The genome of the blood fluke Schistosoma mansoni.
Schistosoma mansoni is responsible for the neglected tropical disease schistosomiasis that affects 210 million people in 76 countries. Here we present analysis of the 363 megabase nuclear genome of the blood fluke. It encodes at least 11,809 genes, with an unusual intron size distribution, and new families of micro-exon genes that undergo frequent alternative splicing. As the first sequenced flatworm, and a representative of the Lophotrochozoa, it offers insights into early events in the evolution of the animals, including the development of a body pattern with bilateral symmetry, and the development of tissues into organs. Our analysis has been informed by the need to find new drug targets. The deficits in lipid metabolism that make schistosomes dependent on the host are revealed, and the identification of membrane receptors, ion channels and more than 300 proteases provide new insights into the biology of the life cycle and new targets. Bioinformatics approaches have identified metabolic chokepoints, and a chemogenomic screen has pinpointed schistosome proteins for which existing drugs may be active. The information generated provides an invaluable resource for the research community to develop much needed new control tools for the treatment and eradication of this important and neglected disease.
Berriman
Matthew
M
Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Cambridge CB10 1SD, UK. mb4@sanger.ac.uk
Haas
Brian J
BJ
LoVerde
Philip T
PT
Wilson
R Alan
RA
Dillon
Gary P
GP
Cerqueira
Gustavo C
GC
Mashiyama
Susan T
ST
Al-Lazikani
Bissan
B
Andrade
Luiza F
LF
Ashton
Peter D
PD
Aslett
Martin A
MA
Bartholomeu
Daniella C
DC
Blandin
Gaelle
G
Caffrey
Conor R
CR
Coghlan
Avril
A
Coulson
Richard
R
Day
Tim A
TA
Delcher
Art
A
DeMarco
Ricardo
R
Djikeng
Appolinaire
A
Eyre
Tina
T
Gamble
John A
JA
Ghedin
Elodie
E
Gu
Yong
Y
Hertz-Fowler
Christiane
C
Hirai
Hirohisha
H
Hirai
Yuriko
Y
Houston
Robin
R
Ivens
Alasdair
A
Johnston
David A
DA
Lacerda
Daniela
D
Macedo
Camila D
CD
McVeigh
Paul
P
Ning
Zemin
Z
Oliveira
Guilherme
G
Overington
John P
JP
Parkhill
Julian
J
Pertea
Mihaela
M
Pierce
Raymond J
RJ
Protasio
Anna V
AV
Quail
Michael A
MA
Rajandream
Marie-Adèle
MA
Rogers
Jane
J
Sajid
Mohammed
M
Salzberg
Steven L
SL
Stanke
Mario
M
Tivey
Adrian R
AR
White
Owen
O
Williams
David L
DL
Wortman
Jennifer
J
Wu
Wenjie
W
Zamanian
Mostafa
M
Zerlotini
Adhemar
A
Fraser-Liggett
Claire M
CM
Barrell
Barclay G
BG
El-Sayed
Najib M
NM
D000818:Animals; D005075:Biological Evolution; D005091:Exons / Q000235:genetics; D017238:Genes, Helminth / Q000235:genetics; D049751:Genome, Helminth / Q000235:genetics*; D006790:Host-Parasite Interactions / Q000235:genetics; D007438:Introns / Q000235:genetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D020161:Physical Chromosome Mapping; D012550:Schistosoma mansoni / Q000187:drug effects / Q000196:embryology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D012555:Schistosomiasis mansoni / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000469:parasitology