Novel expression profiles of microRNAs suggest that specific miRNAs regulate gene expression for the sexual maturation of female Schistosoma japonicum after pairing.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Schistosoma japonicum is one of the major causative agents of schistosomiasis. The pairing of males and females leads to female sexual maturation and maintains this mature state. However, the mechanisms by which pairing facilitates sexual maturation are yet to be investigated.

Methods

Parasites isolated from single- and double-sex cercariae-infected mice were analyzed by Solexa to uncover pair-regulated miRNA profiles. To reveal the biological functions of differentially expressed miRNAs among the samples, we predicted the target genes of these differentially expressed miRNAs and compared the gene expression between 23-d-old female schistosomula from double-sex infections (23DSI) and 23-d-old female schistosomula from single-sex infections (23SSI) by analyzing dig

SUBMITTER: Sun J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4021575 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature