Identification of stage specific long non-coding RNAs in the filarial worm, Brugia malayi

Abstract

Brugia malayi is one of the filarial nematode other than Brugia timori and Wuchereria bancrofti, which causes the parasitic infection lymphatic filariasis (LF) and is restricted to South and Southeast Asia including India. Current day anti-filarial drugs like diethylcarbamazine, albendazole, ivermectin etc. are known to cause adverse reactions and require repeated dosage. The optimum drug discovery depends mostly on understanding the lifecycle of the parasite. Recently, several studies have also emphasized on the need for studying the transcriptome profile of the parasite‟s lifecycle in order to understand the developmental process required for the infectious cycle. But, most of these have mainly focused on the protein-coding genes and there is a dearth in studies on various non-coding RNAs including long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs). Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNA) are non-protein coding transcripts longer than 200 nucleotides which usually do not code for proteins. These molecules have recently emerged as one of the key regulators in various biological processes that comprise both transcriptional and translational activities. The transcriptome of B. malayi has been extensively studied primarily focusing on protein coding genes. In order to study the lncRNAs in the genome of B. malayi, we have analyzed 11 publically available RNA-Seq datasets on Sequence Read Archive. Using in-silico RNA-Seq analysis tools and an in-house pipeline, we identified 997 lncRNAs from 982 genes in B. malayi. These lncRNAs were analyzed further and were found to show a sex and stage-specific expression. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study where lncRNAs in Brugia have been identified. We anticipate that this information may be useful for future studies to depict pathogenic lncRNA causing lymphatic filariasis.