Duplex real-time PCR for sexing Schistosoma japonicum cercariae based on W chromosome-specific genes and its applications

PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2020 Aug 21;14(8):e0008609. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0008609. eCollection 2020 Aug.

Abstract

As a unique feature among otherwise hermaphroditic trematodes, Schistosoma species are gonochoric parasites whose sex is genetically determined (ZZ for males and ZW for females). However, schistosome larvae are morphologically identical, and sex can only be discriminated by molecular methods. Here, we integrated published Schistosoma. japonicum transcriptome and genome data to identify W chromosome-specific genes as sex biomarkers. Three W chromosome-specific genes of S. japonicum were identified as sex biomarkers from a panel of 12 genes expressed only in females. An efficient duplex real-time PCR (qPCR) method for sexing cercariae was developed which could identify the sex of cercariae within 2 h without DNA extraction. Moreover, this method can be used to identify not only single-sex but also mixed-sex schistosome-infected snails. We observed a nearly equal proportion of single-male, single-female, and mixed-sex schistosome infections in artificially infected snails. Sex-known schistosome-infected snail models can be efficiently constructed with the aid of duplex qPCR. A field study revealed that single-sex schistosome infections were predominant among naturally infected snails. Finally, a schistosomiasis mouse model based on sex-known cercariae infection was shown to be more reliable than a model based on sex-unknown cercariae infection. The developed duplex qPCR method for sexing S. japonicum cercariae can be widely used for schistosomiasis modeling, genetic experiments, and field-based molecular epidemiological studies.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Biomarkers
  • Cercaria / genetics*
  • China / epidemiology
  • Chromosomes*
  • DNA / isolation & purification
  • Disease Models, Animal
  • Female
  • Gene Expression
  • Male
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred BALB C
  • Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction / methods*
  • Schistosoma japonicum / genetics*
  • Schistosomiasis / epidemiology
  • Schistosomiasis / parasitology*
  • Snails / parasitology

Substances

  • Biomarkers
  • DNA

Grants and funding

This study was supported by the CAMS Innovation Fund for Medical Sciences (Grant No. 2017-I2M-3-016), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 81702031), and the National Science and Technology Major Project of China (Grant No. 2018ZX10101001 and 2018ZX10712001-002-001). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.