Description of Hymenolepis microstoma (Nottingham strain): a classical tapeworm model for research in the genomic era

Abstract

BackgroundHymenolepis microstoma (Dujardin, 1845) Blanchard, 1891, the mouse bile duct tapeworm, is a rodent/beetle-hosted laboratory model that has been used in research and teaching since its domestication in the 1950s. Recent characterization of its genome has prompted us to describe the specific strain that underpins these data, anchoring its identity and bringing the 150+ year-old original description up-to-date.ResultsMorphometric and ultrastructural analyses were carried out on laboratory-reared specimens of the 'Nottingham' strain of Hymenolepis microstoma used for genome characterization. A contemporary description of the species is provided including detailed illustration of adult anatomy and elucidation of its taxonomy and the history of the specific laboratory isolate.ConclusionsOur work acts to anchor the specific strain from which the H. microstoma genome has been characterized and provides an anatomical reference for researchers needing to employ a model tapeworm system that enables easy access to all stages of the life cycle. We review its classification, life history and development, and briefly discuss the genome and other model systems being employed at the beginning of a genomic era in cestodology.

Wnt gene loss in flatworms

“…Genomic and transcriptomic data from a laboratory strain of H. microstoma (Platyhelminthes: Cestoda: Cyclophyllidea) maintained in vivo using BALB/c mice and flour beetles (see Cunningham and Olson 2010, for a complete description of the model system) were used to identify orthologs of Wnts and associated signalling components (Table 1). Several Wnt genes were first identified from partial transcripts shot-gun characterised via Roche 454-based sequencing, and representing whole adult and larval worm cDNAs (unpublished data).…”

Cestode genomics – progress and prospects for advancing basic and applied aspects of flatworm biology

“…bearing hooks should be classified in their own genus (i.e. Rodentolepis ) (see 46). If so, then we expect H. microstoma to be better representative of H. nana than to H. diminuta .…”

“…The origin of the strain can be traced back to the original domestication of the species by the C. P. Read laboratory at Texas Rice University in the 1950s (47), making the genome data directly relevant to a large body of previous research based on isolates of this strain. A complete description of the strain and it origins, including a review of its general biology and use as a laboratory model, has been recently published in open access format (46).…”

Comparative analysis of known miRNAs across platyhelminths

“…Hymenolepis microstoma, a mouse worm, has been used as a model for tapeworm biology studies and teaching due to its easy in vitro proliferation in the laboratory [23]. As previous studies have shown, a small RNA-inducing mechanism is likely to pervasively exist in platyhelminth parasites [17,18].…”