadian Centre for DNA Barcoding at the University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada for sequencing of the COI DNA barcode. From 1042 specimens, 609 COI sequences were obtained falling into 169 Barcode Identification Numbers (BINs), of which 85 correspond to recognized species. The results show the utility of DNA barcoding for matching life-cycle stages as well as for documenting the diversity of this group of organisms.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Min R. Lu ◽  
Cheng-Kuo Lai ◽  
Ben-Yang Liao ◽  
Isheng Jason Tsai

AbstractNematodes are highly abundant animals with diverse habitats and lifestyles. Some are free-living while others parasitize animals or plants, and among the latter, infection abilities change across developmental stages to infect hosts and complete life cycles. Although parasitism has independently arisen multiple times over evolutionary history, common pressures of parasitism—such as adapting to the host environment, evading and subverting the host immune system, and changing environments across life cycles—have led phenotypes and developmental stages among parasites to converge. To determine the relationship between transcriptome evolution and morphological divergences among nematodes, we compared 48 transcriptomes of different developmental stages across eight nematode species. The transcriptomes were clustered broadly into embryo, larva, and adult stages, suggesting that gene expression is conserved to some extent across the entire nematode life cycle. Such patterns were partly accounted for by tissue-specific genes—such as those in oocytes and the hypodermis—being expressed at different proportions. Although nematodes typically have 3-5 larval stages, the transcriptomes for these stages were found to be highly correlated within each species, suggesting high similarity among larval stages across species. For the Caenorhabditis elegans-C. briggsae and Strongyloides stercoralis-S. venezuelensis comparisons, we found that around 50% of genes were expressed at multiple stages, whereas half of their orthologues were also expressed in multiple but different stages. Such frequent changes in expression have resulted in concerted transcriptome evolution across adjacent stages, thus generating species-specific transcriptomes over the course of nematode evolution. Our study provides a first insight into the evolution of nematode transcriptomes beyond embryonic development.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
pp. 1019-1030
Author(s):  
Min R Lu ◽  
Cheng-Kuo Lai ◽  
Ben-Yang Liao ◽  
Isheng Jason Tsai

Abstract Nematodes are highly abundant animals with diverse habitats and lifestyles. Some are free living whereas others parasitize animals or plants, and among the latter, infection abilities change across developmental stages to infect hosts and complete life cycles. To determine the relationship between transcriptome evolution and morphological divergences among nematodes, we compared 48 transcriptomes of different developmental stages across eight nematode species. The transcriptomes were clustered broadly into embryo, larva, and adult stages, with the developmental plastic stages were separated from common larval stages within the larval branch. This suggests that development was the major determining factor after lifestyle changes, such as parasitism, during transcriptome evolution. Such patterns were partly accounted for by tissue-specific genes—such as those in oocytes and the hypodermis—being expressed at different proportions. Although nematodes typically have 3–5 larval stages, the transcriptomes for these stages were found to be highly correlated within each species, suggesting high similarity among larval stages across species. For the Caenorhabditis elegans–Caenorhabditis briggsae and Strongyloides stercoralis–Strongyloides venezuelensis comparisons, we found that ∼50% of genes were expressed at multiple stages, whereas half of their orthologs were also expressed in multiple but different stages. Such frequent changes in expression have resulted in concerted transcriptome evolution across adjacent stages, thus generating species-specific transcriptomes over the course of nematode evolution. Our study provides a first insight into the evolution of nematode transcriptomes beyond embryonic development.


2020 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
pp. 62-72
Author(s):  
E. A. Ershova

Сalanoid copepods of the genus Pseudocalanus play an important role in the plankton communities of the Arctic and boreal seas, often dominating in numbers and constituting a significant proportion of the biomass of zooplankton. Despite their high presence and significance in the shelf plankton communities, species-specific studies of the biology of these are significantly hampered by extremely small morphological differences between them, especially at the juvenile stages, at which they are virtually indistinguishable. In this paper, we describe a new, routine and low-cost molecular method for identifying all Pseudocalanus species found in the Atlantic sector of the Arctic: the Arctic P. acuspes, P. minutus and the boreal P. moultoni and P. elongatus, and apply it to describe the relative distribution of these species in four locations of the Arctic and sub-Arctic. With this method, species-specific polymerase chain reaction (ssPCR), mass identification of individuals of any developmental stage, including nauplii, is possible. This method can serve as an excellent tool for studying the species-specific biology of this group, describing their life cycles, as well as monitoring changes in Arctic marine ecosystems under the influence of changing climate.


