-
Acta Tropica Jan 2021Schistosomiasis is an acute and chronic parasitic disease caused by blood flukes (trematode worms) of the genus Schistosoma. Schistosoma japonicum (S. japonicum)... (Review)
Review
Schistosomiasis is an acute and chronic parasitic disease caused by blood flukes (trematode worms) of the genus Schistosoma. Schistosoma japonicum (S. japonicum) infection has decreased significantly in prevalence and intensity of infection in China. However, this disease still remains a serious public health problem in some endemic areas of the Philippines and Indonesia. Thus, more accurate and sensitive methods are much needed for further control of this disease. Here, we review the research progress in techniques for the diagnosis of S. japonicum infection.
Topics: Animals; Antibodies, Helminth; Antigens, Helminth; China; DNA, Helminth; Humans; Indonesia; Philippines; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Prevalence; Schistosoma japonicum; Schistosomiasis japonica; Serologic Tests
PubMed: 33159894
DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2020.105743 -
Molecular and Biochemical Parasitology Nov 2022Glutathione transferases (GSTs) are major detoxification enzymes vital for the survival and reproduction of schistosomes during infection in humans. Schistosoma encode... (Review)
Review
Glutathione transferases (GSTs) are major detoxification enzymes vital for the survival and reproduction of schistosomes during infection in humans. Schistosoma encode two GST isoenzymes, the 26- and 28-kDa isoforms, that show different substrate specificities and cellular localisations. Bromosulfophthalein (BSP) has been identified and characterised as a potent 26-kDa Schistosoma japonicum GST (Sj26GST) inhibitor with an anthelmintic potential. This study describes the structure, function, and ligandin properties of the 28-kDa Schistosoma japonicum GST (Sj28GST) towards BSP. Enzyme kinetics show that BSP is a potent enzyme inhibitor, with a specific activity decreases from 60.4 µmol/min/mg to 0.0742 µmol/min/mg and an IC in the micromolar range of 0.74 µM. Far-UV circular dichroism confirmed that purified Sj28GST follows a typical GST fold, which is predominantly alpha-helical. Fluorescence spectroscopy suggests that BSP binding occurs at a site distinct from the glutathione-binding site (G-site); however, the binding does not alter the local G-site environment. Isothermal titration calorimetry studies show that the binding of BSP to Sj28GST is exergonic (∆G°= -33 kJ/mol) and enthalpically-driven, with a stoichiometry of one BSP per dimer. The stability of Sj28GST (∆G = 4.7 kcal/mol) is notably lower than Sj26GST, owing to differences in the enzyme's dimeric interfaces. We conclude that Sj28GST shares similar biophysical characteristics with Sj26GST based on its kinetic properties and susceptibility to low concentrations of BSP. The study supports the potential benefits of re-purposing BSP as a potential drug or prodrug to mitigate the scourge of schistosomiasis.
Topics: Animals; Binding Sites; Calorimetry; Glutathione; Glutathione Transferase; Schistosoma japonicum; Sulfobromophthalein
PubMed: 36195242
DOI: 10.1016/j.molbiopara.2022.111524 -
Biotechnology Advances Dec 2013Schistosomiasis is a serious parasitic zoonosis caused by blood-dwelling flukes of the genus Schistosoma. Understanding functions of genes and proteins of this parasite... (Review)
Review
Schistosomiasis is a serious parasitic zoonosis caused by blood-dwelling flukes of the genus Schistosoma. Understanding functions of genes and proteins of this parasite is important for uncovering this pathogen's complex biology, which will provide valuable information to design new strategies for schistosomiasis control. Effective applications of molecular tools reported to investigate schistosome gene function, such as inhibitor studies and transgenesis, rely on the developments of in vitro cultivation system of this parasite and cells. Besides the in vitro culture studies dealing with Schistosoma mansoni, there are also numerous excellent studies about the in vitro cultivation of Schistosoma japonicum, which were performed by Chinese researchers and published in Chinese journals. Nearly every stage of the life-cycle of S. japonicum, including miracidia, mother sporocysts, cercariae, schistosomula, and egg-laying adult worms, was employed for developing in vitro cultivation methods, being accompanied by the introduction of several media and supplements that helped to improve culture conditions. It was not only possible to generate mother sporocysts from miracidia in vitro, but also to obtain adult worms from cercariae through in vitro cultivation. The main obstacles to complete the life cycle of S. japonicum in the lab are the transition from mother sporocysts to cercariae, and the production of fertilized and completely developed eggs by adult worms generated in vitro. With regard to cells from S. japonicum, besides established isolation protocols and morphological observations, media optimizations were conducted by using different chemical reagents, biological supplements and physical treatment. Among these, mutagens like N-methyl-N-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine and the addition of extracellular matrix were found to be able to induce mitogenic activities. Although enzyme activities or the level of silver-stained nucleolar region associated protein in cultured cells indicated still suboptimal conditions, the achievements made point to the possibility of reaching the aim of establishing cell lines for S. japonicum. Both the improvements of the in vitro culture of larval and adult worms of S. japonicum as well as the access of cells of this parasite provide excellent advances for research on this important parasite in the future.
