Differential gene expression of Plasmodium homocircumflexum (lineage pCOLL4) across two experimentally infected passerine bird species

• Published in: Genomics (San Diego, Calif.) Vol. 112; no. 4; pp. 2857 - 2865
• Main Authors: Garcia-Longoria, L., Palinauskas, V., Ilgūnas, M., Valkiūnas, G., Hellgren, O.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.07.2020
• Subjects: Animals; Basic Medicine; Biologi; Biological Sciences; Bird Diseases - parasitology; Disease Susceptibility; Malaria - parasitology; Malaria - veterinary; Medical and Health Sciences; Medicin och hälsovetenskap; Medicinska och farmaceutiska grundvetenskaper; Microbiology; Microbiology in the medical area; Mikrobiologi; Mikrobiologi inom det medicinska området; Natural Sciences; Naturvetenskap; Parasitemia; Passeriformes - parasitology; Plasmodium - genetics; Plasmodium - metabolism; Transcriptome
• ISSN: 0888-7543; 1089-8646
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ygeno.2020.03.025

Plasmodium parasites are present in a wide range of host species, some of which tend to be more susceptible than others, potentially as an outcome of evolved tolerance or resistance. Common starlings seem to cope with malaria infection while common crossbills are more susceptible to the same infections. That raises the question if the parasites rely on the same molecular mechanisms regardless of host species or do Plasmodium parasites change gene-expressions in accordance to the environment different hosts might provide? We used RNA-sequencing from starlings and crossbills, experimentally infected with Plasmodium homocircumflexum (lineage pCOLL4). The assembled transcriptome contained a total of 26,733 contigs. Parasite expression patterns differed between bird species. Parasites had higher expression of cell-invasion genes when infecting crossbills compared to starlings whereas in starlings genes related to apoptosis or/and oxidative stress showed higher expression levels. This article reveals how a Plasmodium parasite might adjust its expression and gene function depending on the host species infected. •We analyse the malaria expression gene in two different bird species (Common crossbills and Common starlings).•These two species have different resistance or tolerance to the same malaria parasite.•Malaria parasite expressed different number of genes in each host bird species.•Plasmodium parasite might adjust its expression and gene function depending on the organism that it infects.