Identification and profiling of microRNAs in two developmental stages of the model cestode parasite Mesocestoides corti

• Published in: Molecular and biochemical parasitology 2016-11, Vol.210 (1-2), p.37-49
• Main Authors: Basika, Tatiana, Macchiaroli, Natalia, Cucher, Marcela, Espínola, Sergio, Kamenetzky, Laura, Zaha, Arnaldo, Rosenzvit, Mara, Ferreira, Henrique B.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Cestoda; Cestode Infections - parasitology; Computational Biology - methods; Conserved Sequence; Differential expression; Female; Gene Editing; Gene Expression Profiling; Gene Expression Regulation; High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing; Larva; Life Cycle Stages - genetics; Mesocestoides - genetics; Mesocestoides - growth & development; Mice; MicroRNAs - genetics; miRNAs; Nucleic Acid Conformation; Nucleotide Motifs; Platyhelminthes; Position-Specific Scoring Matrices; Rats; RNA Processing, Post-Transcriptional; RNA, Helminth - genetics; sRNA-seq; Strobilation
• ISSN: 0166-6851; 1872-9428
• DOI: 10.1016/j.molbiopara.2016.08.004

[Display omitted] •First report on miRNA expression in tetrathyridia and strobilated worm parasite life stages.•42 miRNA genes identified, with 6 differentially expressed and 4 stage specific.•miRNA tailing occurs in M. corti miRNAs.•Conservation analyses shows remarkable loss of conserved miRNA families. MicroRNAs (miRNAs), a class of small non-coding RNAs, are key regulators of gene expression at post-transcriptional level and play essential roles in fundamental biological processes such as metabolism and development. The particular developmental characteristics of cestode parasites highlight the importance of studying miRNA gene regulation in these organisms. Here, we performed a comprehensive analysis of miRNAs in two developmental stages of the model cestode Mesocestoides corti. Using a high-throughput sequencing approach, we found transcriptional evidence of 42 miRNA loci in tetrathyridia larvae and strobilated worms. Tetrathyridium and strobilated worm-specific miRNAs were found, as well as differentialy expressed miRNAs between these developmental stages, suggesting miRNA regulation of stage-specific features. Moreover, it was shown that uridylation is a differential mechanism of post-transcriptional modification of M. corti miRNAs. The whole set of M. corti miRNAs represent 33 unique miRNA families, and confirm the remarkable loss of conserved miRNA families within platyhelminth parasites, reflecting their relatively low morphological complexity and high adaptation to parasitism. Overall, the presented results provide a valuable platform to studies aiming to identify and characterize novel miRNA-based molecular mechanisms of post-transcriptional gene regulation in cestodes, necessary for the elucidation of developmental aspects of the complex biology of these parasites.