Diaz Soria Carmen L, Attenborough Teresa, Lu Zhigang, Fontenla Santiago, Graham Jennie, Hall Christopher, Thompson Sam, Andrews Toby G R, Rawlinson Kate A, Berriman Matthew, Rinaldi Gabriel
Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, CB10 1SA, UK.
School of Infection and Immunity, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, 120 University Place, Glasgow, G12 8TA, UK.
Sci Rep. 2024 Mar 12;14(1):5974. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-55790-3.
Schistosomiasis is a major Neglected Tropical Disease, caused by the infection with blood flukes in the genus Schistosoma. To complete the life cycle, the parasite undergoes asexual and sexual reproduction within an intermediate snail host and a definitive mammalian host, respectively. The intra-molluscan phase provides a critical amplification step that ensures a successful transmission. However, the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the development of the intra-molluscan stages remain poorly understood. Here, single cell suspensions from S. mansoni mother sporocysts were produced and sequenced using the droplet-based 10X Genomics Chromium platform. Six cell clusters comprising two tegument, muscle, neuron, parenchyma and stem/germinal cell clusters were identified and validated by in situ hybridisation. Gene Ontology term analysis predicted key biological processes for each of the clusters, including three stem/germinal sub-clusters. Furthermore, putative transcription factors predicted for stem/germinal and tegument clusters may play key roles during parasite development and interaction with the intermediate host.
血吸虫病是一种主要的被忽视热带病，由感染血吸虫属的血吸虫引起。为了完成生命周期，寄生虫分别在中间螺宿主和终末哺乳动物宿主内进行无性和有性繁殖。软体动物内阶段提供了一个关键的扩增步骤，确保成功传播。然而，软体动物内阶段发育的细胞和分子机制仍知之甚少。在这里，使用基于微滴的10X基因组学铬平台对曼氏血吸虫母孢子蚴的单细胞悬液进行了制备和测序。通过原位杂交鉴定并验证了六个细胞簇，包括两个皮层、肌肉、神经元、实质和干细胞/生殖细胞簇。基因本体术语分析预测了每个簇的关键生物学过程，包括三个干细胞/生殖亚簇。此外，预测的干细胞/生殖和皮层簇的假定转录因子可能在寄生虫发育以及与中间宿主的相互作用中发挥关键作用。
