TY - JOUR
T1 - The genome and developmental transcriptome of the strongylid nematode Haemonchus contortus
AU - Schwarz, Erich M.
AU - Korhonen, Pasi K.
AU - Campbell, Bronwyn E.
AU - Young, Neil D.
AU - Jex, Aaron R.
AU - Jabbar, Abdul
AU - Hall, Ross S.
AU - Mondal, Alinda
AU - Howe, Adina C.
AU - Pell, Jason
AU - Hofmann, Andreas
AU - Boag, Peter R.
AU - Zhu, Xing Quan
AU - Gregory, T. R.
AU - Loukas, Alex
AU - Williams, Brian A.
AU - Antoshechkin, Igor
AU - Brown, Charles
AU - Sternberg, Paul W.
AU - Gasser, Robin B.
PY - 2013/8/28
Y1 - 2013/8/28
N2 - Background: The barber's pole worm, Haemonchus contortus, is one of the most economically important parasites of small ruminants worldwide. Although this parasite can be controlled using anthelmintic drugs, resistance against most drugs in common use has become a widespread problem. We provide a draft of the genome and the transcriptomes of all key developmental stages of H. contortus to support biological and biotechnological research areas of this and related parasites.Results: The draft genome of H. contortus is 320 Mb in size and encodes 23,610 protein-coding genes. On a fundamental level, we elucidate transcriptional alterations taking place throughout the life cycle, characterize the parasite's gene silencing machinery, and explore molecules involved in development, reproduction, host-parasite interactions, immunity, and disease. The secretome of H. contortus is particularly rich in peptidases linked to blood-feeding activity and interactions with host tissues, and a diverse array of molecules is involved in complex immune responses. On an applied level, we predict drug targets and identify vaccine molecules.Conclusions: The draft genome and developmental transcriptome of H. contortus provide a major resource to the scientific community for a wide range of genomic, genetic, proteomic, metabolomic, evolutionary, biological, ecological, and epidemiological investigations, and a solid foundation for biotechnological outcomes, including new anthelmintics, vaccines and diagnostic tests. This first draft genome of any strongylid nematode paves the way for a rapid acceleration in our understanding of a wide range of socioeconomically important parasites of one of the largest nematode orders.
AB - Background: The barber's pole worm, Haemonchus contortus, is one of the most economically important parasites of small ruminants worldwide. Although this parasite can be controlled using anthelmintic drugs, resistance against most drugs in common use has become a widespread problem. We provide a draft of the genome and the transcriptomes of all key developmental stages of H. contortus to support biological and biotechnological research areas of this and related parasites.Results: The draft genome of H. contortus is 320 Mb in size and encodes 23,610 protein-coding genes. On a fundamental level, we elucidate transcriptional alterations taking place throughout the life cycle, characterize the parasite's gene silencing machinery, and explore molecules involved in development, reproduction, host-parasite interactions, immunity, and disease. The secretome of H. contortus is particularly rich in peptidases linked to blood-feeding activity and interactions with host tissues, and a diverse array of molecules is involved in complex immune responses. On an applied level, we predict drug targets and identify vaccine molecules.Conclusions: The draft genome and developmental transcriptome of H. contortus provide a major resource to the scientific community for a wide range of genomic, genetic, proteomic, metabolomic, evolutionary, biological, ecological, and epidemiological investigations, and a solid foundation for biotechnological outcomes, including new anthelmintics, vaccines and diagnostic tests. This first draft genome of any strongylid nematode paves the way for a rapid acceleration in our understanding of a wide range of socioeconomically important parasites of one of the largest nematode orders.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84883129090&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84883129090&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1186/gb-2013-14-8-r89
DO - 10.1186/gb-2013-14-8-r89
M3 - Article
C2 - 23985341
AN - SCOPUS:84883129090
VL - 14
JO - Genome Biology
JF - Genome Biology
SN - 1465-6914
IS - 8
M1 - R89
ER -