Research Note. Transcriptomic study of the rat pinworm Syphacia muris

Abstract

SummarySyphacia muris is a ubiquitous nematode parasite and common contaminant of laboratory rats. A lthough S. muris infection is considered symptomless, it has some effects on the host's immunity and therefore can interfere with experimental settings and interrupt fi nal results. However, the molecular mechanisms involved in the alteration within the host's immunity remain unclear because of the absence of information about mRNA expressed in this parasite. In this study we performed the tr anscriptome profi ling of S. muris by next-generation sequencing. After de novo assembly and annotation, 14,821 contigs were found to have a sequence homology with any nematode sequence. Gene ontology analysis showed that the majority of the expressed genes are involved in cellular process, binding, and catalytic activity. Although the rate of expressed genes involved in the immune system was low, we found candidate genes that might be involved in the alteration within the host's immunity by regulating the host's innate immune response.

High IL-1α production was induced in the WBN/Kob-Leprfa type 2 diabetes mellitus rat model and inhibited by Syphacia muris infection

“…These results suggest that S. muris could regulate the production of IL-1α in the cecum, the site of parasitization for this nematode. Our previous study revealed that S. muris expresses mRNAs for Fc receptor signaling proteins that might control macrophage activation (Okamoto et al, 2015). This report and our present study suggest that cecal macrophages are a candidate target for S. muris -mediated suppression of inflammatory reactions.…”

“…In a previous study, we demonstrated that infection with Syphacia ( S.) muris , a nematode that targets rats, delayed the onset of hyperglycemia in fa/fa rats (Taira et al, 2015). Furthermore, a global transcriptomic next-generation sequencing analysis of S. muris suggested that some genes expressed in S. muris might modify the host immune response; these genes include a gene involved in the regulation of macrophage activation via the Fc receptor signaling pathway (Okamoto et al, 2015). Those studies suggested that S. muris infection might regulate the local production of cytokines and chemokines that promote the development of T2DM.…”