AUTHOR=GAO Fei , WANG Rui , Liu Mingyuan 

TITLE=Trichinella spiralis, potential model nematode for epigenetics and its implication in metazoan parasitism

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Physiology

VOLUME=4

YEAR=2014

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/physiology/articles/10.3389/fphys.2013.00410

DOI=10.3389/fphys.2013.00410

ISSN=1664-042X

ABSTRACT=<p>The recent discovery of DNA methylation in the nematode <italic>T.spiralis</italic> may raise the possibility of using it as a potential model organism for epigenetic studies instead of <italic>C. elegans</italic>, which is deficient in this important epigenetic modification. In contrast to the free-living nematode <italic>C. elegans, T. spiralis</italic> is a parasitic worm that possesses a complicated life cycle and undergoes a complex developmental regulation of genes. We emphasize that the differential methylomes in the different life-history stages of <italic>T. spiralis</italic> can provide insight on how DNA methylation is triggered and regulated. In particular, we have demonstrated that DNA methylation is involved in the regulation of its parasitism-related genes. Further computational analyses indicated that the regulatory machinery for DNA methylation can also be found in the <italic>T. spiralis</italic> genome. By a logical extension of this point, we speculate that comprehensively addressing the epigenetic machinery of <italic>T. spiralis</italic> may help to understand epigenetics in invertebrates. Furthermore, considering the implication of epigenetics in metazoan parasitism, using <italic>T. spiralis</italic> as an epigenetic model organism may further contribute to drug development against metazoan parasites.</p>