Abstract
Small non-coding RNAs including microRNAs and small interfering RNAs play important roles in many biological processes of many organisms. Argonaute proteins serve as a key component of the RNA-induced silencing complex for mediating miRNA/siRNA functions. In the present study, we systematically investigated Argonaute proteins in Schistosoma japonicum by using bioinformatics in combination with 5′- and 3′-Rapid Amplification of cDNA ends techniques and thus obtained three full-length cDNAs encoding Argonaute proteins, named as SjAgo1, SjAgo2, and SjAgo3, respectively. Additionally, SjAgo1/2/3 were differentially expressed in different developmental stages of schistosomes as determined by real-time RT-PCR and Western blot. Taken together, our preliminary results suggested that SjAgo1/2/3 may control gene expression during the life cycle of S. japonicum and therefore may regulate schistosome development and other biological processes.
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Acknowledgements
This research was, in part or in whole, supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 30901068), Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality of China (Grant No.10410703400), Shanghai Talent Developing Foundation of China (Grant No.2009032), and Basic Foundation for Scientific Research of State-level Public Welfare Institutes of China (Grant No.2008JB18 and 2009JB08). We thank the Schistosoma japonicum Genome Sequencing and Functional Analysis Consortium for making Schistosoma japonicum genome available.
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Jing Chen and Yanping Yang contributed equally to this study.
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Chen, J., Yang, Y., Guo, S. et al. Molecular cloning and expression profiles of Argonaute proteins in Schistosoma japonicum . Parasitol Res 107, 889–899 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-010-1946-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-010-1946-3