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A serine/threonine‐specific protein kinase of Haemonchus contortus with a role in the development
Author(s) -
Di Wenda,
Gasser Robin B.,
He Li,
Li Fangfang,
Liu Xiaofang,
Zhou Caixian,
Zhou Yanqin,
Fang Rui,
Zhao Junlong,
Hu Min
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fj.201900888rr
Subject(s) - haemonchus contortus , protein kinase b , biology , akt3 , threonine , caenorhabditis elegans , nematode , gene , microbiology and biotechnology , rna interference , signal transduction , pi3k/akt/mtor pathway , kinase , phosphorylation , genetics , serine , akt1 , rna , ecology
In the free‐living nematode Caenorhabditis elegans , the serine/threonine‐specific protein kinase, AKT, is known to play a key role in dauer formation, life‐span, and stress‐resistance through the insulin‐like signaling pathway. Although the structure and function of AKT‐coding genes of C. elegans are understood, this is not the case for homologous genes in parasitic nematodes. In the present study, we explored a C. elegans akt‐1 gene homolog in the parasitic nematode Haemonchus contortus , investigated its transcript isoforms ( Hc‐akt‐1a and Hc‐akt‐1b ), and studied expression and function using both homologous and heterologous functional genomic tools. In C. elegans , we showed that the predicted promoter of Hc‐akt‐1 drives substantial expression in ASJ neurons of the N2 (wild‐type) strain. In H. contortus (Haecon‐5 stain), RNAi (soaking) led to a significantly decreased transcript abundance for both Hc‐akt‐1a and Hc‐akt‐1b , and reduced larval development in larval stages in vitro. Chemical inhibition was also shown to block larval development. Taken together, the evidence from this study points to a key functional role for Hc‐akt‐1 in H. contortus .