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Resources » Paper

Jeon, JiHae et al. (2021) International Worm Meeting "N. parisii compensates for genomic loss of dihydroceramide desaturase through reliance on C. elegans sphingolipid biosynthesis"

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  • Comments on Jeon, JiHae et al. (2021) International Worm Meeting "N. parisii compensates for genomic loss of dihydroceramide desaturase through reliance on C. elegans sphingolipid biosynthesis" (0)

  • Overview

    Status:
    Publication type:
    Meeting_abstract
    WormBase ID:
    WBPaper00062863

    Jeon, JiHae, Zhao, Winnie, Burton, Nick, & Reinke, Aaron (2021). N. parisii compensates for genomic loss of dihydroceramide desaturase through reliance on C. elegans sphingolipid biosynthesis presented in International Worm Meeting. Unpublished information; cite only with author permission.

    Microsporidia are obligate intracellular parasites that have lost many metabolic enzymes, resulting in the smallest known eukaryotic genomes. Microsporidia are highly dependant upon host nutrients, but it is poorly understood the effect that these parasites have on host metabolism. Using N. parisii, a natural microsporidian parasite of C. elegans, we describe how infection alters host lipid metabolism. We show that the C. elegans lipase ATGL-1 is upregulated in response to N. parisii infection and that host fat stores are depleted. Metabolic profiling of infected animals reveals large changes in lipid composition including changes consistent with nutrient starvation. Additionally, we identify novel ceramides only generated in animals infected with N. parisii. Genomic analysis reveled that N. parisii has lost the enzymes necessary for the de novo synthesis of these sphingolipids. Mutations in C. elegans dihydroceramide desaturases F33D4.4 and ttm-5 or acid ceramidase asah-2, reduce N. parisii growth. Supplementation with sphingosine, a substrate for ceramide synthesis, enhances N. parisii proliferation. Together, our data demonstrate that N. parisii exploits sphingolipid biosynthesis in C. elegans and reveals an evolutionary strategy used by microsporidian parasites to cope with extreme genomic reduction.

    Affiliations:
    - University of Toronto, Toronto, ON
    - University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK


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