Department of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600, Bangi, Selangor DE, Malaysia.
School of Biosciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Nottingham Malaysia, 43500, Semenyih, Selangor DE, Malaysia.
Sci Rep. 2024 Nov 1;14(1):26251. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-77580-7.
Eimeria tenella is among the protozoan parasites that cause the infectious disease coccidiosis in chickens, incurring huge economic losses to the global poultry industry. Surface antigens (EtSAGs) involved in host-parasite interaction are potential targets for control strategies. However, the occurrence of genetic diversity for EtSAGs in field populations is unknown, as is the risk of such diversity to the efficacy of EtSAG-based control approaches. Here, the extent of EtSAG genetic diversity and its implications on protein structure and function is assessed. Eighty-seven full-length EtSAG genomic sequences were identified from E. tenella genome assemblies of isolates sampled from continents including North America (United States), Europe (United Kingdom), Asia (Malaysia and Japan) and Africa (Nigeria). Limited diversity was observed in the EtSAG sequences. However, distinctive patterns of polymorphism were identified between EtSAG subfamilies, suggesting functional differences among these antigen families. Polymorphisms were sparsely distributed across isolates, with a small number of variants exclusive to specific geographical regions. These findings enhance our understanding of EtSAGs, particularly in elucidating functional differences among the antigens that could inform the development of more effective and long-lasting anticoccidial control strategies.
柔嫩艾美耳球虫是一种引起鸡传染性球虫病的原生动物寄生虫，给全球家禽业造成了巨大的经济损失。参与宿主-寄生虫相互作用的表面抗原（EtSAGs）是潜在的控制策略靶标。然而，田间种群中 EtSAG 的遗传多样性的发生情况以及这种多样性对基于 EtSAG 的控制方法的效果的风险尚不清楚。在这里，评估了 EtSAG 遗传多样性的程度及其对蛋白质结构和功能的影响。从包括北美洲（美国）、欧洲（英国）、亚洲（马来西亚和日本）和非洲（尼日利亚）在内的各大洲采集的柔嫩艾美耳球虫分离株的基因组组装中鉴定出了 87 个全长 EtSAG 基因组序列。在 EtSAG 序列中观察到有限的多样性。然而，在 EtSAG 亚家族之间鉴定出了独特的多态性模式，表明这些抗原家族之间存在功能差异。多态性在分离株中分布稀疏，少数变体仅存在于特定地理区域。这些发现增强了我们对 EtSAGs 的理解，特别是在阐明抗原之间的功能差异方面，这可以为开发更有效和持久的抗球虫控制策略提供信息。
