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Research Project: Development of Detection and Control Strategies for Bovine Babesiosis and Equine Piroplasmosis

Location: Animal Disease Research

Title: Transcriptome dataset of Babesia bovis life stages within vertebrate and invertebrate hosts

Author
item Ueti, Massaro
item Johnson, Wendell
item Kappmeyer, Lowell
item Herndon, David
item Mousel, Michelle
item REIF, KATHRYN - Washington State University
item Taus, Naomi
item IFEONU, OLUKEMI - University Of Maryland
item SILVA, JOANA - University Of Maryland
item Suarez, Carlos
item BRAYTON, KELLY - Washington State University

Submitted to: Data in Brief
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/10/2020
Publication Date: 11/17/2020
Citation: Ueti, M.W., Johnson, W.C., Kappmeyer, L.S., Herndon, D.R., Mousel, M.R., Reif, K.E., Taus, N.S., Ifeonu, O.O., Silva, J.C., Suarez, C.E., Brayton, K.A. 2020. Transcriptome dataset of Babesia bovis life stages within vertebrate and invertebrate hosts. Data in Brief. 33. Article 106533. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dib.2020.106533.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dib.2020.106533

Interpretive Summary: Babesia bovis is a hemoprotozoan parasite of cattle with a complex life cycle development within vertebrate and invertebrate hosts. The goal of this study was to understand gene regulation during B. bovis infection within mammalian host and tick vector and to discover genes expressed by B. bovis blood stages and kinetes that could serve as potential target candidates for vaccine development. We used massive transcriptome data sets and identified up-regulated genes that may serve as suitable targets to prevent infection/disease or to block tick infection with B. bovis.

Technical Abstract: Babesia bovis is a hemoprotozoan parasite of cattle with a complex life cycle development within vertebrate and invertebrate hosts. Within the vertebrate host, B. bovis undergoes asexual reproduction while in the tick midgut, gametes are induced, fuse, and form zygotes. This stage infects tick gut epithelial cells and transforms into kinetes. Kinetes are released into the hemolymph and invade other tick tissues such as the ovaries, resulting in transovarial transmission to tick offspring. To compare gene regulation between different B. bovis life stages, we collected parasites infecting bovine erythrocytes and tick hemolymph. Total RNA samples were isolated, and multiplexed libraries sequenced using paired-end 100 cycle reads of a HiSeq 2500. The data was normalized using the TMM method and analysed for differential expression significance using the generalized linear model likelihood ratio test (GLM LRT) in edgeR. To validate our data sets, ten genes were selected using NormFinder. Genes that had no significant fold change between the blood and tick stages in the RNA-Seq data sets were tested by quantitative PCR to determine their suitability as “housekeeping” genes. The normalized RNA seq data revealed genes upregulated during the infection of the mammalian host or tick vector and six upregulated genes were validated. These data sets can help to identify useful targets for controlling bovine babesiosis.