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. 2023 Aug 22;14(9):1663.
doi: 10.3390/genes14091663.

Exploring the Transcriptome Dynamics of In Vivo Theileria annulata Infection in Crossbred Cattle

Sonika Ahlawat  1 , Vikas Choudhary  2 , Reena Arora  1 , Ashish Kumar  1 , Mandeep Kaur  1 , Pooja Chhabra  1
Affiliations

Exploring the Transcriptome Dynamics of In Vivo Theileria annulata Infection in Crossbred Cattle

Sonika Ahlawat et al. Genes (Basel). .

Abstract

The molecular changes occurring in the host in response to in vivo Theileria annulata parasitic infection are not well understood. Therefore, the present study investigated the differential expression profiles of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) across Theileria annulata-infected and non-infected crossbred cows. The differential expression profiles from PBMCs of infected and non-infected crossbred cows were generated by RNA sequencing. A marked difference in the expression of genes associated with innate immunity (FTH1, ACTB, ISG15) was observed between the two groups. The over-represented pathways in Theileria annulata-infected cows were associated with the immune system and regulation of the mitotic cycle. Enriched genes and pathways in non-infected animals were associated with the maintenance of chromatin integrity and cell structure. The highly connected genes identified in this study form potential candidates for further investigation into host-parasite interactions in cattle. An improved understanding of the transcriptomic dynamics during theileriosis would lead to underpinning molecular level differences related to the health status of cattle.

Keywords: RNAseq; differential expression; mRNA; parasite; theileriosis.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
(A) Giemsa-stained blood smear showing presence of Theileria annulata; (B) Giemsa-stained blood smear showing absence of T. annulata; (C) Pentaplex PCR amplification, L-50 bp DNA ladder; lanes 1–4: 156 bp band confirming infection by T. annulata; lanes 5–8: no amplification confirming absence of T. annulata.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Venn diagram illustrating distribution of transcripts between infected and infection-free crossbred cows.
Figure 3
Figure 3
The top 25 highest expressed genes (RPKM > 2000) across both infected and non-infected crossbred cows.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Gene ontology analysis of top 25 highest expressed genes common to infected and non-infected cattle (BP: biological process; CC: cellular component; MF: molecular function).
Figure 5
Figure 5
Gene ontology analysis of significantly differentially expressed genes across infected and non-infected cattle (BP: biological process; CC: cellular component; MF: molecular function).
Figure 6
Figure 6
The highly connected up-regulated genes in Theileria annulata-infected animals. Color intensity of top 10 genes changes from orange to red with increasing order of rank.
Figure 7
Figure 7
The highly connected up-regulated genes in non-infected animals based on degree of connectivity. Color intensity of top 10 genes changes from orange to red with increasing order of rank.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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