Focus on Parasite Papers

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For the upcoming WS246 release, a set of new papers have been added to the WormBase database. Some papers of interest to the parasite community are shown below.

Zang X, Atmadja AK, Gray P, Allen JE, Gray CA, Lawrence RA, Yazdanbakhsh M,
Maizels RM. The serpin secreted by Brugia malayi microfilariae, Bm-SPN-2, elicits strong, but short-lived, immune responses in mice and humans. J Immunol. 2000 Nov 1;165(9):5161-9.

linked genes: Bma-srp-2
ParaSite: Bma-srp-2

Zang X, Yazdanbakhsh M, Jiang H, Kanost MR, Maizels RM. A novel serpin expressed by blood-borne microfilariae of the parasitic nematode Brugia malayi inhibits human neutrophil serine proteinases. Blood. 1999 Aug 15;94(4):1418-28.

linked genes: Bma-srp-2
ParaSite: Bma-srp-2

Manoury B, Gregory WF, Maizels RM, Watts C. Bm-CPI-2, a cystatin homolog secreted by the filarial parasite Brugia malayi, inhibits class II MHC-restricted antigen processing. Curr Biol. 2001 Mar 20;11(6):447-51.

linked genes: cpi-2 , Bm5160 , Bm10669
ParaSite: Bm5160 , Bm10669

Focus on Parasite Papers

by Leave a Comment

For the upcoming WS246 release, a set of new papers have been added to the WormBase database. Some papers of interest to the parasite community are shown below.

Yadav S, Gupta S, Selvaraj C, Doharey PK, Verma A, Singh SK, Saxena JK. In silico and in vitro studies on the protein-protein interactions between Brugia malayi immunomodulatory protein calreticulin and human C1q. PLoS One. 2014 Sep 3;9(9):e106413.

linked genes: Bm6412
ParaSite: Bma6412

Galvin BD, Li Z, Villemaine E, Poole CB, Chapman MS, Pollastri MP, Wyatt PG, Carlow CK. A target repurposing approach identifies N-myristoyltransferase as a new candidate drug target in filarial nematodes. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2014 Sep 4;8(9):e3145.

linked genes: Bma-nmt-1 , nmt-1
ParaSite: Bma-nmt-1

Terry FE, Moise L, Martin RF, Torres M, Pilotte N, Williams SA, De Groot AS. Time for T? Immunoinformatics addresses vaccine design for neglected tropical and emerging infectious diseases. Expert Rev Vaccines. 2014 Sep 5:1-15.

linked genes: Bma-prdx-2
ParaSite: Bma-prdx-2

Focus on Parasite Papers

by Leave a Comment

For the upcoming WS246 release, a set of new papers have been added to the WormBase database. Some papers of interest to the parasite community are shown below.

Coles GC, Bauer C, Borgsteede FH, Geerts S, Klei TR, Taylor MA, Waller PJ. World Association for the Advancement of Veterinary Parasitology (W.A.A.V.P.) methods for the detection of anthelmintic resistance in nematodes of veterinary importance. Vet Parasitol. 1992 Sep;44(1-2):35-44.

linked genes: Bma-pdi-2
ParaSite: Bma-pdi-2

Wiśniewski M, Lapiński M, Zdziarska A, Długosz E, Bąska P. Molecular cloning and analysis of Ancylostoma ceylanicum glutamate-cysteine ligase. Mol Biochem Parasitol. 2014 Aug;196(1):12-20.

linked genes: Bma-gcs-1 Acey_s0084.g1747
ParaSite: (there are two alternative assemblies on ParaSite for A.ceylanicum) Acey_s0084.g1747 ANCCEY_09480 Bma-gcs-1

Jawaharlal JP, Madhumathi J, Prince RP, Kaliraj P. Repeat region of Brugia malayi sheath protein (Shp-1) carries Dominant B epitopes recognized in filarial endemic population. Acta Parasitol. 2014 Sep;59(3):454-8.

linked genes: Bma-shp-1
ParaSite: Bma-shp-1

Genomics of Loa loa, a Wolbachia-free filarial parasite of humans

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Congratulations to the Broad institute, as their Loa loa genome (shown on WormBase) has been successfully published in Nature Genetics.

Nat Genet. 2013 Mar 24. doi: 10.1038/ng.2585.

Genomics of Loa loa, a Wolbachia-free filarial parasite of humans.

Desjardins CA, Cerqueira GC, Goldberg JM, Hotopp JC, Haas BJ, Zucker J, Ribeiro JM, Saif S, Levin JZ, Fan L, Zeng Q,Russ C, Wortman JR, Fink DL, Birren BW, Nutman TB.
Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.

Abstract

Loa loa, the African eyeworm, is a major filarial pathogen of humans. Unlike most filariae, L. loa does not contain the obligate intracellular Wolbachia endosymbiont. We describe the 91.4-Mb genome of L. loa and that of the related filarial parasite Wuchereria bancrofti and predict 14,907 L. loa genes on the basis of microfilarial RNA sequencing. By comparing these genomes to that of another filarial parasite, Brugia malayi, and to those of several other nematodes, we demonstrate synteny among filariae but not with nonparasitic nematodes. The L. loa genome encodes many immunologically relevant genes, as well as protein kinases targeted by drugs currently approved for use in humans. Despite lacking Wolbachia, L. loa shows no new metabolic synthesis or transport capabilities compared to other filariae. These results suggest that the role of Wolbachia in filarial biology is more subtle than previously thought and reveal marked differences between parasitic and nonparasitic nematodes.