Project description:The helminth Acanthocheilonema viteae serves as model organism for research on parasitic filarial nematodes. Total RNA secreted or excreted by 1500 adult female and male A. viteae over 3 weeks was isolated from culture media previously processed by differential ultracentrifugation, and subjected to miRNA sequencing.
Project description:microRNAs (miRNAs) are an abundant class of non-coding RNA species with important regulatory roles in gene expression at the posttranscriptional level. The helminth Acanthocheilonema viteae serves as model organism for research on parasitic filarial nematodes. Total RNA secreted or excreted in vitro by 1500 adult female and male A. viteae over 3 weeks was isolated from culture media previously processed by differential ultracentrifugation. miRNA sequencing revealed the presence of 360 unique miRNA candidates released by adult A. viteae in vitro. Among them, 74 high-confidence unique miRNAs, as well as several potential novel miRNA candidates were discovered. A large proportion of the sequenced miRNA candidates appeared differentially expressed between the male and female samples based on normalized copy count. The presence of extracellular vesicles, often rich in miRNAs, could not be confirmed unambiguously by transmission electron microscopy.
Project description:Filariae are vector-borne parasitic nematodes that are endemic worldwide, in tropical and subtropical regions. Important human filariae spp. include Onchocerca volvulus, Wuchereria bancrofti and Brugia spp., and Loa loa and Mansonella spp. causing onchocerciasis (river blindness), lymphatic filariasis (lymphedema and hydrocele), loiasis (eye worm), and mansonelliasis, respectively. It is estimated that over 1 billion individuals live in endemic regions where filarial diseases are a public health concern contributing to significant disability adjusted life years (DALYs). Thus, efforts to control and eliminate filarial diseases were already launched by the WHO in the 1970s, especially against lymphatic filariasis and onchocerciasis, and are mainly based on mass drug administration (MDA) of microfilaricidal drugs (ivermectin, diethylcarbamazine, albendazole) to filarial endemic areas accompanied with vector control strategies with the goal to reduce the transmission. With the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), it was decided to eliminate transmission of onchocerciasis and stop lymphatic filariasis as a public health problem by 2030. It was also requested that novel drugs and treatment strategies be developed. Mouse models provide an important platform for anti-filarial drug research in a preclinical setting. This review presents an overview about the Litomosoides sigmodontis and Acanthocheilonema viteae filarial mouse models and their role in immunological research as well as preclinical studies about novel anti-filarial drugs and treatment strategies.
