Nawa Y et al. (1985) Parasite Immunol "Defective protective capacity of W/Wv mice against Strongyloides ratti infection and its reconstitution with bone marrow cells."

Kotani M, Nawa Y, Kiyota M, Korenaga M

[Parasite Immunol, 1985]

The susceptibility of congenitally anemic, and mast cell deficient W/Wv mice to infection with Strongyloides ratti was examined. After a primary infection, W/Wv mice showed greater and more persistent peak larval counts than did normal littermates. Worm expulsion was also slower in W/Wv mice than in +/+ mice. Furthermore, difference in susceptibility was expressed as early as 24 h after infection, suggesting not only that protective mechanisms of the gut but also of the connective tissue were defective in W/Wv mice. Reconstitution with bone marrow or spleen cells from +/+ mice was effective in restoring the protective response in W/Wv mice, whereas thymocytes or mesenteric lymph nodes had no effect. Both connective tissue and mucosal mast cells were repaired in W/Wv mice after marrow reconstitution and infection. Since relatively long incubation period was required for the expression of such reconstituting activities, bone marrow cells seem to contain precursor cells of the effector and/or regulator cells.

Chung M et al. (2018) Microbiol Resour Announc "Multispecies Transcriptomics Data Set of Brugia malayi, Its Wolbachia Endosymbiont wBm, and Aedes aegypti across the B. malayi Life Cycle."

Libro S, Kumar N, Dunning Hotopp JC, Tallon LJ, Chung M, Teigen L, Foster JM, Sadzewicz L, Michalski ML, Bromley RE

[Microbiol Resour Announc, 2018]

Here, we present a comprehensive transcriptomics data set of Brugia malayi, its Wolbachia endosymbiont <i>w</i>Bm, and its vector host. This study samples from 16 stages across the entire B. malayi life cycle, including stage 1 through 4 larvae, adult males and females, embryos, immature microfilariae, and mature microfilariae.

Casiraghi M et al. (2004) Int J Parasitol "Mapping the presence of Wolbachia pipientis on the phylogeny of filarial nematodes: evidence for symbiont loss during evolution."

Guerrero R, Bandi C, Franceschi A, Pocacqua V, Gardner SL, Casiraghi M, Martin C, Bain O

[Int J Parasitol, 2004]

Wolbachia pipientis is a bacterial endosymbiont associated with arthropods and filarial nematodes. In filarial nematodes, W. pipientis has been shown to play an important role in the biology of the host and in the immuno-pathology of filariasis. Several species of filariae, including the most important parasites of humans and animals (e.g. Onchocerca volvulus, Wuchereria bancrofti and Dirofilaria immitis) have been shown to harbour these bacteria. Other filarial species, including an important rodent species (Acanthocheilonema viteae), which has been used as a model for the study of filariasis, do not appear to harbour these symbionts. There are still several open questions about the distribution of W. pipientis in filarial nematodes. Firstly the number of species examined is still limited. Secondly, it is not clear whether the absence of W. pipientis in negative species could represent an ancestral characteristic or the result of a secondary loss. Thirdly, several aspects of the phylogeny of filarial nematodes are still unclear and it is thus difficult to overlay the presence/absence of W. pipientis on a tree representing filarial evolution. Here we present the results of a PCR screening for W. pipientis in 16 species of filariae and related nematodes, representing different families/subfamilies. Evidence for the presence of W. pipientis is reported for five species examined for the first time (representing the genera Litomosoides, Litomosa and Dipetalonema); original results on the absence of this bacterium are reported for nine species; for the remaining two species, we have confirmed the absence of W. pipientis recently reported by other authors. In the positive species, the infecting W. pipientis bacteria have been identified through 16S rDNA gene sequence analysis. In addition to the screening for W. pipientis in 16 species, we have generated phylogenetic reconstructions based on mitochondrial gene sequences (12S rDNA; COI), including a total of 28 filarial species and related spirurid nematodes. The mapping of the presence/absence of W. pipientis on the trees generated indicates that these bacteria have possibly been lost during evolution along some lineages of filarial nematodes.

Zhou Q et al. (2010) J Genet Genomics "A novel marker for the platyfish (Xiphophorus maculatus) W chromosome is derived from a Polinton transposon."

