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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) » Beltsville Agricultural Research Center » Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #346130
Research Project: Molecular Approaches to Control Intestinal Parasites that Affect the Microbiome in Swine and Small Ruminants

Location: Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory

Title: Comparative genomics of the major parasitic worms

Author
item BEASELY, HELEN - Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute
item BENNETT, HAYLEY - Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute
item COGHLAN, AVRIL - Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute
item COTTON, JAMES - Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute
item DOYLE, STEPHEN - Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute
item GORDON, DARIA - Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute
item HARSHA, BHAVANA - Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute
item HUCKVALE, THOMAS - Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute
item LOMAX, JANE - Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute
item HOLROYD, NANCY - Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute
item REID, ADAM - Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute
item RIBEIRO, DIOGO - Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute
item RINALDI, GABRIEL - Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute
item SHAFIE, MYRIAM - Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute
item STANLEY, ELEANOR - Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute
item TRACEY, ALAN - Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute
item BERRIMAN, MATTHEW - Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute
item HALLSWORTH-PEPIN, KYMBERLIE - Washington University School Of Medicine
item MARTIN, JOHN - Washington University School Of Medicine
item OZERSKY, PHILIP - Washington University School Of Medicine
item ROSA, BRUCE - Washington University School Of Medicine
item TYAGI, RAHUL - Washington University School Of Medicine
item ZHANG, XU - Washington University School Of Medicine
item MITREVA, MAKEDONKA - Washington University School Of Medicine
item LAETSCH, DOMINIK - University Of Edinburgh
item KOUTSOVOULOS, GEORGIOS - University Of Edinburgh
item KUMAR, SUJAI - University Of Edinburgh
item KAUR, GAGANJOT - University Of Edinburgh
item BLAXTER, MARK - University Of Edinburgh
item HOWE, KEVIN - European Molecular Biology Laboratory
item LEACH, ANDREW - European Molecular Biology Laboratory
item MUTOWO, PRUDENCE - European Molecular Biology Laboratory
item RAWLINGS, NEIL - European Molecular Biology Laboratory
item KUO, TZU-HAO - Biodiversity Research Center, Academia Sinica (BRCAS)
item LEE, TRACY - Biodiversity Research Center, Academia Sinica (BRCAS)
item KE, HUEI-MIEN - Biodiversity Research Center, Academia Sinica (BRCAS)
item TSAI, ISHENG - Biodiversity Research Center, Academia Sinica (BRCAS)
item WHEELER, NICOLAS - Iowa State University
item DAY, TIM - Iowa State University
item ZAMANIAN, MOSTAFA - University Of Wisconsin
item BEECH, ROBIN - McGill University - Canada
item PARKINSON, JOHN - University Of Toronto
item SESHADRI, SWAPNA - University Of Toronto
item KIKUCHI, TAISEI - University Of Miyazaki
item MAIZELS, RICK - University Of Glasgow
item PARTONO, FELIX - University Of Indonesia Faculty Of Medicine
item BABAYAN, SIMON - University Of Glasgow
item ALLEN, JUDITH - University Of Edinburgh
item O'BOYLE, NOEL - Nextmove Software Ltd
item WANG, LIAN-CHEN - Chang Gung University
item OSUNA, ANTONIO - Universidad De Granada
item CRUZ-BUSTOS, TERESA - Universidad De Granada
item SAMBLAS, MERCEDES - Universidad De Granada
item CUELLAR, CARMEN - Complutense University Of Madrid (UCM)
item COOPER, PHILIP - University Of London
item DEVANEY, EILEEN - University Of Glasgow
item HARCUS, YVONNE - University Of Edinburgh
item HODGKINSON, JANE - Liverpool University
item BAH, GERMANUS - Institute Of Agricultural Research For Development (IRAD)
item TANYA, VINCENT - Institute Of Agricultural Research For Development (IRAD)
item EBERHARD, MARK - Centers For Disease Control And Prevention (CDC) - United States
item ASANO, KAZUHITO - Showa University School Of Medicine
item RODRIGUEZ, PILAR - University Of La Laguna
item SATO, HIROSHI - Yamaguchi University
item GILLEARD, JOHN - University Of Calgary
item MATTHEWS, JACQUELINE - The Moredun Group
item COOK, JOSEPH - University Of New Mexico
item TOLDEO, RAFAEL - Universidad De Valencia
item SCHOLZ, TOMAS - Biology Centre Of The Ascr Of The Czech Republic, Vvi
item SCHNYDER, MANUELA - University Of Zurich
item ALLAN, FIONA - Natural History Museum - London
item EMERY, AIDAN - Natural History Museum - London
item OLSON, PETER - Natural History Museum - London
item ROLLINSON, DAVID - Natural History Museum - London
item CASTILLO, ESTELA - Universidad De La República
item KALBE, MARTIN - Max Planck Institute For Evolutionary Biology
item EOM, KEESEON - Chungbuk National University College Of Medicine
item HORAK, PETR - Charles University, Czech Republic
item MITREVA, MAKEDONKA - Washington University School Of Medicine
item HAWDON, JOHN - George Washington University Medical Center
item Urban, Joseph
item Hill, Dolores
item Zarlenga, Dante
item BISSET, STEWART - Agresearch
item PFARR, KENNETH - University Of Bonn
item MAKEPEACE, BENJAMIN - University Of Liverpool
item TAYLOR, DAVID - University Of Edinburgh

