Parasitology

Our team works mainly on socio-economically important parasites. Parasitic diseases cause millions of deaths and enormous suffering in people and animals around the world. Our main goal is to understand parasites and the diseases that they cause, so that we can develop effective treatments, vaccines, diagnostic tests and strategies for effective control.

RESEARCH GROUP CONTACT INFORMATION

Robin B. Gasser
Professor in Veterinary Parasitology
Email: robinbg@unimelb.edu.au

Research Groups

JEX GROUP - PROTOZOAN AND ROUNDWORM BIOLOGY AND GENOMICS

Aaron Jex BSc (Hons) PhD, Senior Lecturer in Parasitology, Email: ajex@unimelb.edu.au
Louise Baker BSc (Hons), PhD, Postdoctoral Research Scientist
Brendan Ansell BSc Hons (Melb), RHD student

JABBAR GROUP - VETERINARY PARASITOLOGY AND ANTIPARASITIC DRUGS

Abdul Jabbar DVM, MSc, PhD, Senior Lecturer in Parasitology, Email: jabbara@unimelb.edu.au
Mary Shuttleworth BSc (Hons), RHD student
Piyumali Perera BSc (Hons), RHD student

TRAUB GROUP- PUBLIC HEALTH AND EPIDEMIOLOGY

Rebecca Traub BSc, BVMS (Hons), PhD, Associate Professor in Parasitology, Email: rtraub@unimelb.edu.au
Sze Fui Hii DVM, PhD, Research Fellow
Nguyen Ngoc Dinh BVSc, MVSc, RHD student
Thomas (Yen Thon) Teoh BVSc, RHD student

YOUNG GROUP - FLATWORM BIOLOGY AND GENOMICS

Neil Young BSc (Hons), PhD, NHMRC Early Career Research Fellow, Email: nyoung@unimelb.edu.au
Pasi Korhonen BSc, MSc, RHD student and bioinformatician
Bahiyah Binti Nor BSc (Hons), MSc candidate
Andreas Stroehlein BSc, MSc, RHD student

PARASITE BIOLOGY AND GENOMICS

Robin Gasser BVM, DVM, PhD, DVSc, Professor, Vice - President, Australian Society for Parasitology, Email: robinbg@unimelb.edu.au
Anson Koehler BSc, MSc, PhD, Postdoctoral Research Scientist
Clare Anstead BSc, PhD, Postdoctoral Research Scientist
Bert Breugelmans BSc, MSc, PhD, Postdoctoral Research Scientist
Ross Hall BSc, Grad Dip Comp Sci, Bioinformatician
Namitha Mohandas BSc, MSc, Research Assistant
Sarah Preston BSc, PhD, Postdoctoral Research Scientist

Next : Research

QUERY OUR DATABASES

This is a portal for the interrogation of our published raw and assembled sequence data.
Sequence data is available for the following publications:

Elucidating the transcriptome of Fasciola hepatica - a key to fundamental and biotechnological discoveries for a neglected parasite.Young ND, Hall RS, Jex AR, Cantacessi C, Gasser RB
Biotechnol Adv. 2010 Mar-Apr; 28(2):222-31.

Abstract available through pubmed: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20006979

Query our Fasciola hepatica sequence data here

Differences in transcription between free-living and CO2-activated third-stage larvae of Haemonchus contortus

Cantacessi C, Campbell BE, Young ND, Jex AR, Hall RS, Presidente PJ, Zawadzki JL, Zhong W, Aleman B, Loukas A, Sternberg PW, Gasser RB
BMC Genomics. 2010 Apr 27; 11:266

Abstract available through pubmed: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20420710

Massively parallel sequencing and analysis of the Necator americanus transcriptome

Cantacessi C, Mitreva M, Jex AR, Young ND, Campbell BE, Hall RS, Doyle MA, Ralph SA, Rabelo EM, Ranganathan S, Sternberg PW, Loukas A, Gasser RB
PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2010 May 11; 4(5):e684

Abstract available through pubmed: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20485481

Query our Necator americanus sequence data here

Unlocking the transcriptomes of two carcinogenic parasites, Clonorchis sinensis and Opisthorchis viverrini

Young ND, Campbell BE, Hall RS, Jex AR, Cantacessi C, Laha T, Sohn WM, Sripa B, Loukas A, Brindley PJ, Gasser RB
PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2010; 4(6):e719.