Topics: Animals; Culture Techniques; Liver; Lung; Rabbits; Schistosoma japonicum
PubMed: 24070875
DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2013.09.003 -
Parasitology International Dec 2003In his hypothesis on the coevolution of Asian schistosomes and snails, Davis implies that the ancestors of the Schistosoma japonicum and S. indicum species group were... (Review)
Review
In his hypothesis on the coevolution of Asian schistosomes and snails, Davis implies that the ancestors of the Schistosoma japonicum and S. indicum species group were African and arrived in Asia via the Indian plate. This paper briefly reviews molecular phylogenetic relationships among species of the genus Schistosoma to test Davis' theory about the origin and evolution of S. japonicum. All analyses using DNA base sequences, mitochondrial genome gene order and C-banding patterns suggest that Schistosoma originated in Asia and not Africa.
Topics: Africa; Animals; Asia; Biological Evolution; DNA, Mitochondrial; DNA, Protozoan; Phylogeny; Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; Schistosoma japonicum
PubMed: 14665391
DOI: 10.1016/s1383-5769(03)00049-7 -
International Journal For Parasitology Jul 2022Schistosomiasis is a globally important helminthic disease of both humans and animals, and is the second most common parasitic disease after malaria. Although...
Schistosomiasis is a globally important helminthic disease of both humans and animals, and is the second most common parasitic disease after malaria. Although praziquantel is extensively used for treatment of parasitic diseases, drug resistance has been reported. Therefore, new drugs and effective vaccines are needed for continuous control of schistosomiasis. Eggs produced by schistosomes are responsible for the occurrence and spread of schistosomiasis. Revealing the reproductive mechanism of schistosomes will help to control this disease. In this study, the proteomic profiles of single-sex infected female worms and bisexual infected mature female worms of Schistosoma japonicum at 18, 21, 23 and 25 days p.i. were identified with isobaric tags for relative quantitation-coupled liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Differentially expressed proteins were subsequently used for bioinformatic analysis. Six highly expressed differentially expressed proteins in mature female worms were selected and long-term interference with small interfering RNA (siRNA) was conducted to determine biological functions. SiRNA against S. japonicum translationally controlled tumour protein (SjTCTP) resulted in the most significant effect on the growth and development of MF worms. Sjtctp mRNA expression gradually increased over time with a high level of expression maintained at 25-42 days p.i., while levels were significantly higher in mature female worms than male and SF worms. The subsequent animal immune protection experiments showed that recombinant SjTCTP (rSjTCTP) reduced the number of adults by 44.7% (P < 0.01), average egg burden per gram of liver by 57.94% (P < 0.01), egg hatching rate by 47.57% (P < 0.01), and oviposition of individual females by 43.16%. rSjTCTP induced higher levels of serum IgG, IL-2, and IL-10 in mice. Collectively, these results show that SjTCTP is vital to reproduction of female worms and, thus, is a candidate antigen for immune protection.
