Dynamic shifts in isomiR profiles during parasite maturation of Fasciola hepatica
We investigated the isomiR profiles of the parasitic worm Fasciola hepatica across three developmental stages: newly excysted juveniles (NEJ), juveniles (JUV), and adults. Our analysis revealed a distinct shift in isomiR distribution during maturation, with NEJs exhibiting a higher abundance and div...
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Taylor & Francis Group
2025-12-01
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| Series: | RNA Biology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/15476286.2025.2538271 |
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| author | Dayna Sais Sumaiya Chowdhury Phuong Thao Nguyen Krystyna Cwiklinski Trung Duc Nguyen Tuan Anh Nguyen John Dalton Sheila Donnelly Nham Tran |
| author_facet | Dayna Sais Sumaiya Chowdhury Phuong Thao Nguyen Krystyna Cwiklinski Trung Duc Nguyen Tuan Anh Nguyen John Dalton Sheila Donnelly Nham Tran |
| author_sort | Dayna Sais |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | We investigated the isomiR profiles of the parasitic worm Fasciola hepatica across three developmental stages: newly excysted juveniles (NEJ), juveniles (JUV), and adults. Our analysis revealed a distinct shift in isomiR distribution during maturation, with NEJs exhibiting a higher abundance and diversity of isomiRs compared to later stages. Notably, isomiRs were often the dominant miRNA form in NEJs, whereas a transition to canonical miRNAs occurred as the parasite matured. This temporal variation suggests that isomiR expression may be linked to the parasite’s life cycle. We observed that truncated isomiRs were more prevalent, with uracil additions at the 3’end and adenosine at the 5’ end being most common. At least 10% of the miRNA population consisted of 5’ end isomiRs, which have the potential to redirect target interactions towards metabolic and developmental pathways. Furthermore, we show that the cleavage sites in F. hepatica primary miRNAs are similar to those found in mammalian cells, and Dicer-mediated cleavage appears to play a significant role in isomiR generation. We believe that the diversification of miRNA sequences through isomiR production is an evolutionary adaptation that enhances the parasite’s ability to tune gene expression during infection and development. This regulatory plasticity may facilitate successful infection and long-term persistence within diverse mammalian hosts. Understanding the roles of isomiRs in parasitic worms could provide new insights into parasite biology and identify potential targets for controlling parasitic infections. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-fb4296e1aeb0401793961afddc03caff |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 1547-6286 1555-8584 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-12-01 |
| publisher | Taylor & Francis Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | RNA Biology |
| spelling | doaj-art-fb4296e1aeb0401793961afddc03caff2025-08-20T03:16:17ZengTaylor & Francis GroupRNA Biology1547-62861555-85842025-12-0122112210.1080/15476286.2025.2538271Dynamic shifts in isomiR profiles during parasite maturation of Fasciola hepaticaDayna Sais0Sumaiya Chowdhury1Phuong Thao Nguyen2Krystyna Cwiklinski3Trung Duc Nguyen4Tuan Anh Nguyen5John Dalton6Sheila Donnelly7Nham Tran8School of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology Sydney, Sydney, AustraliaThe School of Life Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, AustraliaTransdisciplinary School, The University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, AustraliaInstitute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UKDivision of Life Science, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong, ChinaDivision of Life Science, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong, ChinaCentre for One Health School of Natural Sciences, Ryan Institute, University of Galway, Galway, IrelandThe School of Life Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, AustraliaSchool of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology Sydney, Sydney, AustraliaWe investigated the isomiR profiles of the parasitic worm Fasciola hepatica across three developmental stages: newly excysted juveniles (NEJ), juveniles (JUV), and adults. Our analysis revealed a distinct shift in isomiR distribution during maturation, with NEJs exhibiting a higher abundance and diversity of isomiRs compared to later stages. Notably, isomiRs were often the dominant miRNA form in NEJs, whereas a transition to canonical miRNAs occurred as the parasite matured. This temporal variation suggests that isomiR expression may be linked to the parasite’s life cycle. We observed that truncated isomiRs were more prevalent, with uracil additions at the 3’end and adenosine at the 5’ end being most common. At least 10% of the miRNA population consisted of 5’ end isomiRs, which have the potential to redirect target interactions towards metabolic and developmental pathways. Furthermore, we show that the cleavage sites in F. hepatica primary miRNAs are similar to those found in mammalian cells, and Dicer-mediated cleavage appears to play a significant role in isomiR generation. We believe that the diversification of miRNA sequences through isomiR production is an evolutionary adaptation that enhances the parasite’s ability to tune gene expression during infection and development. This regulatory plasticity may facilitate successful infection and long-term persistence within diverse mammalian hosts. Understanding the roles of isomiRs in parasitic worms could provide new insights into parasite biology and identify potential targets for controlling parasitic infections.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/15476286.2025.2538271Helminth developmentmicroRNAsRNA regulationFasciola hepaticaisomiRs |
| spellingShingle | Dayna Sais Sumaiya Chowdhury Phuong Thao Nguyen Krystyna Cwiklinski Trung Duc Nguyen Tuan Anh Nguyen John Dalton Sheila Donnelly Nham Tran Dynamic shifts in isomiR profiles during parasite maturation of Fasciola hepatica RNA Biology Helminth development microRNAs RNA regulation Fasciola hepatica isomiRs |
| title | Dynamic shifts in isomiR profiles during parasite maturation of Fasciola hepatica |
| title_full | Dynamic shifts in isomiR profiles during parasite maturation of Fasciola hepatica |
| title_fullStr | Dynamic shifts in isomiR profiles during parasite maturation of Fasciola hepatica |
| title_full_unstemmed | Dynamic shifts in isomiR profiles during parasite maturation of Fasciola hepatica |
| title_short | Dynamic shifts in isomiR profiles during parasite maturation of Fasciola hepatica |
| title_sort | dynamic shifts in isomir profiles during parasite maturation of fasciola hepatica |
| topic | Helminth development microRNAs RNA regulation Fasciola hepatica isomiRs |
| url | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/15476286.2025.2538271 |
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