Ascaris swim draft genome

摘要

常见蛔虫(猪蛔虫,世界很多地方的一种主要rn寄生虫)的基因组现已被测序.分析显示了编rn码肽酶的很多基因,这些肽酶与宿主组织的穿rn透和降级以及与有可能调控或躲避宿主免疫反rn应的分子相关.该基因组序列的获得应有助于rn针对蛔虫病和其他蛔虫感染的新的治疗干预方rn法的开发.%Parasitic diseases have a devastating, long-term impact on human health, welfare and food production worldwide. More than two billion people are infected with geohelminths, including the round-worms Ascaris (common roundworm), Necator and Ancylostoma (hookworms), and Trichuris (whipworm), mainly in developing or impoverished nations of Asia, Africa and Latin America1. In humans, the diseases caused by these parasites result in about 135,000 deaths annually, with a global burden comparable with that of malaria or tuberculosis in disability-adjusted life years'. Ascaris alone infects around 1.2 billion people and, in children, causes nutritional deficiency, impaired physical and cognitive development and, in severe cases, death2. Ascaris also causes major production losses in pigs owing to reduced growth, failure to thrive and mortality2. The Ascaris-swine model makes it possible to study the parasite, its relationship with the host, and ascariasis at the molecular level. To enable such molecular studies, we report the 273 mega-base draft genome of Ascaris suum and compare it with other nematode genomes. This genome has low repeat content (4.4%) and encodes about 18,500 protein-coding genes. Notably, the A. suum secretome (about 750 molecules) is rich in peptidases linked to the penetration and degradation of host tissues, and an assemblage of molecules likely to modulate or evade host immune responses. This genome provides a comprehensive resource to the scientific community and underpins the development of new and urgently needed interventions (drugs, vaccines and diagnostic tests) against ascariasis and other nematodiases.