Topics: Animals; Female; Helminth Proteins; Male; Mice; Proteomics; RNA, Small Interfering; Schistosoma japonicum; Schistosomiasis japonica
PubMed: 35318950
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpara.2022.01.005 -
Frontiers in Cellular and Infection... 2024species are the causative agent of schistosomiasis and shows worldwide distribution. There is a great need to develop a sensitive diagnostic approach for controlling...
species are the causative agent of schistosomiasis and shows worldwide distribution. There is a great need to develop a sensitive diagnostic approach for controlling the disease. Previously, we identified large numbers of Extracellular Vesicle (EV) proteins from (), but rarely these proteins have been evaluated for their diagnostic potential. In the present study, we performed bioinformatic analyses of identified EV-associated proteins from the previous study and then identified -specific proteins with potentially secreted capability. Among them, we selected SJCHGC02838 protein, SJCHGC05593 protein, SJCHGC05668 protein and a hypothetical protein (SJHYP) to evaluate their diagnostic potential for detecting infection. First, we determined the expression of these four proteins at the transcript levels using qRT-PCR and revealed that all these genes showed higher expression in adult stage. Then, we cloned the full-length cDNA for each protein into a prokaryotic expression vector and successfully generated the recombinant proteins. Upon the purification of recombinant proteins, we developed an indirect ELISA method to evaluate the diagnostic potential of these purified recombinant proteins. The results showed high sensitivity for detecting infection. Additionally, these proteins also displayed a good potential for detecting infection, especially SJCHGC05668 protein at an early stage. The diagnostic potentials of these recombinant proteins were further evaluated by Western blot and comparatively analyzed by our previously developed cfDNA methods.
Topics: Schistosoma japonicum; Animals; Extracellular Vesicles; Schistosomiasis japonica; Helminth Proteins; Biomarkers; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Recombinant Proteins; Computational Biology; Sensitivity and Specificity; Mice; Humans; Female; Cloning, Molecular
PubMed: 38817446
DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2024.1391168 -
Parasitology Research Oct 2019Accurate discrimination of the Schistosoma japonicum cercariae gender is very important for establishing monosexual infection animal models and for standardizing the...
Accurate discrimination of the Schistosoma japonicum cercariae gender is very important for establishing monosexual infection animal models and for standardizing the real intensity of infection. In this study, a multiplex PCR technique consisting of two pairs of primers, of which one amplifies a 185-bp band specific for the W chromosome and the other amplifies a 420-bp band for the Z chromosome, was established to sex the S. japonicum cercariae. For male cercariae (ZZ), a single 420-bp band is expected, and for female cercariea (ZW), two distinct 185-bp and 420-bp bands can be observed. There was no cross-reaction with S. mansoni, S. haematobium, Clonorchis sinensis, Paragonimus westermani, and Trichinella spiralis. After sexing the cercariae escaped from a single snail, mice in group A were infected with 60 male cercariae and mice of group B were infected with 40 female cercariae. Meanwhile, mice in group C were infected with 10 male and 10 female cercariae that were sexed by multiplex PCR. At 45 days postinfection, male and female adult worms were recovered to verify the accuracy of multiplex PCR for sexing S. japonicum cercariae and to calculate the male and female survival rate and paired worm ratio. Our results showed that the multiplex PCR technique could distinguish male cercariae with 100% accuracy. However, sometimes the discrimination results of multiplex PCR mis-scored mixed sexual cercariae as female cercariae. The mean male adult worm burden in mice of group C was 10.7 ± 2.4, and the mean female adult worm burden was 7.7 ± 2.5. There was a significant difference between the male worm burden and female worm burden in group C. The P value was 0.013. The real paired worm ratio of group C was 74.2% (95%CI 56.6~91.8%). These results demonstrated a male-biased sex ratio in the mice model with equilibrated sex ratio cercariae infection, as predicted by our multiplex PCR technique. In conclusion, our multiplex PCR technique is an effective tool for sexing S. japonicum cercariae, especially for distinguishing male cercariae, which is of great value for establishing monosexual cercariae infection mice models to harvest male adult worms for anti-schistosomal drug screening.
