Dynamic Expression of Long Non-Coding RNAs Throughout Parasite Sexual and Neural Maturation in Schistosoma Japonicum

Author(s)

Maciel, Lucas F. ^{[1, 2]} ; Morales-Vicente, David A. ^{[3, 1]} ; Verjovski-Almeida, Sergio ^{[3, 1]}

Affiliation

^[1] Inst Butantan, Lab Expressao Gen Eucariotos, BR-05503900 Sao Paulo, SP - Brazil

^[2] Univ Sao Paulo, Inst Matemat & Estat, Programa Interunidades Bioinformat, BR-05508900 Sao Paulo, SP - Brazil

^[3] Univ Sao Paulo, Inst Quim, Dept Bioquim, BR-05508900 Sao Paulo, SP - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: NON-CODING RNA; v. 6, n. 2 JUN 2020.
• Web of Science Citations: 0

Abstract

Schistosoma japonicumis a flatworm that causes schistosomiasis, a neglected tropical disease. S. japonicumRNA-Seq analyses has been previously reported in the literature on females and males obtained during sexual maturation from 14 to 28 days post-infection in mouse, resulting in the identification of protein-coding genes and pathways, whose expression levels were related to sexual development. However, this work did not include an analysis of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs). Here, we applied a pipeline to identify and annotate lncRNAs in 66S. japonicum RNA-Seq publicly available libraries, from different life-cycle stages. We also performed co-expression analyses to find stage-specific lncRNAs possibly related to sexual maturation. We identified 12,291 S. japonicum expressed lnc RNAs. Sequence similarity search and synteny conservation indicated that some 14% of S. japonicum intergenic lncRNAs have synteny conservation withS. mansoni intergenic lncRNAs. Co-expression analyses showed that lncRNAs and protein-coding genes in S. japonicummales and females have a dynamic co-expression throughout sexual maturation, showing differential expression between the sexes; the protein-coding genes were related to the nervous system development, lipid and drug metabolism, and overall parasite survival. Co-expression pattern suggests that lncRNAs possibly regulate these processes or are regulated by the same activation program as that of protein-coding genes. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 14/03620-2 - Characterization of the mechanisms of action of long non-coding RNAs involved with gene activation programs in human cells
• Grantee: Sergio Verjovski Almeida
• Support Opportunities: Research Projects - Thematic Grants
• FAPESP's process: 18/19591-2 - Long non-coding RNAs annotation and identification of potential therapeutic targets in Schistosoma mansoni
• Grantee: Lucas Ferreira Maciel
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• FAPESP's process: 18/23693-5 - Mechanisms of action of long non-coding RNAs involved with gene activation programs in eukaryotes
• Grantee: Sergio Verjovski Almeida
• Support Opportunities: Research Projects - Thematic Grants