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Evolutionary analysis of the cystatin family in three Schistosoma species.

ABSTRACT: The cystatin family comprises cysteine protease inhibitors distributed in 3 subfamilies (I25A-C). Family members lacking cystatin activity are currently unclassified. Little is known about the evolution of Schistosoma cystatins, their physiological roles, and expression patterns in the parasite life cycle. The present study aimed to identify cystatin homologs in the predicted proteome of three Schistosoma species and other Platyhelminthes. We analyzed the amino acid sequence diversity focused in the identification of protein signatures and to establish evolutionary relationships among Schistosoma and experimentally validated human cystatins. Gene expression patterns were obtained from different developmental stages in Schistosoma mansoni using microarray data. In Schistosoma, only I25A and I25B proteins were identified, reflecting little functional diversification. I25C and unclassified subfamily members were not identified in platyhelminth species here analyzed. The resulting phylogeny placed cystatins in different clades, reflecting their molecular diversity. Our findings suggest that Schistosoma cystatins are very divergent from their human homologs, especially regarding the I25B subfamily. Schistosoma cystatins also differ significantly from other platyhelminth homologs. Finally, transcriptome data publicly available indicated that I25A and I25B genes are constitutively expressed thus could be essential for schistosome life cycle progression. In summary, this study provides insights into the evolution, classification, and functional diversification of cystatins in Schistosoma and other Platyhelminthes, improving our understanding of parasite biology and opening new frontiers in the identification of novel therapeutic targets against helminthiases.

SUBMITTER: Cuesta-Astroz Y

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4089355 | biostudies-literature | 2014

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Evolutionary analysis of the cystatin family in three Schistosoma species.

Cuesta-Astroz Yesid Y Scholte Larissa L S LL Pais Fabiano Sviatopolk-Mirsky FS Oliveira Guilherme G Nahum Laila A LA

Frontiers in genetics 20140709

The cystatin family comprises cysteine protease inhibitors distributed in 3 subfamilies (I25A-C). Family members lacking cystatin activity are currently unclassified. Little is known about the evolution of Schistosoma cystatins, their physiological roles, and expression patterns in the parasite life cycle. The present study aimed to identify cystatin homologs in the predicted proteome of three Schistosoma species and other Platyhelminthes. We analyzed the amino acid sequence diversity focused in ...[more]

PMID: 25071834

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Project description:BackgroundThe European continent is presently colonized by nine species of the genus Pulsatilla, five of which are encountered only in mountainous regions of southwest and south-central Europe. The remaining four species inhabit lowlands in the north-central and eastern parts of the continent. Most plants of the genus Pulsatilla are rare and endangered, which is why most research efforts focused on their biology, ecology and hybridization. The objective of this study was to develop genomic resources, including complete plastid genomes and nuclear rRNA clusters, for three sympatric Pulsatilla species that are most commonly found in Central Europe. The results will supply valuable information about genetic variation, which can be used in the process of designing primers for population studies and conservation genetics research. The complete plastid genomes together with the nuclear rRNA cluster can serve as a useful tool in hybridization studies.Methodology/principal findingsSix complete plastid genomes and nuclear rRNA clusters were sequenced from three species of Pulsatilla using the Illumina sequencing technology. Four junctions between single copy regions and inverted repeats and junctions between the identified locally-collinear blocks (LCB) were confirmed by Sanger sequencing. Pulsatilla genomes of 120 unique genes had a total length of approximately 161-162 kb, and 21 were duplicated in the inverted repeats (IR) region. Comparative plastid genomes of newly-sequenced Pulsatilla and the previously-identified plastomes of Aconitum and Ranunculus species belonging to the family Ranunculaceae revealed several variations in the structure of the genome, but the gene content remained constant. The nuclear rRNA cluster (18S-ITS1-5.8S-ITS2-26S) of studied Pulsatilla species is 5795 bp long. Among five analyzed regions of the rRNA cluster, only Internal Transcribed Spacer 2 (ITS2) enabled the molecular delimitation of closely-related Pulsatilla patens and Pulsatilla vernalis.Conclusions/significanceThe determination of complete plastid genome and nuclear rRNA cluster sequences in three species of the genus Pulsatilla is an important contribution to our knowledge of the evolution and phylogeography of those endangered taxa. The resulting data can be used to identify regions that are particularly useful for barcoding, phylogenetic and phylogeographic studies. The investigated taxa can be identified at each stage of development based on their species-specific SNPs. The nuclear and plastid genomic resources enable advanced studies on hybridization, including identification of parent species, including their roles in that process. The identified nonsynonymous mutations could play an important role in adaptations to changing environments. The results of the study will also provide valuable information about the evolution of the plastome structure in the family Ranunculaceae.

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Dataset Information

Evolutionary analysis of the cystatin family in three Schistosoma species.

Publications

Evolutionary analysis of the cystatin family in three Schistosoma species.

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