Hydrobiologia ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Márk Ficsór ◽  
Zoltán Csabai

AbstractThe aim of this review is to summarize the literature knowledge about how abiotic environmental factors and biotic interactions affect the sequentially overlapping longitudinal distribution of Central European species of the net-spinning freshwater caddisfly larvae of the genus Hydropsyche (Trichoptera: Hydropsychidae). In this relation, several physical and chemical parameters of water are discussed, as well as different species-specific traits, behavioural aspects and the interaction of coexisting species. Longitudinal gradients of river networks, especially annual temperature range, flow velocity and the particle size of suspended food material play a crucial role in forming the downstream succession of characteristic species, while increased levels of organic pollution, nutrients, salinity and heavy metals facilitates the presence of more tolerant ones. Several species-specific traits, such as respiration range, net-building frequency, head capsule size or optimal net-building velocity correlate with the position of a given species in the sequence. Coexistence of species with similar ecological demands in the overlapping zones of distribution is facilitated by differences in feeding and net-building habits, microhabitat preferences and staggering life cycles, but complicated at the same time by means of inter- and intraspecific territorial behaviour, such as fighting for the ownership of larval retreats or the practice of stridulation.


2012 ◽  
Vol 25 (5) ◽  
pp. 697-708 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adriana Cabral ◽  
Stan Oome ◽  
Nick Sander ◽  
Isabell Küfner ◽  
Thorsten Nürnberger ◽  
...  

The genome of the downy mildew pathogen Hyaloperonospora arabidopsidis encodes necrosis and ethylene-inducing peptide 1 (Nep1)-like proteins (NLP). Although NLP are widely distributed in eukaryotic and prokaryotic plant pathogens, it was surprising to find these proteins in the obligate biotrophic oomycete H. arabidopsidis. Therefore, we analyzed the H. arabidopsidis NLP (HaNLP) family and identified 12 HaNLP genes and 15 pseudogenes. Most of the 27 genes form an H. arabidopsidis–specific cluster when compared with other oomycete NLP genes, suggesting this class of effectors has recently expanded in H. arabidopsidis. HaNLP transcripts were mainly detected during early infection stages. Agrobacterium tumefaciens–mediated transient expression and infiltration of recombinant NLP into tobacco and Arabidopsis leaves revealed that all HaNLP tested are noncytotoxic proteins. Even HaNLP3, which is most similar to necrosis-inducing NLP proteins of other oomycetes and which contains all amino acids that are critical for necrosis-inducing activity, did not induce necrosis. Chimeras constructed between HaNLP3 and the necrosis-inducing PsojNIP protein demonstrated that most of the HaNLP3 protein is functionally equivalent to PsojNIP, except for an exposed domain that prevents necrosis induction. The early expression and species-specific expansion of the HaNLP genes is suggestive of an alternative function of noncytolytic NLP proteins during biotrophic infection of plants.


Parasitology ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 143 (14) ◽  
pp. 1824-1846 ◽  
Author(s):  
DANIEL P. BENESH

SUMMARYComplex life cycles are common in free-living and parasitic organisms alike. The adaptive decoupling hypothesis postulates that separate life cycle stages have a degree of developmental and genetic autonomy, allowing them to be independently optimized for dissimilar, competing tasks. That is, complex life cycles evolved to facilitate functional specialization. Here, I review the connections between the different stages in parasite life cycles. I first examine evolutionary connections between life stages, such as the genetic coupling of parasite performance in consecutive hosts, the interspecific correlations between traits expressed in different hosts, and the developmental and functional obstacles to stage loss. Then, I evaluate how environmental factors link life stages through carryover effects, where stressful larval conditions impact parasites even after transmission to a new host. There is evidence for both autonomy and integration across stages, so the relevant question becomes how integrated are parasite life cycles and through what mechanisms? By highlighting how genetics, development, selection and the environment can lead to interdependencies among successive life stages, I wish to promote a holistic approach to studying complex life cycle parasites and emphasize that what happens in one stage is potentially highly relevant for later stages.


