Comprehensive identification and co-expression analysis of long non-coding RNAs across eight timepoints of Schistosoma mansoni life cycle

Abstract

BACKGROUND  Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are important regulatory molecules that can be considered potential biomarkers for schistosomiasis. However, the identification and characterisation of these molecules in such complex organism as Schistosoma mansoni, remains very challenging.

OBJECTIVES  This study aimed to identify novel lncRNAs in S. mansoni using RNA-seq libraries representative of six developmental stages (eggs, miracidia, sporocysts, cercariae, schistosomula, and juveniles).

METHODS  A pipeline for lncRNAs identification was defined and applied to 41 RNA-seq libraries of eggs, miracidia, 1-day, 5-days, 32-days sporocysts, cercariae, schistosomula, and juveniles of S. mansoni. Novel identified lncRNAs and annotated mRNAs were submitted to a weighted co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) to establish lncRNA-mRNAs correlation.

FINDINGS  We identified 1,082 novel lncRNAs, mostly presenting stage-specific expression. Co-expression analysis demonstrate that MSTRG.5305.1 can potentially target MEGs and tetraspanin, essential for juvenile worm survival, making it a promising candidate for further functional studies.

MAIN CONCLUSIONS  These findings expand the current catalog of S. mansoni lncRNAs and provide new insights into their potential roles in parasite development and host adaptation. Further functional validation could reveal new molecular targets for schistosomiasis control.

schistosomiasis; Schistosoma mansoni ; lncRNAs; co-expression analysis; parasite development