Transcriptomic analysis of mouse liver reveals a potential hepato-enteric pathogenic mechanism in acute Toxoplasma gondii infection
Background Toxoplasma gondii is a worldwide spread pathogen which can infect all tissues of its host. The transcriptomic responses of infected brain and spleen have been reported. However, our knowledge of the global transcriptomic change in infected liver is limited. Additionally, T. gondii infe...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
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BioMed Central
2016
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| Online Access: | https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/44036/ |
| _version_ | 1848796822680633344 |
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| author | He, Jun-Jun Ma, Jun Elsheikha, Hany M. Song, Hui-Qun Huang, Si-Yang Zhu, Xing-Quan |
| author_facet | He, Jun-Jun Ma, Jun Elsheikha, Hany M. Song, Hui-Qun Huang, Si-Yang Zhu, Xing-Quan |
| author_sort | He, Jun-Jun |
| building | Nottingham Research Data Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | Background
Toxoplasma gondii is a worldwide spread pathogen which can infect all tissues of its host. The transcriptomic responses of infected brain and spleen have been reported. However, our knowledge of the global transcriptomic change in infected liver is limited. Additionally, T. gondii infection represents a highly dynamic process involving complex biological responses of the host at many levels. Herein, we describe such processes at a global level by discovering gene expression changes in mouse livers after acute infection with T. gondii ToxoDB#9 strain.
Results
Global transcriptomic analysis identified 2,758 differentially expressed transcripts in infected liver, of which 1,356 were significantly downregulated and 1,402 upregulated. GO and KEGG database analyses showed that host immune responses were upregulated, while the metabolic-related processes/pathways were downregulated, especially xenobiotic metabolism, fatty acid metabolism, energy metabolism, and bile biosynthesis and secretion. The metabolism of more than 800 chemical compounds including anti-Toxoplasma prescribed medicines were predicted to be modulated during acute T. gondii infection due to the downregulation of enzymes involved in xenobiotic metabolism.
Conclusions
To the best of our knowledge, this is the first global transcriptomic analysis of mouse liver infected by T. gondii. The present data indicate that during the early stage of liver infection, T. gondii can induce changes in liver xenobiotic metabolism, upregulating inflammatory response and downregulating hepatocellular PPAR signaling pathway, altering host bile biosynthesis and secretion pathway; these changes could enhance host intestinal dysbacteriosis and thus contribute to the pathological changes of both liver and intestine of infected mice. These findings describe the biological changes in infected liver, providing a potential mechanistic pathway that links hepatic and intestinal pathologies to T. gondii infection. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T19:54:05Z |
| format | Article |
| id | nottingham-44036 |
| institution | University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T19:54:05Z |
| publishDate | 2016 |
| publisher | BioMed Central |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | nottingham-440362020-05-04T18:07:55Z https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/44036/ Transcriptomic analysis of mouse liver reveals a potential hepato-enteric pathogenic mechanism in acute Toxoplasma gondii infection He, Jun-Jun Ma, Jun Elsheikha, Hany M. Song, Hui-Qun Huang, Si-Yang Zhu, Xing-Quan Background Toxoplasma gondii is a worldwide spread pathogen which can infect all tissues of its host. The transcriptomic responses of infected brain and spleen have been reported. However, our knowledge of the global transcriptomic change in infected liver is limited. Additionally, T. gondii infection represents a highly dynamic process involving complex biological responses of the host at many levels. Herein, we describe such processes at a global level by discovering gene expression changes in mouse livers after acute infection with T. gondii ToxoDB#9 strain. Results Global transcriptomic analysis identified 2,758 differentially expressed transcripts in infected liver, of which 1,356 were significantly downregulated and 1,402 upregulated. GO and KEGG database analyses showed that host immune responses were upregulated, while the metabolic-related processes/pathways were downregulated, especially xenobiotic metabolism, fatty acid metabolism, energy metabolism, and bile biosynthesis and secretion. The metabolism of more than 800 chemical compounds including anti-Toxoplasma prescribed medicines were predicted to be modulated during acute T. gondii infection due to the downregulation of enzymes involved in xenobiotic metabolism. Conclusions To the best of our knowledge, this is the first global transcriptomic analysis of mouse liver infected by T. gondii. The present data indicate that during the early stage of liver infection, T. gondii can induce changes in liver xenobiotic metabolism, upregulating inflammatory response and downregulating hepatocellular PPAR signaling pathway, altering host bile biosynthesis and secretion pathway; these changes could enhance host intestinal dysbacteriosis and thus contribute to the pathological changes of both liver and intestine of infected mice. These findings describe the biological changes in infected liver, providing a potential mechanistic pathway that links hepatic and intestinal pathologies to T. gondii infection. BioMed Central 2016-08-03 Article PeerReviewed He, Jun-Jun, Ma, Jun, Elsheikha, Hany M., Song, Hui-Qun, Huang, Si-Yang and Zhu, Xing-Quan (2016) Transcriptomic analysis of mouse liver reveals a potential hepato-enteric pathogenic mechanism in acute Toxoplasma gondii infection. Parasites and Vectors, 9 (1). 427/1-427/13. ISSN 1756-3305 Toxoplasma gondii Mouse liver Transcriptome RNA-seq Liver function https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-016-1716-x doi:10.1186/s13071-016-1716-x doi:10.1186/s13071-016-1716-x |
| spellingShingle | Toxoplasma gondii Mouse liver Transcriptome RNA-seq Liver function He, Jun-Jun Ma, Jun Elsheikha, Hany M. Song, Hui-Qun Huang, Si-Yang Zhu, Xing-Quan Transcriptomic analysis of mouse liver reveals a potential hepato-enteric pathogenic mechanism in acute Toxoplasma gondii infection |
| title | Transcriptomic analysis of mouse liver reveals a potential hepato-enteric pathogenic mechanism in acute Toxoplasma gondii infection |
| title_full | Transcriptomic analysis of mouse liver reveals a potential hepato-enteric pathogenic mechanism in acute Toxoplasma gondii infection |
| title_fullStr | Transcriptomic analysis of mouse liver reveals a potential hepato-enteric pathogenic mechanism in acute Toxoplasma gondii infection |
| title_full_unstemmed | Transcriptomic analysis of mouse liver reveals a potential hepato-enteric pathogenic mechanism in acute Toxoplasma gondii infection |
| title_short | Transcriptomic analysis of mouse liver reveals a potential hepato-enteric pathogenic mechanism in acute Toxoplasma gondii infection |
| title_sort | transcriptomic analysis of mouse liver reveals a potential hepato-enteric pathogenic mechanism in acute toxoplasma gondii infection |
| topic | Toxoplasma gondii Mouse liver Transcriptome RNA-seq Liver function |
| url | https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/44036/ https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/44036/ https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/44036/ |