The genome of Onchocerca volvulus, agent of river blindness

Cotton, J. A. et al. (2016) The genome of Onchocerca volvulus, agent of river blindness. Nature Microbiology, 2, 16216. (doi: 10.1038/nmicrobiol.2016.216) (PMID:27869790) (PMCID:PMC5310847)

Abstract

Human onchocerciasis is a serious neglected tropical disease caused by the filarial nematode Onchocerca volvulus that can lead to blindness and chronic disability. Control of the disease relies largely on mass administration of a single drug, and the development of new drugs and vaccines depends on a better knowledge of parasite biology. Here, we describe the chromosomes of O. volvulus and its Wolbachia endosymbiont. We provide the highest-quality sequence assembly for any parasitic nematode to date, giving a glimpse into the evolution of filarial parasite chromosomes and proteomes. This resource was used to investigate gene families with key functions that could be potentially exploited as targets for future drugs. Using metabolic reconstruction of the nematode and its endosymbiont, we identified enzymes that are likely to be essential for O. volvulus viability. In addition, we have generated a list of proteins that could be targeted by Federal-Drug-Agency-approved but repurposed drugs, providing starting points for anti-onchocerciasis drug development.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Cotton, Professor James and Berriman, Professor Matt
• Authors: Cotton, J. A., Bennuru, S., Grote, A., Harsha, B., Tracey, A., Beech, R., Doyle, S. R., Dunn, M., Dunning Hotopp, J. C., Holroyd, N., Kikuchi, T., Lambert, O., Mhashilkar, A., Mutowo, P., Nursimulu, N., Ribeiro, J. M. C., Rogers, M. B., Stanley, E., Swapna, L. S., Tsai, I. J., Unnasch, T. R., Voronin, D., Parkinson, J., Nutman, T. B., Ghedin, E., Berriman, M., and Lustigman, S.
• College/School: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Biodiversity, One Health & Veterinary Medicine; College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Infection & Immunity
• Journal Name: Nature Microbiology
• Publisher: Nature Research
• ISSN: 2058-5276
• ISSN (Online): 2058-5276
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2017 Macmillan Publishers Limited
• First Published: First published in Nature Microbiology 2: 16216
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons License