Serine protease inhibitors of the whirling disease parasite Myxobolus cerebralis (Cnidaria, Myxozoa): Expression profiling and functional predictions

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 16; no. 3; p. e0249266
• Main Authors: Eszterbauer, Edit, Szegő, Dóra, Ursu, Krisztina, Sipos, Dóra, Gellért, Ákos
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 29.03.2021; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Agricultural research; Anticoagulants; Biology and Life Sciences; Cell division; Cnidaria; Coelenterata; Developmental stages; Drinking water; Editing; Endoparasites; Fish hatcheries; Food chains; Genetic aspects; Gills; Laboratories; Medical research; Medicine and Health Sciences; Methodology; Mortality; Myxozoans; Parasites; Phylogenetics; Physiological aspects; Protease inhibitors; Proteinase inhibitors; Reviews; Serine; Serine proteinase; Skin; Trout; Visualization; Whirling disease; Hungary
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0249266

Here, we studied the expression pattern and putative function of four, previously identified serine protease inhibitors (serpins) of Myxobolus cerebralis, a pathogenic myxozoan species (Cnidaria: Myxozoa) causing whirling disease of salmonid fishes. The relative expression profiles of serpins were determined at different developmental stages both in fish and in annelid hosts using serpin-specific qPCR assays. The expression of serpin Mc-S1 was similar throughout the life cycle, whereas a significant decrease was detected in the relative expression of Mc-S3 and Mc-S5 during the development in fish, and then in the sporogonic stage in the worm host. A decreasing tendency could also be observed in the expression of Mc-S4 in fish, which was, however, upregulated in the worm host. For the first time, we predicted the function of M. cerebralis serpins by the use of several bioinformatics-based applications. Mc-S1 is putatively a chymotrypsin-like inhibitor that locates extracellularly and is capable of heparin binding. The other three serpins are caspase-like inhibitors, and they are probably involved in protease and cell degradation processes during the early stage of fish invasion.