The genome and developmental transcriptome of the strongylid nematode Haemonchus contortus

Schwarz, Erich M., Korhonen, Pasi K., Campbell, Bronwyn E., Young, Neil D., Jex, Aaron R., Jabbar, Abdul, Hall, Ross S., Mondal, Alinda, Howe, Adina C., Pell, Jason, Hofmann, Andreas, Boag, Peter R., Zhu, Xing-Quan, Gregory, T. Ryan, Loukas, Alex, Williams, Brian A., Antoshechkin, Igor, Brown, C. Titus, Sternberg, Paul W., and Gasser, Robin B. (2013) The genome and developmental transcriptome of the strongylid nematode Haemonchus contortus. Genome Biology, 14 (8). R89. pp. 1-18.

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Abstract

Background: The barber's pole worm, Haemonchus contortus, is one of the most economically important parasites of small ruminants worldwide. Although this parasite can be controlled using anthelmintic drugs, resistance against most drugs in common use has become a widespread problem. We provide a draft of the genome and the transcriptomes of all key developmental stages of H. contortus to support biological and biotechnological research areas of this and related parasites.

Results: The draft genome of H. contortus is 320 Mb in size and encodes 23,610 protein-coding genes. On a fundamental level, we elucidate transcriptional alterations taking place throughout the life cycle, characterize the parasite's gene silencing machinery, and explore molecules involved in development, reproduction, host-parasite interactions, immunity, and disease. The secretome of H. contortus is particularly rich in peptidases linked to blood-feeding activity and interactions with host tissues, and a diverse array of molecules is involved in complex immune responses. On an applied level, we predict drug targets and identify vaccine molecules.

Conclusions: The draft genome and developmental transcriptome of H. contortus provide a major resource to the scientific community for a wide range of genomic, genetic, proteomic, metabolomic, evolutionary, biological, ecological, and epidemiological investigations, and a solid foundation for biotechnological outcomes, including new anthelmintics, vaccines and diagnostic tests. This first draft genome of any strongylid nematode paves the way for a rapid acceleration in our understanding of a wide range of socioeconomically important parasites of one of the largest nematode orders.

Item ID: 32039
Item Type: Article (Research - C1)
ISSN: 1474-760X
Additional Information:

This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://http//creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Funders: Australian Research Council (ARC), National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), Howard Hughes Medical Institute, National Institutes of Health, Victorian Life Sciences Computation Initiative
Projects and Grants: VLSCI grant no. VR0007
Date Deposited: 20 Mar 2014 22:52
FoR Codes: 11 MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES > 1108 Medical Microbiology > 110803 Medical Parasitology @ 100%
SEO Codes: 92 HEALTH > 9201 Clinical Health (Organs, Diseases and Abnormal Conditions) > 920109 Infectious Diseases @ 100%
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