title: MicroRNA-gene expression network in murine liver during Schistosoma japonicum infection.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Schistosomiasis japonica remains a significant public health problem in China and Southeast Asian countries. The most typical and serious outcome of the chronic oriental schistosomiasis is the progressive granuloma and fibrosis in the host liver, which has been a major medical challenge. However, the molecular mechanism underling the hepatic pathogenesis is still not clear.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Using microarrays, we quantified the temporal gene expression profiles in the liver of Schistosoma japonicum-infected BALB/c mice at 15, 30, and 45 day post infection (dpi) with that from uninfected mice as controls. Gene expression alternation associated with liver damage was observed in the initial phase of infection (dpi 15), which became more magnificent with the onset of egg-laying. Up-regulated genes were dominantly associated with inflammatory infiltration, whereas down-regulated genes primarily led to the hepatic functional disorders. Simultaneously, microRNA profiles from the same samples were decoded by Solexa sequencing. More than 130 miRNAs were differentially expressed in murine liver during S. japonicum infection. MiRNAs significantly dysregulated in the mid-phase of infection (dpi 30), such as mmu-miR-146b and mmu-miR-155, may relate to the regulation of hepatic inflammatory responses, whereas miRNAs exhibiting a peak expression in the late phase of infection (dpi 45), such as mmu-miR-223, mmu-miR-146a/b, mmu-miR-155, mmu-miR-34c, mmu-miR-199, and mmu-miR-134, may represent a molecular signature of the development of schistosomal hepatopathy. Further, a dynamic miRNA-gene co-expression network in the progression of infection was constructed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study presents a global view of dynamic expression of both mRNA and miRNA transcripts in murine liver during S. japonicum infection, and highlights that miRNAs may play a variety of regulatory roles in balancing the immune responses during the development of hepatic pathology. The data provide robust information for further researches on the pathogenesis and molecular events of hepatopathy induced by schistosome eggs.
authors.affiliation: MOH Key Laboratory of Systems Biology of Pathogens, Institute of Pathogen Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Pengfei
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Cai
authors.forename: Xianyu
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Piao
authors.forename: Shuai
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Nan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hou
authors.forename: Heng
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Qijun
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D053263:Gene Regulatory Networks; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000235:genetics*; D005810:Multigene Family; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D012549:Schistosoma japonicum / Q000502:physiology*; D012554:Schistosomiasis japonica / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D059467:Transcriptome
chemical_list: D035683:MicroRNAs; D012333:RNA, Messenger