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Host transcriptional responses during chronic Toxoplasma gondii infection reveals sex specific differences that lead to altered protection against secondary infection

ABSTRACT: We sequenced the cerebral cortex transcriptome of both male and female mice either infected with T. gondii or age-matched uninfected controls. These transcriptomes were determined along the infection timeline with early (21 and 28 days) and late (3 and 6 months) chronic represented. We obtained 5.7 billion paired-end sequences and aligned them to the Mus musculus genome. We found that a majority of the host genes with greater abundance at day 21 post-infection are still more abundant 6 months post-infection in male and female mice, although, females have far fewer genes that are significantly less abundant. Genes that were significantly less abundant in males are involved with the immune response, and may lead to the slight increase in cyst numbers in males during chronic infection.

ORGANISM(S): Mus musculus

PROVIDER: GSE117504 | GEO | 2018/07/24

REPOSITORIES: GEO

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Project description:Globally invasive Aedes aegypti mosquitoes disseminate numerous arboviruses that impact human health. One promising method to control Ae. aegypti populations is transinfection with the intracellular bacterium Wolbachia pipientis, a symbiont that naturally infects ~40-52% of insects but is normally absent from Ae. aegypti. Transinfection of Ae. aegypti with the wMel Wolbachia strain induces cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI), allowing infected individuals to rapidly invade native populations. Further, wMel Wolbachia-infected females display refractoriness to medically relevant arboviruses. Thus, wMel Wolbachia-infected Ae. aegypti are being released in several areas to replace native populations, thereby suppressing disease transmission by this species. Wolbachia is reported to have minimal effects on Ae. aegypti fertility, but its influence on other reproductive processes is unknown. Female insects undergo several post-mating physiological and behavioral changes required for optimal fertility. Post-mating responses (PMRs) in female insects are typically elicited by receipt of male seminal fluid proteins (SFPs) transferred with sperm during mating, but can be modified by other factors, such as adult age, nutritional status, and microbiome composition. To assess how Wolbachia infection influences Ae. aegypti female PMRs, we collected wMel Wolbachia-infected Ae. aegypti from the field in Medellín, Colombia and introduced the bacterium into our laboratory strain. We found that Wolbachia influences female fecundity, fertility, and re-mating incidence. Further, we observed that Wolbachia significantly extends longevity of virgin females. Changes in female PMRs are not due to defects in sperm transfer by infected males, or sperm storage by infected females. Using proteomic methods to examine the seminal proteome of infected males, we found that Wolbachia infection has a moderate effect on SFP composition. However, we identified 125 Wolbachia proteins that are paternally transferred to females by infected males. Surprisingly, the CI factor proteins (Cifs), were not detected in the ejaculates of Wolbachia-infected males. Our findings indicate that Wolbachia infection of Ae. aegypti alters female post-mating responses, potentially influencing control programs that utilize Wolbachia-infected individuals.

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Host transcriptional responses during chronic Toxoplasma gondii infection reveals sex specific differences that lead to altered protection against secondary infection

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