Vasemägi, Anti
- Department of Aquatic Resources (SLU Aqua), Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
Abstract
Determining the physiological effects of parasites and characterizing genes involved in host responses to infections are essential to improving our understanding of host-parasite interactions and their ecological and evolutionary consequences. This task, however, is complicated by high diversity and complex life histories of many parasite species. The use of transcriptomics in the context of wild-caught specimens can help ameliorate this by providing both qualitative and quantitative information on gene expression patterns in response to parasites in specific host organs and tissues. Here, we evaluated the physiological impact of the widespread parasite, the pike tapeworm (Triaenophorus nodulosus), on its second intermediate host, the Eurasian perch (Perca fluviatilis). We used an RNAseq approach to analyse gene expression in the liver, the target organ of T. nodulosus plerocercoids, and spleen which is one of the main immune organs in teleost fishes. We compared perch collected from multiple lakes consisting of individuals with (n = 8) and without (n = 6) T. nodulosus plerocercoids in the liver. Results revealed a small number of differentially expressed genes (DEGs, adjusted p-value
Keywords
Triaenophorus nodulosus; Parasites; Transcriptome; Helminth; RNAseq; Platyhelminthes; Liver parasites
Published in
International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife
2023, volume: 22, pages: 146-154
Publisher: ELSEVIER
SLU Authors
UKÄ Subject classification
Ecology
Genetics and Genomics
Publication identifier
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijppaw.2023.09.009
Permanent link to this page (URI)
https://res.slu.se/id/publ/127049