Transcriptomic-proteomics-anticoagulant bioactivity integrated study of Pheretima guillemi

Area of Science:

• Biochemistry
• Pharmacology
• Genomics

Background:

• Earthworms are traditional Chinese medicines used for coagulation disorders with fewer side effects than conventional anticoagulants.
• Limited protein information exists for many earthworm species in databases.
• Pheretima guillelmi, a seldom-studied species, was investigated for its therapeutic potential.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the anticoagulant bioactivity of Pheretima guillelmi.
• To identify functional proteins in P. guillelmi using LC-MS/MS and transcriptome analysis.

Main Methods:

• Fibrinogen-thrombin time assay to assess anticoagulant activity.
• Transcriptome assembly using Illumina RNA sequencing.
• Proteomics analysis (LC-MS/MS) for protein identification.
• Cross-identification against public and custom databases.

Main Results:

• Pheretima guillelmi demonstrated strong, stable anticoagulant activity between 30-50°C and near-neutral pH.
• A comprehensive transcriptome assembly of P. guillelmi was successfully created.
• Ten proteins were identified against existing databases, and 31 high-confidence proteins were matched against the new P. guillelmi transcriptome.

Conclusions:

• Pheretima guillelmi possesses significant antithrombotic therapeutic potential.
• This integrated approach provides a novel strategy for studying animal-derived traditional Chinese medicines.