Research Note. Transcriptomic study of the rat pinworm Syphacia muris

Syphacia muris is a ubiquitous nematode parasite and common contaminant of laboratory rats. A lthough S. muris infection is considered symptomless, it has some effects on the host’s immunity and therefore can interfere with experimental settings and interrupt final results. However, the molecular mechanisms involved in the alteration within the host’s immunity remain unclear because of the absence of information about mRNA expressed in this parasite. In this study we performed the transcriptome profiling of S. muris by next-generation sequencing. After de novo assembly and annotation, 14,821 contigs were found to have a sequence homology with any nematode sequence. Gene ontology analysis showed that the majority of the expressed genes are involved in cellular process, binding, and catalytic activity. Although the rate of expressed genes involved in the immune system was low, we found candidate genes that might be involved in the alteration within the host’s immunity by regulating the host’s innate immune response.