Dataset Information

Genetic diversity within Schistosoma haematobium: DNA barcoding reveals two distinct groups.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Schistosomiasis in one of the most prevalent parasitic diseases, affecting millions of people and animals in developing countries. Amongst the human-infective species S. haematobium is one of the most widespread causing urogenital schistosomiasis, a major human health problem across Africa, however in terms of research this human pathogen has been severely neglected.

Methodology/principal findings

To elucidate the genetic diversity of Schistosoma haematobium, a DNA 'barcoding' study was performed on parasite material collected from 41 localities representing 18 countries across Africa and the Indian Ocean Islands. Surprisingly low sequence variation was found within the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (cox1) and the NADH-dehydrogenase subunit 1 snad1). The 61 haplotypes found within 1978 individual samples split into two distinct groups; one (Group 1) that is predominately made up of parasites from the African mainland and the other (Group 2) that is made up of samples exclusively from the Indian Ocean Islands and the neighbouring African coastal regions. Within Group 1 there was a dominance of one particular haplotype (H1) representing 1574 (80%) of the samples analyzed. Population genetic diversity increased in samples collected from the East African coastal regions and the data suggest that there has been movement of parasites between these areas and the Indian Ocean Islands.

Conclusions/significance

The high occurrence of the haplotype (H1) suggests that at some point in the recent evolutionary history of S. haematobium in Africa the population may have passed through a genetic 'bottleneck' followed by a population expansion. This study provides novel and extremely interesting insights into the population genetics of S. haematobium on a large geographic scale, which may have consequence for control and monitoring of urogenital schistosomiasis.

SUBMITTER: Webster BL

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3493392 | biostudies-literature | 2012

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Genetic diversity within Schistosoma haematobium: DNA barcoding reveals two distinct groups.

Webster Bonnie L BL Emery Aiden M AM Webster Joanne P JP Gouvras Anouk A Garba Amadou A Diaw Oumar O Seye Mohmoudane M MM Tchuente Louis Albert Tchuem LA Simoonga Christopher C Mwanga Joseph J Lange Charles C Kariuki Curtis C Mohammed Khalfan A KA Stothard J Russell JR Rollinson David D

PLoS neglected tropical diseases 20121025 10

<h4>Background</h4>Schistosomiasis in one of the most prevalent parasitic diseases, affecting millions of people and animals in developing countries. Amongst the human-infective species S. haematobium is one of the most widespread causing urogenital schistosomiasis, a major human health problem across Africa, however in terms of research this human pathogen has been severely neglected.<h4>Methodology/principal findings</h4>To elucidate the genetic diversity of Schistosoma haematobium, a DNA 'bar ...[more]

PMID: 23145200

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Project description:Minimal information on the genome and proteome of Schistosoma haematobium is available, in marked contrast to the situation with the other major species of human schistosomes for which draft genome sequences have been reported. Accordingly, little is known about functional genomics in S. haematobium, including the utility or not of RNA interference techniques that, if available, promise to guide development of new interventions for schistosomiasis haematobia.Here we isolated and cultured developmental stages of S. haematobium, derived from experimentally infected hamsters. Targeting different developmental stages, we investigated the utility of soaking and/or square wave electroporation in order to transfect S. haematobium with nucleic acid reporters including Cy3-labeled small RNAs, messenger RNA encoding firefly luciferase, and short interfering RNAs (siRNAs). Three hours after incubation of S. haematobium eggs in 50 ng/µl Cy3-labeled siRNA, fluorescent foci were evident indicating that labeled siRNA had penetrated into miracidia developing within the egg shell. Firefly luciferase activity was detected three hours after square wave electroporation of the schistosome eggs and adult worms in 150 ng/µl of mRNA. RNA interference knockdown (silencing) of reporter luciferase activity was seen following the introduction of dsRNA specific for luciferase mRNA in eggs, schistosomules and mixed sex adults. Moreover, introduction of an endogenous gene-specific siRNA into adult schistosomes silenced transcription of tetraspanin 2 (Sh-tsp-2), the apparent orthologue of the Schistosoma mansoni gene Sm-tsp-2 which encodes the surface localized structural and signaling protein Sm-TSP-2. Together, knockdown of reporter luciferase and Sh-tsp-2 indicated the presence of an intact RNAi pathway in S. haematobium. Also, we employed laser scanning confocal microscopy to view the adult stages of S. haematobium.These findings and approaches should facilitate analysis of gene function in S. haematobium, which in turn could facilitate the characterization of prospective intervention targets for this neglected tropical disease pathogen.

Dataset Information

Genetic diversity within Schistosoma haematobium: DNA barcoding reveals two distinct groups.

Background

Methodology/principal findings

Conclusions/significance

Publications

Genetic diversity within Schistosoma haematobium: DNA barcoding reveals two distinct groups.

Similar Datasets

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