Submitted to: Nature Genetics
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/16/2018
Publication Date: 11/5/2018
Citation: Beasely, H., Bennett, H.M., Coghlan, A., Cotton, J., Doyle, S.R., Gordon, D., Harsha, B., Huckvale, T., Lomax, J., Holroyd, N., Reid, A.J., Ribeiro, D., Rinaldi, G., Shafie, M., Stanley, E., Tracey, A., Berriman, M., Hallsworth-Pepin, K., Martin, J., Ozersky, P., Rosa, B.A., Tyagi, R., Zhang, X., Mitreva, M., Laetsch, D.R., Koutsovoulos, G., Kumar, S., Kaur, G., Blaxter, M., Howe, K.L., Leach, A.R., Mutowo, P., Rawlings, N., Kuo, T., Lee, T.J., Ke, H., Tsai, I.J., Wheeler, N.J., Day, T.A., Zamanian, M., Beech, R.N., Parkinson, J., Seshadri, S.L., Kikuchi, T., Maizels, R.M., Partono, F., Babayan, S., Allen, J.E., O'Boyle, N., Wang, L., Osuna, A., Cruz-Bustos, T., Samblas, M.G., Cuellar, C., Cooper, P.J., Devaney, E., Harcus, Y., Hodgkinson, J., Bah, G., Tanya, V.N., Eberhard, M.L., Asano, K., Rodriguez, P.F., Sato, H., Gilleard, J.S., Matthews, J.B., Cook, J., Toldeo, R., Scholz, T., Schnyder, M., Allan, F., Emery, A., Olson, P.D., Rollinson, D., Castillo, E., Kalbe, M., Eom, K.S., Horak, P., Mitreva, M., Hawdon, J.M., Urban Jr, J.F., Hill, D.E., Zarlenga, D.S., Bisset, S.A., Pfarr, K., Makepeace, B., Taylor, D.W. 2018. Comparative genomics of the major parasitic worms. Nature Genetics. 5:163-174. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41588-018-0262-1.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41588-018-0262-1

Interpretive Summary: Over a quarter of the human population is infected with parasitic worms made up of many species of roundworms and flatworms. These infections are generally chronic and rarely lethal, but they represent diseases of poverty that impede economic development. Notably, there is relatively little research investment for these infections that make up eight of the World Health Organization's list of 20 most neglected tropical diseases of humans and that have a costly impact on the livestock industry worldwide. A limited spectrum of drugs are available to treat these infections and resistance is common in farm animals. Repeated mass drug administration in human populations increases the risk of resistance to human. There are no vaccines for humans, few for animals, and the commonly-used anti-plant-parasitic compounds may have negative environmental impact. Comparing the genome biology of parasitism between the broad category of roundworms and flatworms could reveal common strategies employed to subvert host defenses and that exacerbate the response to infection increasing the intensity of disease. In this study, a combined 36 published genomes with new assemblies for 31 roundworm and 14 for flatworm species were analyzed as part of the largest genome comparison to date of parasitic and non-parasitic worms. The data was used to identify gene families associated with the evolution of major parasitic groups, and to accelerate the search for novel control strategies and interventions, including a mined-dataset of more than 1.4 million genes that can be used to predict new drug targets and drugs. This work has broad application to the development of tools to manage these infections in humans, livestock and plants.

Technical Abstract: Parasitic nematodes (roundworms) and platyhelminths (flatworms) cause debilitating chronic infections of humans and animals, decimate crop production and are a major impediment to socioeconomic development. Here we compare the genomes of 81 nematode and platyhelminth species, including those of 76 parasites. From 1.4 million genes, we identify gene family births and hundreds of large expanded gene families at key nodes in the phylogeny that are relevant to parasitism. Examples include gene families that modulate host immune responses, enable parasite migration though host tissues or allow the parasite to feed. We use a wide-ranging in silico screen to identify and prioritize new potential drug targets and compounds for testing. We also uncover lineage-specific differences in core metabolism and in protein families historically targeted for drug development. This is the broadest comparative study to date of the genomes of parasitic and non-parasitic worms. It provides a transformative new resource for the research community to understand and combat the diseases that parasitic worms cause.