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Experimental Parasitology May 2016Two fatty acid binding proteins, EgFABP1 and EgFABP2, were isolated from the parasitic platyhelminth Echinococcus granulosus. These proteins bind fatty acids and have...
Two fatty acid binding proteins, EgFABP1 and EgFABP2, were isolated from the parasitic platyhelminth Echinococcus granulosus. These proteins bind fatty acids and have particular relevance in flatworms since de novo fatty acids synthesis is absent. Therefore platyhelminthes depend on the capture and intracellular distribution of host's lipids and fatty acid binding proteins could participate in lipid distribution. To elucidate EgFABP's roles, we investigated their intracellular distribution in the larval stage by a proteomic approach. Our results demonstrated the presence of EgFABP1 isoforms in cytosolic, nuclear, mitochondrial and microsomal fractions, suggesting that these molecules could be involved in several cellular processes.
Topics: Animals; Blotting, Western; Cattle; Cattle Diseases; Echinococcosis; Echinococcus granulosus; Electrophoresis, Gel, Two-Dimensional; Fatty Acid-Binding Proteins; Gene Expression Regulation; Helminth Proteins; Host-Parasite Interactions; Larva; Lipid Metabolism; Protein Isoforms; Proteomics; Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization; Uruguay
PubMed: 26873273
DOI: 10.1016/j.exppara.2016.02.002 -
Zootaxa Sep 2020To date, only one species of Temnocephala is known from Chile, Temnocephala chilensis, and three from southern Argentina (Patagonia), namely T. chilensis, Temnocephala...
To date, only one species of Temnocephala is known from Chile, Temnocephala chilensis, and three from southern Argentina (Patagonia), namely T. chilensis, Temnocephala dionii, and Temnocephala mexicana. Here we describe a new species of Temnocephala and provide an updated description of T. chilensis based on material found on an anomuran crab (Aeglidae) from southern Chile. Additional hosts and localities are reported for both species in southern Argentina and Chile, and a diagnostic key for all species of Temnocephala hosted on Aegla and Parastacidae is included as well. In southern Chile, both T. chilensis and the new species were found on the crayfish Samastacus spinifrons and on the anomuran crabs Aegla abtao and Aegla alacalufi; in addition, the new species was found on Aegla manni, and T. chilensis on Aegla rostrata. In southern Argentina, T. chilensis and the new species were found on Aegla riolimayana and S. spinifrons. Based on their shared traits (morphology of the penial stylet, host preferences and geographic distribution), the temnocephalans hosted in Aegla are tentatively gathered into two clusters, the Chilensis and Axenos groups.
Topics: Animals; Anomura; Argentina; Chile; Platyhelminths; Turbellaria
PubMed: 33056419
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4852.3.9 -
Biology Letters Sep 2019Understanding biological diversity is crucial for ecological and evolutionary studies. Even though a great part of animal diversity has already been documented, both...
Understanding biological diversity is crucial for ecological and evolutionary studies. Even though a great part of animal diversity has already been documented, both morphological surveys and metabarcoding analyses have previously shown that some animal groups, such as Platyhelminthes, may harbour hidden diversity. To better understand the molecular diversity of Platyhelminthes, one of the most diverse and biomedically important animal phyla, we here combined data from six marine and two freshwater metabarcoding expeditions that cover a broad variety of aquatic habitats and analysed the data by phylogenetic placement. Our results show that a great part of the hidden diversity is located in early-branching clades such as Catenulida and Macrostomorpha, as well as in late-diverging clades such as Proseriata and Rhabdocoela. We also report the first freshwater record of Gnosonesimida, a group previously thought to be exclusively marine. Finally, we identified two putative novel freshwater Platyhelminthes clades that branch between well-defined orders of the phylum. Thus, our analyses of several environmental datasets confirm that a large part of the diversity of Platyhelminthes remains undiscovered, point to groups with more potential novel species and identify freshwater environments as potential reservoirs for novel species of flatworms.
Topics: Animals; Biodiversity; Biological Evolution; Fresh Water; Phylogeny; Platyhelminths
PubMed: 31506037
DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2019.0182 -
The Journal of Parasitology Jul 2023An updated checklist of adult tapeworms (Platyhelminthes: Cestoda) that parasitize wild North American amphibians and reptiles is presented: A total of 58 species...
An updated checklist of adult tapeworms (Platyhelminthes: Cestoda) that parasitize wild North American amphibians and reptiles is presented: A total of 58 species grouped in 15 genera, 5 families, and 3 orders, are registered; these infect a total of 90 species of reptiles and 88 species of amphibians in the region. An illustrated identification key for the families and genera listed is proposed.
Topics: Humans; Animals; Parasites; Checklist; Cestoda; Reptiles; North America
PubMed: 37532252
DOI: 10.1645/23-6 -
Zootaxa Jul 2020Arthurdendyus triangulatus (Dendy, 1894) is a land planarian native to New Zealand which has become established in the United Kingdom and the Faroe Islands during the...
