Larval proliferation mechanisms of pathogenic cestodes revealed by draft genome sequence of Sparganum proliferum.

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26460510
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Parasitology (including sanitary zoology)
• Research Institution: University of Miyazaki
• Principal Investigator: Maruyama Haruhiko 宮崎大学, 医学部, 教授 (90229625)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): KURAMOCHI TOSHIAKI 独立行政法人国立科学博物館, 動物研究部, 研究部長 (80277590)
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: 孤虫症 / 芽殖孤虫 / 条虫 / 比較ゲノム / プレロセルコイド / 病原性 / 寄生虫

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Sparganosis is caused by the plerocercoid of Pseudophyllidean tapeworms. While Spirometra spp. cause benign sparganosis, Sparganum proliferum causes fatal disease, in which plerocercoids proliferate continuously in humans, resulting in the death of the patient. We compared the genomes of S. proliferum and S. erinaceieuropaei, to understand the basis for S. proliferum pathogenicity.
We produced a 653 Mb assembly with N50 of 1.2 Mb for S. proliferum and a 796 Mb assemblies with N50 of 821 kb for Spirometra spp., respectively. In S. proliferum genome, 16 gene families were expanded and 26 families were contracted. Most of the expanded gene families did not have good similarities to known genes. Some of the contracted gene families were associated with organ development, signal transduction, and apoptotic processes. These changes in S. proliferum genome seem to reflect the activities of plerocercoids, which do not have developed organs and live in the stable environment.

Free Research Field

寄生虫学