Parasite ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 28 ◽  
pp. 34
Author(s):  
Kristina M. Hill-Spanik ◽  
Claudia Sams ◽  
Vincent A. Connors ◽  
Tessa Bricker ◽  
Isaure de Buron

The coquina, Donax variabilis, is a known intermediate host of monorchiid and gymnophallid digeneans. Limited morphological criteria for the host and the digeneans’ larval stages have caused confusion in records. Herein, identities of coquinas from the United States (US) Atlantic coast were verified molecularly. We demonstrate that the current GenBank sequences for D. variabilis are erroneous, with the US sequence referring to D. fossor. Two cercariae and three metacercariae previously described in the Gulf of Mexico and one new cercaria were identified morphologically and molecularly, with only metacercariae occurring in both hosts. On the Southeast Atlantic coast, D. variabilis’ role is limited to being a facultative second intermediate host, and D. fossor, an older species, acts as both first and second intermediate hosts. Sequencing demonstrated 100% similarities between larval stages for each of the three digeneans. Sporocysts, single tail cercariae, and metacercariae in the incurrent siphon had sequences identical to those of monorchiid Lasiotocus trachinoti, for which we provide the complete life cycle. Adults are not known for the other two digeneans, and sequences from their larval stages were not identical to any in GenBank. Large sporocysts, cercariae (Cercaria choanura), and metacercariae in the coquinas’ foot were identified as Lasiotocus choanura (Hopkins, 1958) n. comb. Small sporocysts, furcocercous cercariae, and metacercariae in the mantle were identified as gymnophallid Parvatrema cf. donacis. We clarify records wherein authors recognized the three digenean species but confused their life stages, and probably the hosts, as D. variabilis is sympatric with cryptic D. texasianus in the Gulf of Mexico.


Nematology ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 14 (5) ◽  
pp. 571-577 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haibo Long ◽  
Deliang Peng ◽  
Wenkun Huang ◽  
Yanke Liu ◽  
Huan Peng

Parasitism genes encoding secretory proteins expressed in the pharyngeal glands of plant-parasitic nematodes play important roles in the parasitic process. A new expansin gene (Ha-expb1) expressed in the subventral glands of the sedentary cyst nematode, Heterodera avenae, was cloned. Southern blot analysis suggested that Ha-expb1 is a member of a multigene family. The deduced protein Ha-EXPB1 consists of a signal peptide, a CBM II and an expansin domain, and was significantly similar to expansins and expansin-like proteins from the potato cyst nematode, Globodera rostochiensis, and the pine wood nematodes, Bursaphelenchus spp. In situ hybridisation showed that Ha-expb1 transcript specifically accumulated in the two subventral gland cells of the second-stage juveniles. Developmental expression confirmed that its transcript abundances were high in the motile juvenile stages and low in the sedentary stage of the nematode, implying a role in the early parasitic-stage process, most likely in aiding migration within the plant.


2021 ◽  
Vol 34 ◽  
pp. 12
Author(s):  
Mahadevan Harikrishnan ◽  
Deepak Jose ◽  
B. Nidhin ◽  
K.P. Anilkumar

Species specific identification of early larval stages of many decapod crustaceans sampled from plankton collections remains cumbersome owing to lack of distinguishable characteristics, where DNA based molecular methods provide accurate results without taxonomic ambiguities. In the present study, an attempt was made to detect temporal occurrence of early zoea of freshwater prawn Macrobrachium rosenbergii (de Man) using real-time PCR assays in polyhaline, mesohaline and oligohaline areas of a tropical positive estuary, the Vembanad lake (S. India). High caridean larval abundance could be recorded in polyhaline areas in all seasons while it could be recorded in monsoon season in mesohaline and oligohaline areas. 113 DNA isolations were successfully made from morphologically identified taxonomic units (MOTU) and SYBR Green based RT-PCR amplifications using designed primer for M. rosenbergii yielded positive detections in 38 samples (34%) representing all seasons in all three zones. Positive detections could be recorded in all months except May in mesohaline areas and differed significantly (F = 17.2 p < 0.01) with the same in polyhaline and oligohaline areas. The present results of molecular detection of M. rosenbergii larvae extend confirmation of its breeding ground in Vembanad lake where appropriate management strategies could be enforced for stock conservation of this species.


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