TY - JOUR
T1 - Exploiting Comparative Omics to Understand the Pathogenic and Virulence-Associated Protease
T2 - Anti-Protease Relationships in the Zoonotic Parasites Fasciola hepatica and Fasciola gigantica
AU - Cwiklinski, Krystyna
AU - Dalton, John Pius
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 by the authors.
PY - 2022/10
Y1 - 2022/10
N2 - The helminth parasites, Fasciola hepatica and Fasciola gigantica, are the causative agents of fasciolosis, a global and economically important disease of people and their livestock. Proteases are pivotal to an array of biological processes related to parasitism (development, feeding, immune evasion, virulence) and therefore their action requires strict regulation by parasite anti-proteases (protease inhibitors). By interrogating the current publicly available Fasciola spp. large sequencing datasets, including several genome assemblies and life cycle stage-specific transcriptome and proteome datasets, we reveal the complex profile and structure of proteases and anti-proteases families operating at various stages of the parasite’s life cycle. Moreover, we have discovered distinct profiles of peptidases and their cognate inhibitors expressed by the parasite stages in the intermediate snail host, reflecting the different environmental niches in which they move, develop and extract nutrients. Comparative genomics revealed a similar cohort of peptidase inhibitors in F. hepatica and F. gigantica but a surprisingly reduced number of cathepsin peptidases genes in the F. gigantica genome assemblies. Chromosomal location of the F. gigantica genes provides new insights into the evolution of these gene families, and critical data for the future analysis and interrogation of Fasciola spp. hybrids spreading throughout the Asian and African continents.
AB - The helminth parasites, Fasciola hepatica and Fasciola gigantica, are the causative agents of fasciolosis, a global and economically important disease of people and their livestock. Proteases are pivotal to an array of biological processes related to parasitism (development, feeding, immune evasion, virulence) and therefore their action requires strict regulation by parasite anti-proteases (protease inhibitors). By interrogating the current publicly available Fasciola spp. large sequencing datasets, including several genome assemblies and life cycle stage-specific transcriptome and proteome datasets, we reveal the complex profile and structure of proteases and anti-proteases families operating at various stages of the parasite’s life cycle. Moreover, we have discovered distinct profiles of peptidases and their cognate inhibitors expressed by the parasite stages in the intermediate snail host, reflecting the different environmental niches in which they move, develop and extract nutrients. Comparative genomics revealed a similar cohort of peptidase inhibitors in F. hepatica and F. gigantica but a surprisingly reduced number of cathepsin peptidases genes in the F. gigantica genome assemblies. Chromosomal location of the F. gigantica genes provides new insights into the evolution of these gene families, and critical data for the future analysis and interrogation of Fasciola spp. hybrids spreading throughout the Asian and African continents.
KW - Fasciola
KW - flukes
KW - genomics
KW - helminths
KW - peptidase inhibitors
KW - peptidases
KW - proteomics
KW - transcriptomics
KW - trematodes
KW - worms
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85140770764&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3390/genes13101854
DO - 10.3390/genes13101854
M3 - Article
C2 - 36292739
AN - SCOPUS:85140770764
SN - 2073-4425
VL - 13
JO - Genes
JF - Genes
IS - 10
M1 - 1854
ER -