Characterization of innate immunity genes in the parasitic nematodeBrugia malayi.
The filarial nematodeBrugia malayiis one of the causative agents of lymphatic filariasis, a neglected tropical disease that affects 120 million people worldwide. The limited effectiveness of available anthelmintics and the absence of a vaccine have prompted extensive research on the interaction betweenBrugiaand its obligate bacterial endosymbiont,Wolbachia. Recent studies suggest thatWolbachiais able to manipulate its nematode host immunity but relatively little is known about the immune system of filarial nematodes. Therefore, elucidation of the mechanisms underlying the immune system ofB. malayimay be useful for understanding how the symbiotic relationship is maintained and help in the identification of new drug targets. In order to characterize the main genetic pathways involved inB. malayiimmunity, we exposed adult female worms to two bacterial lysates (Escherichia coliandBacillus amyloliquefaciens), dsRNA and dsDNA. We performed transcriptome sequencing of worms exposed to each immune elicitor at two different timepoints. Gene expression analysis of untreated and immune-challenged worms was performed to characterize gene expression patterns associated with each type of immune stimulation. Our results indicate that different immune elicitors produced distinct expression patterns inB. malayi, with changes in the expression of orthologs of well-characterizedC. elegansimmune pathways such as insulin, TGF-β, and p38 MAPK pathways, as well as C-type lectins and several stress-response genes.
Genome Biology Division, New England Biolabs, Inc., 240 County Road, Ipswich, MA 01938 USA.
Silvia
0000-0003-0230-3876
S
Libro
Genome Biology Division, New England Biolabs, Inc., 240 County Road, Ipswich, MA 01938 USA.
Barton E
BE
Slatko
Genome Biology Division, New England Biolabs, Inc., 240 County Road, Ipswich, MA 01938 USA.
Jeremy M
JM
Foster
Brugia; Immunity; Nematode; Transcriptomics; Wolbachia