Tgfbr3 miR-2162 Upregulation of collagen and -SMA production Hepatic Stellate Cells Fibrosis Schistosoma eggs Highlights Sja-miR-2162, a schistosome miRNA, is present in hepatic stellate cells of mice infected with S. japonicum. Sja-miR-2162 upregulates collagens and a-SMA production by targeting the host Tgfbr3 gene. rAAV8-mediated delivery of sja-miR-2162 to naive mice promotes hepatic fibrosis. Inhibition of sja-miR-2162 in the infected mice attenuated hepatic fibrosis.
Plasmodium falciparum isolates from China–Myanmar border (CMB) have experienced regional special selective pressures and adaptive evolution. However, the genomes of P. falciparum isolates from this region to date are poorly characterized. Herein, we performed whole-genome sequencing of 34 P. falciparum isolates from CMB and a series of genome-wide sequence analyses to reveal their genetic diversity, population structures, and comparisons with the isolates from other epidemic regions (Thai–Cambodia border, Thai–Myanmar border, and West Africa). Totally 59,720 high-quality single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were identified in the P. falciparum isolates from CMB, with average nucleotide diversity (π = 4.59 × 10−4) and LD decay (132 bp). The Tajima’s D and Fu and Li’s D values of the CMB isolates were −0.8 (p < 0.05) and −0.84 (p < 0.05), respectively, suggesting a demographic history of recent population expansion or purifying selection. Moreover, 78 genes of the parasite were identified that could be under positive selection, including those genes conferring drug resistance such as pfubp1. In addition, 33 SNPs were identified for tracing the source of the parasites with a high accuracy by analysis of the most differential SNPs among the four epidemic regions. Collectively, our data demonstrated high diversity of the CMB isolates’ genomes forming a distinct population, and the identification of 33-SNP barcode provides a valuable surveillance of parasite migration among the regions.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.