Extracellular non-coding RNA signatures of the metacestode stage of Echinococcus multilocularis

PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2020 Nov 30;14(11):e0008890. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0008890. eCollection 2020 Nov.

Abstract

Extracellular RNAs (ex-RNAs) are secreted by cells through different means that may involve association with proteins, lipoproteins or extracellular vesicles (EV). In the context of parasitism, ex-RNAs represent new and exciting communication intermediaries with promising potential as novel biomarkers. In the last years, it was shown that helminth parasites secrete ex-RNAs, however, most work mainly focused on RNA secretion mediated by EV. Ex-RNA study is of special interest in those helminth infections that still lack biomarkers for early and/or follow-up diagnosis, such as echinococcosis, a neglected zoonotic disease caused by cestodes of the genus Echinococcus. In this work, we have characterised the ex-RNA profile secreted by in vitro grown metacestodes of Echinococcus multilocularis, the casuative agent of alveolar echinococcosis. We have used high throughput RNA-sequencing together with RT-qPCR to characterise the ex-RNA profile secreted towards the extra- and intra-parasite milieus in EV-enriched and EV-depleted fractions. We show that a polarized secretion of small RNAs takes place, with microRNAs mainly secreted to the extra-parasite milieu and rRNA- and tRNA-derived sequences mostly secreted to the intra-parasite milieu. In addition, we show by nanoparticle tracking analyses that viable metacestodes secrete EV mainly into the metacestode inner vesicular fluid (MVF); however, the number of nanoparticles in culture medium and MVF increases > 10-fold when metacestodes show signs of tegument impairment. Interestingly, we confirm the presence of host miRNAs in the intra-parasite milieu, implying their internalization and transport through the tegument towards the MVF. Finally, our assessment of the detection of Echinococcus miRNAs in patient samples by RT-qPCR yielded negative results suggesting the tested miRNAs may not be good biomarkers for this disease. A comprehensive study of the secretion mechanisms throughout the life cycle of these parasites will help to understand parasite interaction with the host and also, improve current diagnostic tools.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Biomarkers
  • Culture Media, Conditioned / analysis
  • Echinococcus multilocularis / genetics*
  • Echinococcus multilocularis / metabolism*
  • Extracellular Vesicles / metabolism
  • High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing
  • Host-Parasite Interactions
  • Humans
  • Mice
  • MicroRNAs / genetics
  • MicroRNAs / isolation & purification*
  • Nanoparticles
  • Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Sequence Analysis, RNA

Substances

  • Biomarkers
  • Culture Media, Conditioned
  • MicroRNAs