Dynamic profiles of lncRNAs reveal a functional natural antisense RNA that regulates the development of Schistosoma japonicum

Abstract

Schistosomes are flatworm parasites that undergo a complex life cycle involving two hosts. The regulation of the parasite’s developmental processes relies on both coding RNAs and non-coding RNAs. However, the roles of non-coding RNAs, including long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in schistosomes remain largely unexplored. Here we conduct advanced RNA sequencing on male and female S. japonicum during their pairing and reproductive development, resulting in the identification of nearly 8,000 lncRNAs. This extensive dataset enables us to construct a comprehensive co-expression network of lncRNAs and mRNAs, shedding light on their interactions during the crucial reproductive stages within the mammalian host. Importantly, we have also revealed a specific lncRNA, LNC3385, which appears to play a critical role in the survival and reproduction of the parasite. These findings not only enhance our understanding of the dynamic nature of lncRNAs during the reproductive phase of schistosomes but also highlight LNC3385 as a potential therapeutic target for combating schistosomiasis.

Strand-Specific RNA Sequencing Reveals Gene Expression Patterns in F1 Chick Breast Muscle and Liver after Hatching

“…The findings indicate that the phenomenon of allelic functional differences is commonly present in chickens and is crucial for the formation of the economic trait [26]. Specifically, ssRNA-seq can improve the accuracy of transcript quantification by reducing the proportion of read ambiguity compared with traditional RNA-Seq [27]. Herein, the previously ssRNA-seq data from the breast muscle and liver tissues of this full-sib F1 hybrid at 28 days of age, along with additional newly generated data from the parental pure lines, will be further used to explore the gene expression patterns in post-hatch skeletal muscle of chickens.…”