Arthurdendyus triangulatus (Dendy, 1894) is a land planarian native to New Zealand which has become established in the United Kingdom and the Faroe Islands during the last 60 years. The species has become prevalent and widely established in Scotland mediated by human activity mostly through the exchange of plants and associated soil. As a predator of earthworms, concerns regarding both the direct impact on earthworm abundance and diversity and the indirect impact on those birds and mammals that have earthworms as a primary dietary component led to A. triangulatus being the subject of both national and EU regulation. Whilst much is known regarding the ecology of A. triangulatus there is a significant knowledge gap regarding the genetic variability of the species. Using four DNA target regions cytochrome oxidase (CoI), elongation factor (EF), internal transcribed spacer region (ITS-1) and large subunit (LSU), we characterised the genetic variability of A. triangulatus populations across its full geographic range in Scotland and included a few populations from New Zealand, England and Northern Ireland. Two DNA regions, ITS-1 and CoI, revealed inter-population variability yielding well supported genetic structure in predominantly Scottish populations. We also identified considerable intra-specific and intra-individual heterogeneity in both ribosomal and mitochondrial regions, including the prevalence of pseudo-gene nuclear encoded mitochondrial DNA (Numt), the latter not previously reported for Platyhelminthes. Furthermore, given the presence of multiple ITS-1 haplotypes in individual specimens of A. triangulatus it is not possible to make definitive comment to support previously published findings that A. triangulatus was subjected to multiple introductions into the UK.
Topics: Animals; Planarians
PubMed: 33055988
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4808.1.2 -
Methods in Molecular Biology (Clifton,... 2022Regeneration-capable flatworms are highly informative research models to study the mechanisms of stem cell regulation, regeneration, and tissue patterning. Transgenesis...
Regeneration-capable flatworms are highly informative research models to study the mechanisms of stem cell regulation, regeneration, and tissue patterning. Transgenesis is a powerful research tool for investigating gene function, but until recently, a transgenesis method was missing in flatworms, hampering their wider adoption in biomedical research. Here we describe a detailed protocol to create stable transgenic lines of the flatworm M. lignano using random integration of DNA constructs through microinjection into single-cell stage embryos.
Topics: Animals; Animals, Genetically Modified; Gene Transfer Techniques; Platyhelminths; Stem Cells
PubMed: 35359325
DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2172-1_26 -
Infection, Genetics and Evolution :... Sep 2021The Excretory/Secretory (ES) proteins of parasites are involved in invasion and colonization of their hosts. In addition, since ES proteins circulate in the...
The Excretory/Secretory (ES) proteins of parasites are involved in invasion and colonization of their hosts. In addition, since ES proteins circulate in the extracellular space, they can be more accessible to drugs than other proteins, which makes ES proteins optimal targets for the development of new and better pharmacological strategies. Monogeneans are a group of parasitic Platyhelminthes that includes some pathogenic species problematic for finfish aquaculture. In the present study, 8297 putative ES proteins from four monogenean species which genomic resources are publicly available were identified and functionally annotated by bioinformatic tools. Additionally, for comparative purposes, ES proteins in other parasitic and free-living platyhelminths were identified. Based on data from the monogenean Gyrodactylus salaris, 15 ES proteins are considered potential drug targets. One of them showed homology to 10 cathepsins with known 3D structure. A docking molecular analysis uncovered that the anthelmintic emodepside shows good affinity to these cathepsins suggesting that emodepside can be experimentally tested as a monogenean's cathepsin inhibitor.
Topics: Animals; Antiplatyhelmintic Agents; Computational Biology; Drug Development; Helminth Proteins; Trematoda
PubMed: 34023509
DOI: 10.1016/j.meegid.2021.104931 -
Parasites & Vectors Jun 2015The genus Diplostomum (Platyhelminthes: Trematoda: Diplostomidae) is a diverse group of freshwater parasites with complex life-cycles and global distribution. The larval...
Complete mitochondrial genomes and nuclear ribosomal RNA operons of two species of Diplostomum (Platyhelminthes: Trematoda): a molecular resource for taxonomy and molecular epidemiology of important fish pathogens.
BACKGROUND
The genus Diplostomum (Platyhelminthes: Trematoda: Diplostomidae) is a diverse group of freshwater parasites with complex life-cycles and global distribution. The larval stages are important pathogens causing eye fluke disease implicated in substantial impacts on natural fish populations and losses in aquaculture. However, the problematic species delimitation and difficulties in the identification of larval stages hamper the assessment of the distributional and host ranges of Diplostomum spp. and their transmission ecology.
METHODS
Total genomic DNA was isolated from adult worms and shotgun sequenced using Illumina MiSeq technology. Mitochondrial (mt) genomes and nuclear ribosomal RNA (rRNA) operons were assembled using established bioinformatic tools and fully annotated. Mt protein-coding genes and nuclear rRNA genes were subjected to phylogenetic analysis by maximum likelihood and the resulting topologies compared.
