Lentiviral transduction facilitates RNA interference in the nematode parasite Nippostrongylus brasiliensis
Author(s)
Hagen, Jana
Sarkies, Peter
Selkirk, Murray E
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Animal-parasitic nematodes have thus far been largely refractory to genetic manipulation, and methods employed to effect RNA interference (RNAi) have been ineffective or inconsistent in most cases. We describe here a new approach for genetic manipulation of Nippostrongylus brasiliensis, a widely used laboratory model of gastrointestinal nematode infection. N. brasiliensis was successfully transduced with Vesicular Stomatitis Virus glycoprotein G (VSV-G)-pseudotyped lentivirus. The virus was taken up via the nematode intestine, RNA reverse transcribed into proviral DNA, and transgene transcripts produced stably in infective larvae, which resulted in expression of the reporter protein mCherry. Improved transgene expression was achieved by incorporating the C. elegans hlh11 promoter and the tbb2 3´-UTR into viral constructs. MicroRNA-adapted short hairpin RNAs delivered in this manner were processed correctly and resulted in partial knockdown of β-tubulin isotype-1 (tbb-iso-1) and secreted acetylcholinesterase B (ache-B). The system was further refined by lentiviral delivery of double stranded RNAs, which acted as a trigger for RNAi following processing and generation of 22G-RNAs. Virus-encoded sequences were detectable in F1 eggs and third stage larvae, demonstrating that proviral DNA entered the germline and was heritable. Lentiviral transduction thus provides a new means for genetic manipulation of parasitic nematodes, including gene silencing and expression of exogenous genes.
Date Issued
2021-01-26
Date Acceptance
2021-01-06
Citation
PLoS Pathogens, 2021, 17 (1)
ISSN
1553-7366
Publisher
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Journal / Book Title
PLoS Pathogens
Volume
17
Issue
1
Copyright Statement
© 2021 Hagen et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
License URL
Identifier
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33497411
PII: PPATHOGENS-D-20-02274
Subjects
Virology
0605 Microbiology
1107 Immunology
1108 Medical Microbiology
Publication Status
Published
Coverage Spatial
United States
Article Number
ARTN e1009286