Gene Atlasing of digestive and reproductive tissues in Schistosoma mansoni.

Background: While considerable genomic and transcriptomic data are available for Schistosoma mansoni, many of its genes lack significant annotation. A transcriptomic study of individual tissues and organs of schistosomes could play an important role in functional annotation of the unknown genes, particularly by providing rapid localisation data and thus giving insight into the potential roles of these molecules in parasite development, reproduction and homeostasis, and in the complex host-parasite interaction.

Methodology/principal Findings: Quantification of gene expression in tissues of S.

Transcriptional changes in Schistosoma mansoni during early schistosomula development and in the presence of erythrocytes.

Background: Schistosomes cause more mortality and morbidity than any other human helminth, but control primarily relies on a single drug that kills adult worms. The newly transformed schistosomulum stage is susceptible to the immune response and is a target for vaccine development and rational drug design.

Methodology/principal Findings: To identify genes which are up-regulated during the maturation of Schistosoma mansoni schistosomula in vitro, we cultured newly transformed parasites for 3 h or 5 days with and without erythrocytes and compared their transcriptional profiles using cDNA microarrays.

Exposed proteins of the Schistosoma japonicum tegument.

The ability of the mammalian blood fluke Schistosoma japonicum to survive in the inhospitable environment of the mammalian bloodstream can be attributed, at least in part, to its host-exposed outer surface, called the tegument. The tegument is a dynamic organ and is involved in nutrition, immune evasion and modulation, excretion, osmoregulation and signal transduction. Given its importance for parasite survival, proteins exposed to the host at the surface of the tegument are ideal targets for the development of vaccines and drugs.

Transcriptional profiles of adult male and female Schistosoma japonicum in response to insulin reveal increased expression of genes involved in growth and development.

Microarray analysis was used to investigate differential gene regulation in adult male and female Schistosoma japonicum cultured in the presence or absence of insulin in vitro. A total of 1,101 genes were up- or down-regulated in response to insulin, the majority of differential expression occurring 24h after the addition of insulin to the cultures. Genes differentially expressed in male or female worms were predominantly involved in growth and development, with significant sex-specific differences in transcriptional profiles evident.

Tissue specific profiling of females of Schistosoma japonicum by integrated laser microdissection microscopy and microarray analysis.

Background: The functions of many schistosome gene products remain to be characterized. A major step towards elucidating function of these genes would be in defining their sites of expression. This goal is rendered difficult to achieve by the generally small size of the parasites and the lack of a body cavity, which precludes analysis of transcriptional profiles of the tissues in isolation.

Developmental gene expression profiles of the human pathogen Schistosoma japonicum.

Background: The schistosome blood flukes are complex trematodes and cause a chronic parasitic disease of significant public health importance worldwide, schistosomiasis. Their life cycle is characterised by distinct parasitic and free-living phases involving mammalian and snail hosts and freshwater. Microarray analysis was used to profile developmental gene expression in the Asian species, Schistosoma japonicum.

Tracking the fate of iron in early development of human blood flukes.

Iron (Fe) is an important trace element found in nearly all organisms, and is used as a cofactor in many biological reactions. One role for Fe in some invertebrates is in stabilization of extracellular matrices. The human blood fluke, Schistosoma japonicum, is responsible for significant human disease in developing and tropical nations.

Oligonucleotide microarray analysis of strain- and gender-associated gene expression in the human blood fluke, Schistosoma japonicum.

Schistosomiasis is a chronic and debilitating disease caused by blood flukes (digenetic trematodes) of the genus Schistosoma. Schistosomiasis japonica, a zoonosis caused by Schistosoma japonicum, is endemic to the Philippines and China. We utilised a 22,575 feature custom oligonucleotide DNA microarray designed from public domain databases of schistosome-expressed sequence tags to explore differential gene expression between the Philippine (SJP) and Chinese (SJC) strains of S.

Transcriptomics tool for the human Schistosoma blood flukes using microarray gene expression profiling.

We report the design, fabrication, and validation of a microarray covering the majority of the Schistosoma japonicum and Schistosoma mansoni transcriptomes. The oligonucleotide microarray contains 12,166 S. mansoni and 7055 S.