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Review
. 2021 Apr 22:11:639573.
doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2021.639573. eCollection 2021.

Rodent Models for the Study of Soil-Transmitted Helminths: A Proteomics Approach

Karen J Montaño  1 , Carmen Cuéllar  2 , Javier Sotillo  1
Affiliations
Review

Rodent Models for the Study of Soil-Transmitted Helminths: A Proteomics Approach

Karen J Montaño et al. Front Cell Infect Microbiol. .

Abstract

Soil-transmitted helminths (STH) affect hundreds of millions worldwide and are some of the most important neglected tropical diseases in terms of morbidity. Due to the difficulty in studying STH human infections, rodent models have become increasingly used, mainly because of their similarities in life cycle. Ascaris suum and Trichuris muris have been proven appropriate and low maintenance models for the study of ascariasis and trichuriasis. In the case of hookworms, despite most of the murine models do not fully reproduce the life cycle of Necator americanus, their proteomic similarity makes them highly suitable for the development of novel vaccine candidates and for the study of hookworm biological features. Furthermore, these models have been helpful in elucidating some basic aspects of our immune system, and are currently being used by numerous researchers to develop novel molecules with immunomodulatory proteins. Herein we review the similarities in the proteomic composition between Nippostrongylus brasiliensis, Heligmosomoides polygyrus bakeri and Trichuris muris and their respective human counterpart with a focus on the vaccine candidates and immunomodulatory proteins being currently studied.

Keywords: Heligmosomoides polygyrus; Nippostrongylus brasiliensis; Trichuris muris; host-parasite interactions; immunomodulation; proteomics; soil-transmitted helminths (STHs); vaccines.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Percentage identity of Necator americanus predicted proteome with the predicted proteins from different nematode species. The predicted proteome from different species of hookworm, hookworm mouse models and unrelated nematodes were compared against the predicted proteome from N. americanus and plotted in a heatmap. All predicted proteomes were downloaded from Parasite WormBase (v.14.0) and protein identity was calculated using Blast. Colour represents the number of proteins within a range of identity percentage.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Percentage identity of Trichuris trichiura predicted proteome with the predicted proteins from different nematode species. The predicted proteome from different species of trichurids and unrelated nematodes were compared against the predicted proteome from T. trichiura and plotted in a heatmap. All predicted proteomes were downloaded from Parasite WormBase (v.14.0) and protein identity was calculated using Blast. Colour represents the number of proteins within a range of identity percentage.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Similarity plot. Circos plot generated using Circoletto (Darzentas, 2010) showing the percentage of identity between Na-GST-1 and their homologues in different rodent model nematodes. Only homologues with e-values < 1E-50 are shown. Protein names as per Parasite WormBase database (v.15) have been used for comparison. ALUE, Ascaris lumbricoides; AgR, Ascaris suum; ANCCAN, Ancylostoma caninum; Acey, Ancylostoma ceylanicum; ANCDUO, Ancylostoma duodenale; HPOL, Heligmosomoides polygyrus; NBR, Nippostrongylus brasiliensis; TMUE, Trichuris muris; TTRE, Trichuris trichiura.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Similarity plot. Circos plot generated using Circoletto (Darzentas, 2010) showing the percentage of identity between Na-APR-1 and their homologues in different rodent model nematodes. Only homologues with e-values < 1E-50 are shown. Protein names as per Parasite WormBase database (v.15) have been used for comparison. ALUE, Ascaris lumbricoides; AgR, Ascaris suum; ANCCAN, Ancylostoma caninum; Acey, Ancylostoma ceylanicum; ANCDUO, Ancylostoma duodenale; HPOL, Heligmosomoides polygyrus; NBR, Nippostrongylus brasiliensis; TMUE, Trichuris muris; TTRE, Trichuris trichiura.
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