title: Cloning and in vitro characterization of a Schistosoma japonicum aquaglyceroporin that functions in osmoregulation.
abstract: As one of the three major human pathogens that cause schistosomiasis, Schistosoma japonicum is the only one that is endemic in China. Despite great progress on schistosomiasis control over the past 50 years in China, S. japonicum transmission still occurs in certain endemic regions, which causes significant public health problems and enormous economic losses. During different life stages, parasites are able to survive dramatic osmolality changes between its vector, fresh water, and mammal host. However, the molecular mechanism of parasite osmoregulation remains unknown. To address this challenging question, we report the first cloning of an S. japonicum aquaglyceroporin (SjAQP) from an isolate from Jiangsu province, China. Expressing SjAQP in Xenopus oocytes facilitated the permeation of water, glycerol, and urea. The water permeability of SjAQP was inhibited by 1 mM HgCl2, 3 mM tetraethylammonium, 1 mM ZnCl2, and 1 mM CuSO4. SjAQP was constitutively expressed throughout the S. japonicum life cycle, including in the egg, miracidia, cercaria, and adult stages. The highest expression was detected during the infective cercaria stage. Our results suggest that SjAQP plays a role in osmoregulation throughout the S. japonicum life cycle, especially during cercariae transformation, which enables parasites to survive osmotic challenges.
authors.affiliation: Affiliated Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210028, China.|Jiangsu Province Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210028, China.
authors.forename: Yuzheng
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Jiangsu Institute of Parasitic Diseases, key Laboratory on Technology for Parasitic Diseases Prevention and Control, Ministry of Health, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214064, China.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Affiliated Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210028, China.|Jiangsu Province Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210028, China.
authors.forename: Wuguang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.affiliation: Jiangsu Institute of Parasitic Diseases, key Laboratory on Technology for Parasitic Diseases Prevention and Control, Ministry of Health, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214064, China.
authors.forename: Chunrong
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Xiong
authors.affiliation: Affiliated Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210028, China.|Jiangsu Province Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210028, China.
authors.forename: Yang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Affiliated Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210028, China.|Jiangsu Province Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210028, China.
authors.forename: Huaijiang
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.affiliation: Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute, Dept. Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Bloomberg School of Public Health, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.
authors.forename: Kun Connie
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Affiliated Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210028, China.|Jiangsu Province Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210028, China.
authors.forename: Peng
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Cao
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified; D051397:Aquaglyceroporins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D003001:Cloning, Molecular / Q000379:methods*; D005618:Fresh Water / Q000469:parasitology; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D015801:Helminth Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D009865:Oocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D064587:Osmoregulation; D012549:Schistosoma japonicum / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D014981:Xenopus / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D051397:Aquaglyceroporins; D015801:Helminth Proteins