Liu Shinan, Gao Fei, Wang Ruijie, Li Wen, Wang Siyao, Zhang Xi
Department of Parasitology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, China.
Animals (Basel). 2023 Sep 8;13(18):2855. doi: 10.3390/ani13182855.
The plerocercoid larva of the tapeworm can parasitize humans and animals, causing serious parasitic zoonosis. The molecular characteristics and adaptive parasitism mechanism of tapeworms are still unknown. In this study, 11 new members of the fatty-acid-binding protein (FABP) family were characterized in . A clustering analysis showed 11 SmFABPs arranged into two groups, and motif patterns within each group had similar organizations. RT-qPCR showed that SmFABPs were highly expressed in the adult stage, especially in gravid proglottid. A high genetic diversity of SmFABPs and relative conservation of FABPs in medical platyhelminthes were observed in the phylogenetic analysis. Immunolocalization revealed that natural SmFABP is mainly located in the tegument and parenchymal tissue of the plerocercoid and the uterus, genital pores, and cortex of adult worms. rSmFABP can build a more stable holo form when binding with palmitic acid to protect the hydrolytic sites of the protein. A fatty acid starvation induction test suggested that SmFABP might be involved in fatty acid absorption, transport, and metabolism in . The findings in this study will lay the foundation to better explore the underlying mechanisms of FABPs involved in tapeworms as well as related taxa.
绦虫的裂头蚴幼虫可寄生于人和动物体内，引发严重的寄生虫人畜共患病。绦虫的分子特征和适应性寄生机制仍不清楚。在本研究中，对脂肪酸结合蛋白（FABP）家族的11个新成员进行了表征。聚类分析表明，11种中华分枝睾吸虫脂肪酸结合蛋白（SmFABPs）分为两组，每组内的基序模式具有相似的结构。逆转录定量聚合酶链反应（RT-qPCR）表明，SmFABPs在成虫阶段高度表达，尤其是在妊娠节片中。在系统发育分析中观察到SmFABPs具有较高的遗传多样性，而医学扁形动物中的FABPs具有相对保守性。免疫定位显示，天然SmFABP主要位于裂头蚴的体表和实质组织以及成虫的子宫、生殖孔和皮层中。重组SmFABP（rSmFABP）与棕榈酸结合时可形成更稳定的心型，以保护蛋白质的水解位点。脂肪酸饥饿诱导试验表明，SmFABP可能参与中华分枝睾吸虫的脂肪酸吸收、转运和代谢。本研究结果将为更好地探索FABPs在绦虫及相关类群中的潜在作用机制奠定基础。
