title: The Effect of In Vitro Cultivation on the Transcriptome of Adult Brugia malayi.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Filarial nematodes cause serious and debilitating infections in human populations of tropical countries, contributing to an entrenched cycle of poverty. Only one human filarial parasite, Brugia malayi, can be maintained in rodents in the laboratory setting. It has been a widely used model organism in experiments that employ culture systems, the impact of which on the worms is unknown.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Using Illumina RNA sequencing, we characterized changes in gene expression upon in vitro maintenance of adult B. malayi female worms at four time points: immediately upon removal from the host, immediately after receipt following shipment, and after 48 h and 5 days in liquid culture media. The dramatic environmental change and the 24 h time lapse between removal from the host and establishment in culture caused a globally dysregulated gene expression profile. We found a maximum of 562 differentially expressed genes based on pairwise comparison between time points. After an initial shock upon removal from the host and shipping, a few stress fingerprints remained after 48 h in culture and until the experiment was stopped. This was best illustrated by a strong and persistent up-regulation of several genes encoding cuticle collagens, as well as serpins.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings suggest that B. malayi can be maintained in culture as a valid system for pharmacological and biological studies, at least for several days after removal from the host and adaptation to the new environment. However, genes encoding several stress indicators remained dysregulated until the experiment was stopped.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Parasitology, Centre for Host-Parasite Interactions, McGill University, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec, Canada.
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ballesteros
authors.affiliation: Institute of Parasitology, Centre for Host-Parasite Interactions, McGill University, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec, Canada.
authors.forename: Lucienne
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Tritten
authors.affiliation: Institute of Parasitology, Centre for Host-Parasite Interactions, McGill University, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec, Canada.
authors.forename: Maeghan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: O'Neill
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, United States of America.|Filariasis Research Reagent Resource Center, Northampton, Massachusetts, United States of America.
authors.forename: Erica
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Burkman
authors.affiliation: Filariasis Research Reagent Resource Center, Northampton, Massachusetts, United States of America.|Department of Biological Sciences, Smith College, Northampton, Massachusetts, United States of America.
authors.forename: Weam I
authors.initials: WI
authors.lastname: Zaky
authors.affiliation: Institute of Parasitology, Centre for Host-Parasite Interactions, McGill University, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec, Canada.
authors.forename: Jianguo
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Xia
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, United States of America.|Filariasis Research Reagent Resource Center, Northampton, Massachusetts, United States of America.
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Moorhead
authors.affiliation: Filariasis Research Reagent Resource Center, Northampton, Massachusetts, United States of America.|Department of Biological Sciences, Smith College, Northampton, Massachusetts, United States of America.
authors.forename: Steven A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.affiliation: Institute of Parasitology, Centre for Host-Parasite Interactions, McGill University, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec, Canada.
authors.forename: Timothy G
authors.initials: TG
authors.lastname: Geary
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017178:Brugia malayi / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development*; D005260:Female; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D005849:Gerbillinae