Evolution of families of secretory proteins coding genes in Platyhelminthes

Parasitic flatworms generally have complex cycles involving various hosts, including humans and livestock species, and therefore have a great impact on human and animal health. Examples of species of this group of relevance are Echinococcus granulosus, Schistosoma mansoni, and Fasciola hepatica, among many others. These organisms have been studied in all aspects of their biology, but in relative terms of its impact, there is still much to do. Genomic and computational approaches have played a key role in keeping investigation moving at a low cost. Currently, there are genomes of several species that are available and there is also information on gene expression level. The study of genomes confirmed that duplication is a powerful evolutionary mechanism, generating raw material for the acquisition of new functions in the cell. In many cases, the increase of copies in a family of genes has proven to be the result of an adaptive process. Previous results suggest an important role of natural selection in the evolution of complex cycles in many flatworms and especially in some genes coding for excreted proteins. Through a comparative and functional genomic approach, this project aims to identify genes and families involved in the adaptive process at different stages of the cycle of different species to their specific niches (including aspects related to intermediate and final hosts) and quantify the effect of selection natural operating at the sequence level and the process of duplication in different lineages of flatworms.

Fondo Clemente Estable-2016, Code: FCE_3_2016_1_125297.

Funding Source: ANII, Uruguay.

Research Associates: Federico G. Hoffmann, Uriel Koziol, Estela Castillo, Francisco Peñagaricano, Anna Protasio, José F. Tort