RESULTS
We characterised novel complete mt genomes and nuclear rRNA operons of two closely related species, Diplostomum spathaceum and D. pseudospathaceum. Comparative mt genome assessment revealed that the cox1 gene and its 'barcode' region used for molecular identification are the most conserved regions; instead, nad4 and nad5 genes were identified as most promising molecular diagnostic markers. Using the novel data, we provide the first genome wide estimation of the phylogenetic relationships of the order Diplostomida, one of the two fundamental lineages of the Digenea. Analyses of the mitogenomic data invariably recovered the Diplostomidae as a sister lineage of the order Plagiorchiida rather than as a basal lineage of the Diplostomida as inferred in rDNA phylogenies; this was concordant with the mt gene order of Diplostomum spp. exhibiting closer match to the conserved gene order of the Plagiorchiida.
CONCLUSIONS
Complete sequences of the mt genome and rRNA operon of two species of Diplostomum provide a valuable resource for novel genetic markers for species delineation and large-scale molecular epidemiology and disease ecology studies based on the most accessible life-cycle stages of eye flukes.
Topics: Animals; Cestode Infections; Female; Fish Diseases; Fishes; Genome, Helminth; Genome, Mitochondrial; Male; Operon; Phylogeny; Platyhelminths; RNA, Helminth; RNA, Ribosomal
PubMed: 26084797
DOI: 10.1186/s13071-015-0949-4 -
Parasites & Vectors Mar 2016Ion channels are well characterised in model organisms, principally because of the availability of functional genomic tools and datasets for these species. This...
BACKGROUND
Ion channels are well characterised in model organisms, principally because of the availability of functional genomic tools and datasets for these species. This contrasts the situation, for example, for parasites of humans and animals, whose genomic and biological uniqueness means that many genes and their products cannot be annotated. As ion channels are recognised as important drug targets in mammals, the accurate identification and classification of parasite channels could provide major prospects for defining unique targets for designing novel and specific anti-parasite therapies. Here, we established a reliable bioinformatic pipeline for the identification and classification of ion channels encoded in the genome of the cancer-causing liver fluke Opisthorchis viverrini, and extended its application to related flatworms affecting humans.
METHODS
We built an ion channel identification + classification pipeline (called MuSICC), employing an optimised support vector machine (SVM) model and using the Kyoto Encyclopaedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) classification system. Ion channel proteins were first identified and grouped according to amino acid sequence similarity to classified ion channels and the presence and number of ion channel-like conserved and transmembrane domains. Predicted ion channels were then classified to sub-family using a SVM model, trained using ion channel features.
RESULTS
Following an evaluation of this pipeline (MuSICC), which demonstrated a classification sensitivity of 95.2 % and accuracy of 70.5 % for known ion channels, we applied it to effectively identify and classify ion channels in selected parasitic flatworms.
CONCLUSIONS
MuSICC provides a practical and effective tool for the identification and classification of ion channels of parasitic flatworms, and should be applicable to a broad range of organisms that are evolutionarily distant from taxa whose ion channels are functionally characterised.
Topics: Animals; Computational Biology; Ion Channels; Parasitology; Platyhelminths
PubMed: 26983991
DOI: 10.1186/s13071-016-1428-2 -
Parasitology International Jun 2016Metorchis spp. are flukes (Platyhelminthes: Digenea) that infect vertebrates, including humans, dogs, cats, poultry and wild game, with cyprinid freshwater fish serving...
Metorchis spp. are flukes (Platyhelminthes: Digenea) that infect vertebrates, including humans, dogs, cats, poultry and wild game, with cyprinid freshwater fish serving as typical second intermediate hosts. In their definitive hosts, the Metorchis spp. are difficult to identify to species. We provide and analyze sequences of two nuclear (18S rDNA and ITS2) and two mitochondrial (CO1 and ND1) DNA loci of four morphologically identified European species of the Metorchis, namely Metorchis albidus, Metorchis bilis, Metorchis crassiusculus and Metorchis xanthosomus, and of another opisthorchiid, Euamphimerus pancreaticus. DNA analysis suggests that the Metorchis specimens identified morphologically as M. albidus (from Lutra lutra), M. bilis (from Phalacrocorax carbo) and M. crassiusculus (from Aquila heliaca and Buteo rufinus) represent a single species. Thus, M. albidus (Braun, 1893) Loos, 1899 and M. crassiusculus (Rudolphi, 1809) Looss, 1899 are recognized as junior subjective synonyms of M. bilis (Braun, 1790) Odening, 1962. We also provide comparative measurements of the Central European Metorchis spp., and address their tissue specificity and prevalence based on the examination of extensive bird cohort from 1962 to 2015. M. bilis and M. xanthosomus can be morphologically diagnosed by measuring the extent of genitalia relative to body length and by the size ratio of their suckers. They also differ in their core definitive hosts, with ducks (Anas, Aythya) and coots (Fulica) hosting M. xanthosomus, and cormorants (Phalacrocorax), the birds of prey (Buteo, Aquila, etc.), piscivorous mammals (Lutra, Vulpes, Ursus, etc.) and humans hosting M. bilis. Previous reports on the Metorchis spp. contain numerous suspected misidentifications.
Topics: Animals; Birds; DNA, Ribosomal; Humans; Mammals; Opisthorchidae; Phylogeny; RNA, Ribosomal, 18S; Sequence Analysis, DNA; Species Specificity; Trematode Infections
PubMed: 26794684
DOI: 10.1016/j.parint.2016.01.011