Project description:In the complex lifecycle of schistosomes, four developmental stages are closely associated with their definitive hosts: cercaria (infective stage), schistosomula and adult worm (parasitic stages), egg (pathogenic- and pathophoresis-stage). We have examined the gene expression profiles of Schistosoma japonicum in the four developmental stages. Genes with different expression patterns were identified and the information obtained will help indentify new anti-schistosomal intervention targets in the future.
Project description:It is well recognized that parasitic helminth infections, which afflict more than one billion people globally, correlate with a decreased prevalence of metabolic diseases, including obesity and type 2 diabetes, but the molecular mechanisms involved remain to be determined. Using microarrays, we quantified the temporal gene expression profiles in the liver of Schistosoma japonicum-infected C57BL/6 mice at 9 weeks post infection with that from uninfected mice as controls. More than 150 miRNAs were differentially expressed in the liver during S. japonicum infection, and miRNA-mRNA network would provide new evidence for the negtive correlation between S. japonicum infection and metabolism.
Project description:Key tissues of the adult female parasite involved in nutritional uptake and reproduction were examined using a novel gene discovery approach that combined laser microdissection microscopy and microarray analyses. Gastrodermis, vitelline glands and ovary were microdissected from unfixed, frozen sections of the Asian species, Schistosoma japonicum. Total RNA was isolated from the enriched tissue preparations and microarray analyses undertaken to generate tissue specific gene expression profiles.
Project description:We report on the small RNA profiles of Schistosoma japonicum (S. japonicum) miRNAs using small RNA deep sequencing in the key stages of male-female pairing, gametogenesis, and egg production.
