Identification of surface accessible proteins in parasitic nematode extracellular vesicles

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are membrane-bound nanoparticles released by the cells of many organisms, containing important biological molecules including bioactive proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids. EVs are shed by parasitic nematodes into the host environment and have been shown to play a crucial role in establishment and maintenance of chronic infection through their interaction with host cells, these EVs transmit information and play an important immunomodulatory role at the parasite-host interface. Along with their role in the establishment and maintenance of chronic infection, parasitic EVs are potential biomarkers of infection due to the species, sex, and life stage specificity of their cargo and structural composition. The exploitation of parasite EVs as a novel diagnostic tool is of particular importance in controlling parasitic nematode diseases. Helminth infections, including dirofilariasis and ascariasis, are a global health concern, but current diagnostic tools for these infections are invasive and suboptimal. Leveraging parasitic nematode EVs to address this challenge is appealing, but progress in identifying effective protein biomarkers in parasitic nematode EVs has been hindered by our general lack of descriptive information on their proteomes and spatial information on which their proteins are accessible to current diagnostic approaches. Here, we adopt a multiple-proteomic approach to analyze Ascaris suum and Dirofilaria immitis EV proteomes and identify proteins containing transmembrane helices, as surface accessible peptides present a clear target with biomarker potential. Our data is necessary in understanding biological function of EVs in recipient cells and unlocking the utilization of EVs as diagnostic biomarkers.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science

Level thesis:degree_level

thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Cellular biology

Department dc:contributor.department

Department of Biomedical Sciences

Grantor

Iowa State University

Year dc:date.issued

2024

Author dc:creator

• Sondjaja, Noelle Angelique

Advisors dc:contributor.advisor

• Kimber, Michael J
• Day, Timothy
• Verhoeven, David

Language dc:language.iso

en

DOI

https://doi.org/10.31274/td-20240617-2

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dr.lib.iastate.edu:20.500.12876/2vaZLR7r