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Preliminary analysis of Psoroptes ovis transcriptome in different developmental stages
1Department of Parasitology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, 611130, China.
Background:
Psoroptic mange is a chronic, refractory, contagious and infectious disease mainly caused by the mange mite Psoroptes ovis, which can infect horses, sheep, buffaloes, rabbits, other domestic animals, deer, wild camels, foxes, minks, lemurs, alpacas, elks and other wild animals. Features of the disease include intense pruritus and dermatitis, depilation and hyperkeratosis, which ultimately result in emaciation or death caused by secondary bacterial infections. The infestation is usually transmitted by close contact between animals. Psoroptic mange is widespread in the world. In this paper, the transcriptome of P. ovis is described following sequencing and analysis of transcripts from samples of larvae (i.e. the Pso_L group) and nymphs and adults (i.e. the Pso_N_A group). The study describes differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and genes encoding allergens, which help understanding the biology of P. ovis and lay foundations for the development of vaccine antigens and drug target screening.
Methods:
The transcriptome of P. ovis was assembled and analyzed using bioinformatic tools. The unigenes of P. ovis from each developmental stage and the unigenes differentially between developmental stages were compared with allergen protein sequences contained in the allergen database website to predict potential allergens.
Results:
We identified 38,836 unigenes, whose mean length was 825 bp. On the basis of sequence similarity with seven databases, a total of 17,366 unigenes were annotated. A total of 1,316 DEGs were identified, including 496 upregulated and 820 downregulated in the Pso_L group compared with the Pso_N_A group. We predicted 205 allergens genes in the two developmental stages similar to genes from other mites and ticks, of these, 14 were among the upregulated DEGs and 26 among the downregulated DEGs.
Conclusion:
This study provides a reference transcriptome of P. ovis in absence of a reference genome. The analysis of DEGs and putative allergen genes may lay the foundation for studies of functional genomics, immunity and gene expression profiles of this parasitic mite species.
Insights
This study presents the first reference transcriptome for Psoroptes ovis, the mange mite. Analysis identified differentially expressed genes and potential allergens, aiding future research into mange disease control.
Area of Science:
- Veterinary Parasitology
- Genomics
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- Psoroptic mange, caused by Psoroptes ovis, is a widespread and economically significant disease in various animal species.
- The mite infestation causes intense pruritus, dermatitis, and can lead to emaciation or death due to secondary infections.
- Understanding the mite's biology is crucial for developing effective control strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To generate a reference transcriptome for Psoroptes ovis.
- To identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between larval and nymph/adult stages.
- To predict potential allergen-encoding genes for further investigation.
Main Methods:
- Transcriptome sequencing and assembly of Psoroptes ovis samples from larval (Pso_L) and nymph/adult (Pso_N_A) stages.
- Bioinformatic analysis to identify unigenes and DEGs.
- Comparison of predicted allergen sequences with a comprehensive allergen database.
Main Results:
- A total of 38,836 unigenes were identified, with 17,366 annotated.
- 1,316 DEGs were found between the Pso_L and Pso_N_A groups (496 upregulated, 820 downregulated).
- 205 potential allergen genes were predicted, with 14 upregulated and 26 downregulated DEGs identified among them.
Conclusions:
- The generated reference transcriptome provides a valuable resource for Psoroptes ovis functional genomics.
- The identified DEGs and allergen genes offer targets for understanding mite biology and host-parasite interactions.
- This work lays the groundwork for developing novel vaccine antigens and therapeutic targets against psoroptic mange.
