Transcriptomic analysis of porcine PBMCs infected with Toxoplasma gondii RH strain

Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate, intracellular protozoan that can infect virtually all warm-blooded animals. Humans can be infected through the consumption of undercooked meat of farm animals. However, there are few reports on pathogenic mechanism and immune regulation during the interaction between T. gondii and domesticated animals. RNA extracted from pig peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) infected with T. gondii RH strain at different time points (0 h, 8 h, 24 h, and 48 h) were reverse transcribed into cDNA and sequenced using Illumina technology. After ruling out short-length and low-quality sequences, more than 18 million clean reads and 14 million unique reads were acquired in each group. Clean reads were then mapped to the pig reference genome and differently expressed (DE) genes were identified. DE genes increased along with the extension of infection time. For function classification and pathway analysis, annotated DE genes were categorized into three Gene Ontology (GO) categories and assigned to six major Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways. Furthermore, 10 DE genes were identified to be involved in some important immune processes and signaling pathways at the early infection stage. This is the first transcriptomic analysis of pig PBMCs infected by T. gondii. Functional DE genes and KEGG pathways indentified at different time points in this study will help to better understand the host immunity and defense mechanisms and promote the prevention and control of T. gondii infection.