Project description:Eukaryotic cells express several classes of small RNAs that regulate gene expression and ensure genome maintenance. Endogenous siRNAs (endo-siRNAs) and Piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) mainly control gene and transposon expression in the germline, while microRNAs (miRNAs) generally function in post-transcriptional gene silencing in both somatic and germline cells. To provide an evolutionary and developmental perspective on small RNA pathways in nematodes, we identified and characterized known and novel small RNA classes through gametogenesis and embryo development in the parasitic nematode Ascaris suum and compared them with known small RNAs of Caenorhabditis elegans. piRNAs, Piwi-clade Argonautes, and other proteins associated with the piRNA pathway have been lost in Ascaris. miRNAs are synthesized immediately following fertilization in utero, prior to pronuclear fusion, and before the first cleavage of the zygote. This is the earliest expression of small RNAs ever described at a developmental stage long thought to be transcriptionally quiescent. A comparison of the two classes of Ascaris endo-siRNAs, 22G-RNAs and 26G-RNAs, to those in C. elegans, suggests great diversification and plasticity in the use of small RNA pathways during spermatogenesis in different nematodes. Our data reveal conserved characteristics of nematode small RNAs as well as features unique to Ascaris that illustrate significant flexibility in the use of small RNAs pathways, some of which are likely an adaptation to AscarisM-bM-^@M-^Y life cycle and parasitism. We constructed and analyzed 51 libraries from discrete regions of gametogenesis and synchronized stages of embryo development in the parasitic nematode Ascaris, using three types of small RNA libraries preparation methods: 1) 28 libraries of 18-34 or 18-40 nt RNAs with a 5M-bM-^@M-^Y monophosphate (5M-bM-^@M-^Y monophosphate libraries), 2) 4 libraries of 18-34 nt RNAs with a 5M-bM-^@M-^Y monophosphate but treated with periodate to enrich for small RNAs with 3M-bM-^@M-^Y end modifications (5M-bM-^@M-^Y monophosphate, 3M-bM-^@M-^Y end modified), and 3) 19 libraries of 18-28 or 18-40 nt RNAs with a 5M-bM-^@M-^Y triphosphate, diphosphate, or monophosphate (5M-bM-^@M-^Y allphosphate). These libraries enabled us to identify different small RNAs, characterize their different 5M-bM-^@M-^Y and 3M-bM-^@M-^Y ends, and their expression profiles through gametogenesis and embryogenesis.

Project description:Over a billion people are infected by Ascaris spp. intestinal parasites. We investigated gene expression by various tissues of adult A. suum, and used that information to help resolve basic functions of these tissues, basic biology of parasitism and functional aspects of nematode genomes. The A. suum genome was sequenced and assembled to allow generation of microarray elements. Expression of over 40,000 60-mer elements was investigated in a variety of tissues from both male and female adult worms. Nearly 50 percent of the elements for which signal was detected exhibited differential expression among different tissues. The unique profile of transcripts identified for each tissue clarified functional distinctions among tissues, such as chitin binding in the ovary and peptidase activity in the intestines. Interestingly, hundreds of gender specific elements characterized female or male intestinal tissues, respectively. A. suum genes from the same family were frequently expressed differently among tissues. Transcript abundance for genes specific to A. suum, by comparison to Caenorhabditis elegans, varied to a greater extent among tissues than for genes conserved between A. suum and C. elegans. Analysis using C. elegans protein interaction data identified functional modules conserved between these two nematodes, resulting in identification of functional predictions of essential subnetworks of protein interactions and how these networks may vary among nematode tissues. A notable finding was very high module similarity between adult reproductive tissues and intestine. Our data identified gene and predicted protein determinants that distinguish functions of individual adult A. suum tissues as well those that likely serve all the tissues investigated in our study. The size of A. suum adults (30-40 cm compared to less than 1 cm for many nematodes) enabled this resolution and will facilitate experimental dissection of individual and interactive functions of these tissues in this and other parasitic nematodes. 10 samples were prepared from the tissues of adult worms of both genders to be analyzed. Two to three replicates were done for each sample, swapping dyes and channel for the test and the control for each sample. The control consisted of pooled worm tissues from both genders with an equal amount being included from each sample. These samples and the control were hybridized against an Agilent 4x44k format custom chip spotted with 42,212 probes. This probeset was created from 38,768 predicted protein coding sequences from an Ascaris suum genome survey sequence (GSS) project, and also from 5,176 EST contigs that were not covered by this predicted GSS gene-set. These 43,944 putative gene sequences from Ascaris suum were filtered for cross-reaction to non-coding sequences using Agilent eArray, and our final set of 42,212 probes was determined.

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Ascaris suum

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