RNA-Seq of three replicate samples of Onchocerca ochengi microfilariae
Onchocerca ochengi is a filarial nematode parasite of cattle, and is native to West Africa, including Cameroon, where the specimens used for this genome project were isolated. As well as being a significant disease of native (Bos indicus) cattle, O. ochengi is very closely related to the human-parasitic Onchocerca volvulus. O. volvulus causes river blindness and skin disease throughout West Africa, and is the subject of intense efforts by several international agencies and teams aiming at disease eradication. The relationship between O. ochengi and O. volvulus, and concern over the possibility of cattle acting as a zoonotic reservoir make understanding of the parasite of some importance. Additionally, the genetic closeness to O. volvulus and the tractability of the bovine host makes the O. ochengi-cattle model a useful one in vaccine and drug development work. The genome sequence of O. ochengi will assist in these efforts by offering a reference platform against which responses to drugs and the immune stystem can be measured, and a complete catalogue of the genes (and thus proteins) of the parasite. This catalogue can be screened and investigated using computer tools, enhancing the specificity of directed research, and ensuring that the whole of the parasites' capacities are considered. The sequence will also be used to investigate the origins of the human-parasitic O. volvulus. This experiment is designed to deliver RNA-Seq data to permit better annotation of the O. ochengi genome, and to estimate gene expression at different stages through the parasite life cycle.