Su Shijie, Hou Zhaofeng, Liu Dandan, Jia Chuanli, Wang Lele, Xu Jinjun, Tao Jianping
College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China; Jiangsu Co-innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China; Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Zoonosis, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China.
College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China; Jiangsu Co-innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China; Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Zoonosis, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China.
Vet Parasitol. 2018 Mar 15;252:35-46. doi: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2018.01.019. Epub 2018 Feb 4.
Eimeria necatrix is one of the most pathogenic parasites causing high mortality in chicken older than 8 weeks. Eimeria spp. possess a coccidian lifecycle including both sexual and asexual stages. Sexual differentiation and development occupies a central place in the life cycle of the Eimeria parasite. However, our knowledge of the sexual differentiation and gametocyte development of Eimeria is very limited. Here using RNA sequencing, we conducted a comparative transcriptome analysis between third-generation merozoites (MZ-3) and gametocytes (GAM) of E. necatrix to identify genes with functions related to sexual differentiation and gametocyte development. Approximately 4267 genes were differentially expressed between MZ-3 and GAM. Compared with MZ-3, 2789 genes were upregulated and 1478 genes were downregulated in GAM. Approximately 329 genes in MZ-3 and 1289 genes in GAM were further analyzed in the evaluation of stage-specific genes. Gene Ontology (GO) classification and KEGG analysis revealed that 953 upregulated gametocyte genes were annotated with 170 GO assignments, and 405 upregulated genes were associated with 231 signaling pathways. We also predicted a further 83 upregulated gametocyte genes, of which 53 were involved in the biosynthesis of the oocyst wall, and 30 were involved in microgametocyte development. This information offers insights into the mechanisms governing the sexual development of E. necatrix and may potentially allow the identification of targets for blocking parasite transmission.
毒害艾美耳球虫是最具致病性的寄生虫之一，可导致8周龄以上鸡的高死亡率。艾美耳球虫属具有包括有性和无性阶段的球虫生命周期。性别分化和发育在艾美耳球虫寄生虫的生命周期中占据核心地位。然而，我们对艾美耳球虫的性别分化和配子体发育的了解非常有限。在这里，我们使用RNA测序技术，对毒害艾美耳球虫的第三代裂殖子（MZ-3）和配子体（GAM）进行了比较转录组分析，以鉴定与性别分化和配子体发育相关的功能基因。MZ-3和GAM之间大约有4267个基因差异表达。与MZ-3相比，GAM中有2789个基因上调，1478个基因下调。在阶段特异性基因评估中，进一步分析了MZ-3中的大约329个基因和GAM中的1289个基因。基因本体论（GO）分类和KEGG分析表明，953个上调的配子体基因被注释为170个GO分类，405个上调基因与231条信号通路相关。我们还预测了另外83个上调的配子体基因，其中53个参与卵囊壁的生物合成，30个参与小配子体发育。这些信息为了解毒害艾美耳球虫性别发育的机制提供了见解，并可能有助于识别阻断寄生虫传播的靶点。
