Global miRNA expression profiling of domestic cat livers following acute Toxoplasma gondii infection

Cong, Wei; Zhang, Xiao-Xuan; He, Jun-Jun; Li, Fa-Cai; Elsheikha, Hany M.; Zhu, Xing-Quan

Previous studies showed that T. gondii infection can alter the expression of host miRNAs, indicating that miRNAs may be involved in the pathogenesis of T. gondii infection [21] [22] [23] [24] . Our results have also shown that acute T. gondii infection alters the level of miRNAs in the liver of domestic cats. In the present study, we used small RNA sequencing to identify cellular miRNAs and signaling pathways involved in the response of cats to T. gondii infection. Specifically, we determined miRNAs that are differentially expressed by comparing sham-infected to T. gondii-infected cat livers at 7 days after infection. This analysis identified 82 differentially expressed microRNAs, of which 33 were increased and 49 decreased. By using qRT-PCR, the expression level of six up-regulated miRNAs (mmu-miR-21a-5p, mmu-miR-20a-5p, mmu-miR-17-5p, mmu-miR-30e-3p, mmu-miR-142a-3p, and mmu-miR-106b-3p) were consistent with the results obtained by sequencing analysis. Knowledge of molecular changes in human liver during the acute phase of toxoplasmosis is lacking due to the mild and subtle nature of this infection especially in immune-component individuals [1, 2] . Hence, these findings may serve as the basis for understanding the molecular mechanisms associated with hepatic pathology during acute T. gondii infection.