Abstract available through pubmed: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20582164

Query our Clonorchis sinensis and Opisthorchis viverrini sequence data here

A practical, bioinformatic workflow system for large datasets generated by next-generation sequencing

Cantacessi C, Jex AR, Hall RS, Young ND, Campbell BE, Joachim A, Nolan MJ, Abubucker S, Sternberg PW, Ranganathan S, Mitreva M, Gasser RB, Nucleic Acid Res. 2010; 38(17):e171.

Abstract available through pubmed: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20682560

Link to supplementary information

First transcriptomic analysis of the economically important parasitic nematode, Trichostrongylus colubriformis, using a next-generation sequencing approach

Cantacessi C, Mitreva M, Campbell BE, Hall RS, Young ND, Jex AR, Ranganathan S, Gasser RB, Infect Genet Evol. 2010; 10(8):1199-1207

Abstract available through pubmed: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20692378

A portrait of the transcriptome of the neglected trematode, Fasciola gigantica - biological and biotechnological implications.

Young ND, Jex AR, Cantacessi C, Hall RS, Campbell BE, Spithill TW, Tangkawattana S, Tangkawattana P, Laha T, Gasser RB:, PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2011; 5(2):e1004.

Abstract available through pubmed: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21408104

Query our Fasciola gigantica sequence data here

Insights into SCP/TAPS proteins of liver flukes based on large-scale bioinformatic analyses of sequence datasets.

Cantacessi C, Hofmann A, Young ND, Broder U, Hall RS, Loukas A, Gasser RB, PLoS One. 2012 in press.

Download liver fluke SCP/TAPS proteins described in this manuscript

Next : Publications

The RIO protein kinase-encoding gene Sj-riok-2 is involved in key reproductive processes in Schistosoma japonicum

Parasit Vectors. 2017 Dec 12;10(1):604

Authors: Zhao L, He X, Grevelding CG, Ye Q, Li Y, Gasser RB, Dissous C, Mughal MN, Zhou YQ, Zhao JL, Hu M

Abstract

Background:

Schistosomiasis is one of the most prevalent parasitic diseases worldwide and is caused by parasitic trematodes of the genus Schistosoma. The pathogenesis of schistosomiasis is caused by eggs whose production is the consequence of the pairing of schistosomes and the subsequent sexual maturation of the female. Previous studies have demonstrated that protein kinases are involved in processes leading to the male-induced differentiation of the female gonads, ovary and vitellarium. Right open reading frame protein kinase 2 (RIOK-2) is a member of the atypical kinase family and shown in other organisms to be responsible for ribosomal RNA biogenesis and cell-cycle progression, as well as involves in nematode development. However, nothing is known about its functions in any trematode including schistosome.

Methods:

We isolated and characterized the riok-2 gene from S. japonicum, and detected the transcriptional profiles of Sj-riok-2 by using real-time PCR and in situ hybridization. RNAi-mediated knockdown of Sj-riok-2 was performed, mitotic activities were detected by EdU incorporation assay and morphological changes on organs were observed by confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM).

Results:

In silico analyses of the amino acid sequence of Sj-RIOK-2 revealed typical features of this class of kinases including a winged helix (wHTH) domain and a RIO kinase domain. Sj-riok-2 is transcribed in different developmental stages of S. japonicum, with a higher abundance in adult females and eggs. Localization studies showed that Sj-riok-2 was mainly transcribed in female reproductive organs. Experiments with adult schistosomes in vitro demonstrated that the transcriptional level of Sj-riok-2 was affected by pairing. Knocking down Sj-riok-2 by RNAi reduced cell proliferation in the vitellarium and caused the increased amount of mature oocytes in ovary and an accumulation of eggs within the uterus.

Conclusions:

Sj-riok-2 is involved in the reproductive development and maturation of female S. japonicum. Our findings provide first evidence for a pairing-dependent role of Sj-riok-2 in the reproductive development and maturation of female S. japonicum. Thus this study contributes to the understanding of molecular processes controlling reproduction in schistosomes.

PMID: 29233188 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

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