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Limitations of the Echinococcus granulosus genome sequence assemblies for analysis of the gene family encoding the EG95 vaccine antigen

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 November 2017

Charles G. Gauci ,
Cristian A. Alvarez Rojas ,
Conan Chow  and
Marshall W. Lightowlers
Charles G. Gauci*
Affiliation:
Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, University of Melbourne, 250 Princes Highway, Werribee, Victoria 3030, Australia
Cristian A. Alvarez Rojas
Affiliation:
Faculty of Veterinary Science, Centre for Animal Biotechnology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia
Conan Chow
Affiliation:
Genera Biosystems, 1 Dalmore Drive, Scoresby, Victoria 3179, Australia
Marshall W. Lightowlers
Affiliation:
Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, University of Melbourne, 250 Princes Highway, Werribee, Victoria 3030, Australia
*
Author for correspondence: Charles G. Gauci, E-mail: charlesg@unimelb.edu.au
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Abstract

Echinococcus granulosus is an important zoonotic parasite that is distributed worldwide. The EG95 vaccine was developed to assist with control of E. granulosus transmission through the parasite's livestock intermediate hosts. The vaccine is based on a recombinant antigen encoded by a gene which is a member of a multi-gene family. With the recent availability of two E. granulosus draft genomes, we sought to map the eg95 gene family to the genomes. We were unable to map unequivocally any of the eg95 gene family members which had previously been characterized by cloning and sequencing both strands of genomic DNA fragments. Our inability to map EG95-related genes to the genomes has revealed limitations in the assembled sequence data when utilized for gene family analyses. This study contrasts with the expectations expressed in often high-profile publications describing draft genomes of parasitic organisms, highlighting deficiencies in currently available genomic resources for E. granulosus and provides a cautionary note for research which seeks to utilize these genome datasets.

Keywords

Echinococcus granulosusEG95vaccinegenomegene
Type
Research Article
Information
Parasitology , Volume 145 , Issue 6 , May 2018 , pp. 807 - 813
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Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2017 

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