Schartl M, Braasch I, Froschauer A, Bohne A, Zhou Q, Schultheis C, Volff JN

[J Genet Genomics, 2010]

A consensus sequence, encoding a putative DNA polymerase type B derived from a Polinton transposon, was assembled from the sex determination region of Xiphophorus maculatus. This predicted protein, which is 1,158 aa in length, contains a DNA_pol_B_2 domain and a DTDS motif. The DNA polymerase type B gene has about 10 copies in the haploid X. maculatus genome with one Y-specific copy. Interestingly, it has specific copies on the W chromosome in the X. maculatus Usumacinta strain (sex determination with female heterogamety), which represent new markers for this type of sex chromosome in platyfish. This marker with W- and Y-specific copies suggests relationship between different types of gonosomes and allows comparing male and female heterogameties in the platyfish. Further molecular analysis of the DNA polymerase type B gene in X. maculatus will shed new light on the evolution of sex chromosomes in platyfish.

Neupane RP et al. (2019) Mar Drugs "Cytotoxic Sesquiterpenoid Quinones and Quinols, and an 11-Membered Heterocycle, Kauamide, from the Hawaiian Marine Sponge Dactylospongia elegans."

Williams PG, Neupane JB, Yip MLR, Turkson J, Parrish SM, Yoshida WY, Head JD, Harper MK, Neupane RP

[Mar Drugs, 2019]

Several known sesquiterpenoid quinones and quinols (<b>1</b>-<b>9</b>), and kauamide (<b>10</b>), a new polyketide-peptide containing an 11-membered heterocycle, were isolated from the extracts of the Hawaiian marine sponge <i>Dactylospongia</i><i>elegans</i>. The planar structure of <b>10</b> was determined from spectroscopic analyses, and its relative and absolute configurations were established from density functional theory (DFT) calculations of the GIAO NMR shielding tensors, and advanced Marfey's analysis of the <i>N</i>-MeLeu residue, respectively. Compounds <b>1</b> and <b>3</b> showed moderate inhibition of -secretase 1 (BACE1), whereas <b>1</b>-<b>9</b> exhibited moderate to potent inhibition of growth of human glioma (U251) cells. Compounds <b>1</b>-<b>2</b> and <b>4</b>-<b>7</b> were also active against human pancreatic carcinoma (Panc-1) cells.

Kharat I et al. (1989) Indian J Exp Biol "Antigenic analysis of excretory-secretory products of Wuchereria bancrofti and Brugia malayi infective larval forms by SDS-PAGE."

Cheirmaraj K, Harinath BC, Kharat I, Prasad GB

[Indian J Exp Biol, 1989]

Excretory-secretory (ES) products of W. bancrofti and the closely related B. malayi infective larval forms were analysed for their antigenic activity by SDS-PAGE followed by Western blotting as well as by gel elution-sandwich ELISA using filarial serum immunoglobulin-G (FSIgG) as a capture antibody. In W. bancrofti infective larval ES products, the protein molecules of 66, 46, 35, 33, 30 and 14 kDa molecular wt. showed antigenic activity by immuno blotting technique. In sandwich ELISA technique eventhough all SDS-PAGE fractions except ESA 6 (55-47 kDa) showed antigenic positivity, the fractions ESA 8 (37-31 kDa) and ESA 9 (31-25 kDa) showed high reciprocal antigen titre of 262144 and 32768 respectively. In B. malayi infective larval ES products, the protein molecules of 109, 102, 97 and 77 kDa molecular wt. showed reactivity with FSIgG by blotting technique, where as in sandwich ELISA except ESA 7 (47-37kDa), all fractions showed antigenic positivity. However, these fractions failed to show high antigen titre similar to W. bancrofti ES products with FSIgG.

Chung M et al. (2019) mSystems "Drug Repurposing of Bromodomain Inhibitors as Potential Novel Therapeutic Leads for Lymphatic Filariasis Guided by Multispecies Transcriptomics."

Dunning Hotopp JC, Olley D, Libro S, Sadzewicz L, Chung M, Teigen LE, Kumar N, Foster JM, Bromley RE, Michalski ML, Tallon LJ, Mahurkar A

[mSystems, 2019]

