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. 2023 Aug 1:13:1194608.
doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2023.1194608. eCollection 2023.

Whole genome sequence and diversity in multigene families of Babesia ovis

Junya Yamagishi  1   2 , Onur Ceylan  3 , Xuenan Xuan  4 , Ferda Sevinc  3
Affiliations

Whole genome sequence and diversity in multigene families of Babesia ovis

Junya Yamagishi et al. Front Cell Infect Microbiol. .

Abstract

Ovine babesiosis, caused by Babesia ovis, is an acute, lethal, and endemic disease worldwide and causes a huge economic loss to animal industry. Pathogen genome sequences can be utilized for selecting diagnostic markers, drug targets, and antigens for vaccine development; however, those for B. ovis have not been available so far. In this study, we obtained a draft genome sequence for B. ovis isolated from an infected sheep in Turkey. The genome size was 7.81 Mbp with 3,419 protein-coding genes. It consisted of 41 contigs, and the N50 was 526 Kbp. There were 259 orthologs identified among eight Babesia spp., Plasmodium falciparum, and Toxoplasma gondii. A phylogeny was estimated on the basis of the orthologs, which showed B. ovis to be closest to B. bovis. There were 43 ves genes identified using hmm model as well. They formed a discriminating cluster to other ves multigene family of Babesia spp. but showed certain similarities to those of B. bovis, B. caballi, and Babesia sp. Xinjiang, which is consistent with the phylogeny. Comparative genomics among B. ovis and B. bovis elucidated uniquely evolved genes in these species, which may account for the adaptation.

Keywords: Babesia ovis; apicomplexa; comparative genomics; multigene families; ovine babesiosis.

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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
Phylogenetic tree based on 259 orthologs among B. caballi, B. bovis, B. bigemina, B. ovata, B. microti, B. divergens, B. sp. Xinjiang, P. falciparum, T. gondii, and B. ovis. The arrowheads represent estimated points for expansion of each gene family. The numbers at the branches represent bootstrap values.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Genome synteny between B. ovis and B. ovata. Synteny blocks identified by amino acid sequence similarity of genes of both species were linked.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Clustering based on sequence of ves -like genes and smorf in B. bigemina, B. caballi, B. divergens, B. bovis, Babesia sp. Xinjiang, and B. ovis. Each node represents a protein-coding gene in the five parasites. Edges represent the similarity between connected nodes.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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