Ubiquitination pathway model for the barber’s pole worm –Haemonchus contortus

Elsevier

Available online 16 July 2022

International Journal for ParasitologyHighlights•

We constructed a ubiquitination pathway model for Haemonchus contortus.

Conservation, variation and transcription/expression of genes/gene products in this pathway were explored.

Structure modelling of proteins was performed using a machine learning method.

Prospects for fundamental and applied investigations are discussed.

Abstract

The ubiquitin-mediated pathway has been comprehensively explored in the free-living nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, but very little is known about this pathway in parasitic nematodes. Here, we inferred the ubiquitination pathway for an economically significant and pathogenic nematode – Haemonchus contortus – using abundant resources available for C. elegans. We identified 215 genes encoding ubiquitin (Ub; n = 3 genes), ubiquitin-activating enzyme (E1; one), -conjugating enzymes (E2s; 21), ligases (E3s; 157) and deubiquitinating enzymes (DUBs; 33). With reference to C. elegans, Ub, E1 and E2 were relatively conserved in sequence and structure, and E3s and DUBs were divergent, likely reflecting functional and biological uniqueness in H. contortus. Most genes encoding ubiquitination pathway components exhibit high transcription in the egg compared with other stages, indicating marked protein homeostasis in this early developmental stage. The ubiquitination pathway model constructed for H. contortus provides a foundation to explore the ubiquitin-proteasome system, crosstalk between autophagy and the proteasome system, and the parasite-host interactions. Selected E3 and DUB proteins which are very divergent in sequence and structure from host homologues or entirely unique to H. contortus and related parasitic nematodes may represent possible anthelmintic targets.

Keywords

Ubiquitination pathway

Haemonchus contortus

Parasitic worm

Informatics

Transcription

© 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of Australian Society for Parasitology.

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