Topics: Animals; Cercaria; Disease Models, Animal; Female; Male; Mice; Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction; Schistosoma japonicum; Sex Characteristics; Snails
PubMed: 31448385
DOI: 10.1007/s00436-019-06431-6 -
Parasitology International Dec 2003The formation of granulomas in host tissues in response to trapped Schistosoma japonicum eggs is central to the etiology of schistosomiasis. However, analysis of the... (Review)
Review
The formation of granulomas in host tissues in response to trapped Schistosoma japonicum eggs is central to the etiology of schistosomiasis. However, analysis of the host hypersensitivity reactions that result in granuloma formation, in schistosome infection, is not without difficulty. This is due, in part, to the fact that the parasites continuously deposit their eggs as clusters. In order to synchronize host reactions, we established an experimental model of hepatic granuloma formation whereby in vitro laid schistosome eggs are implanted directly into normal and cytokine-deficient mice livers. This model, validated by comparison with an infection model, was used to analyze cytokine regulation of granuloma formation around S. japonicum eggs. Combined models of implantation and cercarial infection were also studied. With special reference to IL-4, IL-13, IFN-gamma and IL-18, our in vitro schistosome egg implantation model has shed new light on the roles of cytokines in both the acute and chronic stages of schistosome egg-induced granuloma formation.
Topics: Animals; Cytokines; Disease Models, Animal; Female; Granuloma; Interleukin-13; Interleukin-4; Ovulation; Ovum; Schistosoma japonicum; Schistosomiasis japonica
PubMed: 14665392
DOI: 10.1016/s1383-5769(03)00050-3 -
Acta Tropica Mar 2019The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of Schistosoma japonicum glutathione S-transferase (SjGST) on the developmental stages of the parasite. We found that...
The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of Schistosoma japonicum glutathione S-transferase (SjGST) on the developmental stages of the parasite. We found that the mRNA levels of GST were higher in schistosomula obtained from the host and the eggs than that in other developmental stages. SjGST was mainly distributed in the egg shells, teguments of the worms, and part of the parenchyma of the worms. GST knockdown with RNA interference in S. japonicum worms resulted in a silencing rate higher than 80%. The egg reduction rate (18%) and abnormal egg ratio (28%) were significantly higher (P < 0.05) in the GST-silenced group than in the negative control group. These results indicate that SjGST plays an important role in the fecundity of S. japonicum, specifically in egg formation.
Topics: Animals; Fertility; Glutathione Transferase; Mice; RNA, Messenger; Schistosoma japonicum; Schistosomiasis japonica
PubMed: 30578749
DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2018.12.027 -
International Journal For Parasitology Apr 2000The C-banding pattern, location of telomere sequence and chiasma frequency of four species of the Schistosoma japonicum complex were compared with those of two African... (Review)
Review
The C-banding pattern, location of telomere sequence and chiasma frequency of four species of the Schistosoma japonicum complex were compared with those of two African species, Schistosoma mansoni and Schistosoma haematobium. In the six species, C-banding patterns of seven autosomes and the two sex chromosomes (Z and W) showed relatively species-specific and geographical (Asian and African) differences. Particularly, a plausible pathway of alteration of chromosome 2 revealed a direction from the A-chromosome to the M- chromosome in terms of rearrangements of pericentric inversion and elimination of constitutive heterochromatin (AM inversion). This chromosome change suggested hypothetically that the S. japonicum complex is the original type, and the African species represents the derived type. Moreover, the mosaic construct of the Asian and African types in Schistosoma sinensium chromosomes prompted us to propose that the species might have been formed by hybrid speciation of the genomes of Asian and African species. Localisation of telomeric repeats enabled Asian and African schistosomes to be distinguished clearly by simple terminal location and by terminal and interstitial locations, respectively. Change of chiasma frequency in the S. japonicum complex might be caused by the reduction of interstitial chiasmate (Xi) in the larger chromosomes, 1 and Z (or W), and the change seems to have progressed to Japan from South East Asia. These data enabled us to predict a tentative evolutionary pathway of schistosomes at the cytogenetic level.
Topics: Animals; Chromosome Banding; Genome, Protozoan; Phylogeny; Schistosoma japonicum
PubMed: 10731567
DOI: 10.1016/s0020-7519(99)00186-1