Journal
PLOS NEGLECTED TROPICAL DISEASES
Volume 10, Issue 7, Pages -Publisher
PUBLIC LIBRARY SCIENCE
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0004845
Keywords
-
Categories
Funding
- 'Collaborations Across Boundaries' grant
- Centre of Biodiscovery and Molecular Development of Therapeutics, James Cook University
- National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia (NHMRC)
- Isaac Newton Trust/Wellcome Trust/University of Cambridge [PNVM/GAAB]
- Royal Society [PNAG/428]
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Background Food-borne nematodes of the genus Anisakis are responsible for a wide range of illnesses (=anisakiasis), from self-limiting gastrointestinal forms to severe systemic allergic reactions, which are often misdiagnosed and under-reported. In order to enhance and refine current diagnostic tools for anisakiasis, knowledge of the whole spectrum of parasite molecules transcribed and expressed by this parasite, including those acting as potential allergens, is necessary. Methodology/Principal Findings In this study, we employ high-throughput (Illumina) sequencing and bioinformatics to characterise the transcriptomes of two Anisakis species, A. simplex and A. pegreffii, and utilize this resource to compile lists of potential allergens from these parasites. A total of similar to 65,000,000 reads were generated from cDNA libraries for each species, and assembled into similar to 34,000 transcripts (=Unigenes); similar to 18,000 peptides were predicted from each cDNA library and classified based on homology searches, protein motifs and gene ontology and biological pathway mapping. Using comparative analyses with sequence data available in public databases, 36 (A. simplex) and 29 (A. pegreffii) putative allergens were identified, including sequences encoding `novel' Anisakis allergenic proteins (i.e. cyclophilins and ABA-1 domain containing proteins). Conclusions/Significance This study represents a first step towards providing the research community with a curated dataset to use as a molecular resource for future investigations of the biology of Anisakis, including molecules putatively acting as allergens, using functional genomics, proteomics and immunological tools. Ultimately, an improved knowledge of the biological functions of these molecules in the parasite, as well as of their immunogenic properties, will assist the development of comprehensive, reliable and robust diagnostic tools.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available