To better understand the transcriptomic interplay of organisms associated with lymphatic filariasis, we conducted multispecies transcriptome sequencing (RNA-Seq) on the filarial nematode <i>Brugia malayi</i>, its <i>Wolbachia</i> endosymbiont <i>w</i>Bm, and its laboratory vector <i>Aedes aegypti</i> across the entire <i>B. malayi</i> life cycle. In <i>w</i>Bm, transcription of the noncoding 6S RNA suggests that it may be a regulator of bacterial cell growth, as its transcript levels correlate with bacterial replication rates. For <i>A. aegypti</i>, the transcriptional response reflects the stress that <i>B. malayi</i> infection exerts on the mosquito with indicators of increased energy demand. In <i>B. malayi</i>, expression modules associated with adult female samples consistently contained an overrepresentation of genes involved in chromatin remodeling, such as the bromodomain-containing proteins. All bromodomain-containing proteins encoded by <i>B. malayi</i> were observed to be upregulated in the adult female, embryo, and microfilaria life stages, including 2 members of the bromodomain and extraterminal (BET) protein family. The BET inhibitor JQ1(+), originally developed as a cancer therapeutic, caused lethality of adult worms <i>in vitro</i>, suggesting that it may be a potential therapeutic that can be repurposed for treating lymphatic filariasis.<b>IMPORTANCE</b> The current treatment regimen for lymphatic filariasis is mostly microfilaricidal. In an effort to identify new drug candidates for lymphatic filariasis, we conducted a three-way transcriptomics/systems biology study of one of the causative agents of lymphatic filariasis, <i>Brugia malayi</i>, its <i>Wolbachia</i> endosymbiont <i>w</i>Bm, and its vector host <i>Aedes aegypti</i> at 16 distinct <i>B. malayi</i> life stages. <i>B. malayi</i> upregulates the expression of bromodomain-containing proteins in the adult female, embryo, and microfilaria stages. <i>In vitro</i>, we find that the existing cancer therapeutic JQ1(+), which is a bromodomain and extraterminal protein inhibitor, has adulticidal activity in <i>B. malayi</i>.

Li Z et al. (2018) Pak J Pharm Sci "Cellulase-assisted extraction and anti-ultraviolet activity of polysaccharides from the root of Flammulina velutipes on Caenorhabditis elegans."

Chen M, Lin L, Zhang Y, Wang T, Cui H, Wang C, Li Z

[Pak J Pharm Sci, 2018]

We investigated the cellulase-assisted extraction and anti-ultraviolet activity of water-soluble polysaccharides from the root of Flammulina velutipes on Caenorhabditis elegans. A Box-Behnken design experiment with three factors and three levels, including enzymolysis temperature, microwave time, and microwave power, was designed on the basis of the results of single-factor experiments. For improving the polysaccharide yield of F. velutipes root, the following optimal extraction conditions were used: 52.67C enzymolysis temperature, 80s microwave time, and 144 W microwave power. Under optimal conditions, the actual measured value of the yield was 2.01% (w/w) and the predicted value was 2.06% (w/w). One fraction (FRP-2) was isolated and purified, and its characteristics were analyzed. The average mean molecular weight of FRP-2 was measured to be 2.60x10⁵ Da, and its monosaccharide composition is mainly glucose. The sugar units are present both in the -configuration and -configuration. Moreover, FRP-2 exhibited certain anti-ultraviolet activity to C. elegans when the polysaccharide concentration ranged between 0.05mg/mL and 0.20mg/mL.

DeCuyper C et al. (1982) Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology "Oxygen consumption during development and aging of the nematode C. elegans."

DeCuyper C, Vanfleteren JR

[Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology, 1982]

1. The oxygen consumption was measured in all four juvenile stages, the reproductive stage and the aged postreprodutive stage of the free-living nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, using the Cartesian diver method. 2. The uptake of oxygen as a function of body weight was VO2 = 1.66 W*0.70 for all stages except the aged stage and VO2 = 1.62 W*0.58 when both first stage juveniles and aged organisms were excluded (VO2 = nl O2/ug hr; W = wet weight). 3. The metabolic rate (VO2/W) was significantly lower in both first stage juveniles and aged adults. This is ascribed to utilization of fat stores by way of the glyoxylate cycle during embryogenesis and early morphogenesis and to a general failure of the metabolic machinery during senescence. 4. A comparison of the actual oxygen consumption with the amount of oxygen available to the nematodes by diffusion through the cuticle showed that the weight-specific coefficient b (0.70 or 0.58) could not be explained by decreasing ability to provide oxygen to body tissues with increasing worm size. 5. It is suggested that ATP dependent activities which occur at the cell surface might greatly determine the magnitude of the weight-specific coefficient in nematodes.

Rao UR et al. (1990) Int J Parasitol "A direct fluorescence technique for the rapid detection of sheathed microfilariae in blood smears."

Rao UR, Vickery AC, Nayar JK, Lowrie RC, Kwa BH

[Int J Parasitol, 1990]

Thick and thin blood smears containing microfilariae of Wuchereria bancrofti, Loa loa, Brugia malayi, Brugia pahangi, Brugia patei or Acanthocheilonema viteae were prepared from either cryopreserved blood samples or from freshly collected blood, fixed in methanol and treated with a fluoresceinated lectin wheat germ agglutinin. Sheathed microfilariae of W. bancrofti, L. loa, B. malayi, B. pahangi and B. patei in the blood smears could be easily detected and counted using a fluorescence assay. The unsheathed microfilaria of Acanthocheilonema viteae did not fluoresce. The possibility of adapting this technique, which does not require the use of parasite specific antibody for the sensitive, parasitological detection of filarial infections, is discussed.