Cestode parasites secrete microRNAs packaged in extracellular vesicles

HERZ, M.; ASURMENDI S; ROSENZVIT, M.; MARCILLA, A; PÉREZ, M.; PONCINI, C.; ANCAROLA, M.E.; MACCHIAROLI, N.; BREHM, K.; CUCHER, M.

Sao Paulo

Workshop; Cross-Organism Communication by Extracellular Vesicles: Hosts, Microbes, Parasites; 2016

ISEV

Cestode parasites are platyhelminths passively transmitted among the hosts involved in theirlife cycle that can affect almost all vertebrate species. Zoonoses caused by cestodes areamong the most severe neglected tropical diseases in humans prioritized by the World HealthOrganization. Most parasites have different strategies that allow them to regulate the hostimmune response and thus create a proper environment for their proper development anddifferentiation. Lately, it has increased the number of studies about extracellular vesicles(EV) secretion as a path of intercellular communication in many organisms includingparasite-host relationships. In the case of helminth EVs, the presence of intravesicular RNA,in particular microRNAs, was confirmed as well as their internalization by host cells wherethey can modify the transcriptional profile.Since there are no reports on cestode EVssecretion, here we aimed to determine whether the larval stages of the model cestodes Taeniacrassiceps and Mesocestoides corti secrete EVs and analyzed their protein and RNA content.First, we demonstrated the secretion of membrane-bound structures compatible with EVs bytransmission electron microscopy. Then, we profiled the proteins carried by these structuresby LC-MS/MS and identified many EVs markers found in eukaryote EVs. Finally, we provedthat cestode EVs carry intravesicular small RNAs and particularly the presence ofmicroRNAs was detected by RT-(q)PCR. This is the first report of EV secretion as well asmicroRNAs secretion in cestode parasites and could represent a parasite-parasite or parasitehostpath of communication. Also, these results could contribute with relevant informationfor the future development of new diagnosis methods of these diseases through the detectionof circulating parasite microRNAs as non-invasive biomarkers.