Changes of the peptidase profile during Fasciola hepatica embryonation evidenced by omics data.
| Title in English | 13th European Multicolloquium of Parasitology |
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| Authors | |
| Year of publication | 2021 |
| Type | Conference abstract |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Description | Fasciola hepatica is a widespread foodborne trematode that causes significant economic losses and severe liver conditions in humans. Its survival and reproduction are directly linked to the production of a wide repertoire of hydrolytic enzymes - peptidases, which have been thoroughly investigated in metacercariae, newly excysted juveniles and adults. In this respect, eggs of F. hepatica, have not yielded much scientific attention, even though the eggs of other trematodes play key roles in pathogenesis of the disease and immunomodulation of the host. We therefore aimed to expand our understanding of peptidases present in the embryonic stages of F. hepatica. We used a combined transcriptomic/proteomic approach which led to the identification of expressed and translated peptidases in developing eggs of different age. Additionally, the presence of different peptidase classes was verified by measuring the proteolytic activity in extracts from eggs. F. hepatica differentially regulates the expression and translation of peptidases throughout the embryogenesis. The proportion of cysteine peptidases diminishes during the egg maturation with progressively more metallopeptidase genes being transcribed as the egg matures. Number of cathepsins L and B isoforms were transcribed in developing eggs implying the role of this highly amplified group of peptidases in fasciolids. Our integrated bioinformatic analysis can represent a data resource for further studies of F. hepatica miracidia formation as well as for comparative studies with other medically important trematodes, such as schistosomes. |
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