ISSN 2756-3391
African Journal of Parasitology Research ISSN 2343-6549 Vol. 6 (7), pp. 001-007, July, 2019. © International Scholars Journals
Full Length Research Paper
Identification and characterization of an mRNA trans-splicing leader in Schistosoma japonicum
LiLi Hao1, Pengfei Cai1, Ning Jiang2, Cecilia Thors3 and Qijun Chen1,2,3*
1Laboratory of Parasitology, Institute of Pathogen Biology (IPB), Chinese Academy of Medical Science, Beijing 100730, China.
2Key Laboratory of Zoonosis, Ministry of Education, Jilin University, Changchun 130062 P.R. China.
3Swedish Institute for Infectious Disease Control and Karolinska Institutet, 171 71, Stockholm, Sweden.
Accepted 21 April, 2019
Abstract
RNA trans-splicing occurs in a wide range of eukaryotes, from protozoa to chordates. Here, the study present the discovery of a spliced-leader (SL) RNA in the zoonotic trematode, Schistosoma japonicum. The 36-nucleotide SL in S. japonicum was derived from a 90-nucleotide non-polyadenylated RNA transcript encoded by 55 copies of SL genes dispersed throughout the genome. Differential transcription patterns of the SL gene among the parasite developmental stages were observed, indicating that trans-splicing may be a mechanism of post-transcriptional gene regulation in S. japonicum. Further, the distribution of SL genes in the genomes of S. mansoni and S. japonicum has been found to be very different, though the two parasites have been believed to be genetically close. These data open up a novel avenue for study on parasite biology linked to schistosomiasis, a disease affecting more than 200 million people world-wide.
Key words: Schistosoma mansoni, S. japonicum, spliced leader RNA, trans-splicing, gene regulation.