IMPAM   23988
INSTITUTO DE INVESTIGACIONES EN MICROBIOLOGIA Y PARASITOLOGIA MEDICA
Unidad Ejecutora - UE
congresos y reuniones científicas
Título:
microRNAs in Echinococcus spp.: characterization and future applications
Autor/es:
CUCHER M; MACCHIAROLI N; PRADA L; MALDONADO L; KAMENETZKY L; ROSENZVIT M
Reunión:
Congreso; 13th International Congress of Parasitology (ICOPA); 2014
Resumen:
BACKGROUND: Echinococcus spp. platyhelminth parasites are ethiological agents
of hydatid disease affecting human and animal health worldwide. Understanding
the mechanisms that regulate their particular characteristics of development
may allow identifying new therapeutic targets. MicroRNAs are small silencing
RNAs that impact eukaryotic development and are receiving growing attention as
novel therapeutic and diagnosis targets.
METHODS:
We have employed high throughput small RNA sequencing to characterize the small
RNAomes of Echinococcus spp.
species/stages using available genomic information including the recently
sequenced draft genome of Echinococcus
canadensis G7.
RESULTS: We have
obtained up to 40 million reads per library with high percentage of genome
mapping. Significant proportions of small RNA reads corresponded to microRNAs. The
previously reported Echinococcus spp.
microRNA catalog consisting of 20 miRNAs (Cucher et al, 2011) was expanded to 38 conserved
and 3 new candidate microRNAs. Interestingly, one microRNA was present in the
closely related Echinococcus granulosus
G1 and E. canadensis G7 but absent
from Echinococcus multilocularis. Expression
analyses showed that some miRNAs were highly expressed in all the stages and
species analysed. MicroRNAs differentially expressed between stages and species
were also identified. Echinococcus
spp. microRNA biogenesis showed particularities that could impact on targeted
genes. No evidence of other canonical
small silencing RNAs like piRNAs has been obtained so far.
CONCLUSIONS: MicroRNAs
are the principal small RNA silencing molecules in Echinococcus spp. The Echinococcus
spp. small RNAome will be deposited in the FlatDB, a recently launched database
of flatworm genetic data. The differential expression of microRNAs during life
cycle suggests important roles in development. Highly expressed parasite microRNAs
absent or divergent in mammal hosts were indentified and could be candidates
for drug and diagnosis targeting.