The Exosome-like Vesicles of Giardia Assemblages A, B, and E Are Involved in the Delivering of Distinct Small RNA from Parasite to Parasite

NATALI, L; LUNA PIZARRO, G; MOYANO S; DE LA CRUZ THEA, B; MUSSO, J; ROPOLO A. S.; EICHNER, E; MEISTER, G; MUSRI, M; FELIZIANI, C; TOUZ, MARÍA C.

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES

MOLECULAR DIVERSITY PRESERVATION INTERNATIONAL-MDPI

Lugar: Basel; Año: 2023

1422-0067

The genetically related assemblages of the intestinal protozoa parasite Giardia lamblia aremorphologically indistinguishable and are often derived from specific hosts. The Giardia assemblagesare separated by large genetic distances, which might account for their relevant biological andpathogenic differences. In this work, we analyzed the RNAs cargo released into exosomal-likevesicles (ElVs) by the assemblages A and B, which differentially infect humans, and the assemblageE, which infects hoofed animals. The RNA sequencing analysis revealed that the ElVs of eachassemblage contained distinct small RNA (sRNA) biotypes, suggesting a preference for specificpackaging in each assemblage. These sRNAs were classified into three categories, ribosomal-smallRNAs (rsRNAs), messenger-small RNAs (msRNAs), and transfer-small RNAs (tsRNAs), which mayplay a regulatory role in parasite communication and contribute to host-specificity and pathogenesis.Uptake experiments showed, for the first time, that ElVs were successfully internalized by the parasitetrophozoites. Furthermore, we observed that the sRNAs contained inside these ElVs were first locatedbelow the plasma membrane but then distributed along the cytoplasm. Overall, the study providesnew insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying the host-specificity and pathogenesis ofG. lamblia and highlights the potential role of sRNAs in parasite communication and regulation.