Littorina snails and Microphallus trematodes: Diverse consequences of the trematode-induced metabolic shifts

The intricate relationships between parasites and hosts encompass a wide range of levels, from molecular interactions to population dynamics. Parasites influence not only the physiological processes in the host organism, but also the entire ecosystem, affecting mortality of individuals, the number o...

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Published in:	Parasitology research (1987) Vol. 123; no. 6; p. 229
Main Authors:	Repkin, Egor A., Gafarova, Elizaveta R., Varfolomeeva, Marina A., Kurjachii, Dmitrii S., Polev, Dmitrii E., Shavarda, Alexei L., Maslakov, Georgiy P., Mullakhmetov, Roman I., Zubova, Ekaterina V., Bariev, Timur B., Granovitch, Andrei I., Maltseva, Arina L.
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01-06-2024 Springer Nature B.V
Subjects:	Acetylcholinesterase Amino acid sequence Animals Biomedical and Life Sciences Biomedicine Castration Catabolites Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry Gastropoda Host-Parasite Interactions Immunology Infections Lipid metabolism Littorina Medical Microbiology Metabolism Metabolome Metabolomics Microbiology Microbiomes Microphallus Molecular modelling Mollusca Mollusks Neuromuscular junctions Nitrogen cycle Parasites Population dynamics Snails - parasitology Trematoda - metabolism Trematoda - physiology Parasite influence Microbiota Host manipulation Energy metabolism distortion Nitrogen cycling Host-parasite interactions
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Summary:	The intricate relationships between parasites and hosts encompass a wide range of levels, from molecular interactions to population dynamics. Parasites influence not only the physiological processes in the host organism, but also the entire ecosystem, affecting mortality of individuals, the number of offspring through parasitic castration, and matter and energy cycles. Understanding the molecular mechanisms that govern host-parasite relationships and their impact on host physiology and environment remains challenging. In this study, we analyzed how infection with Microphallus trematodes affects the metabolome of two Littorina snail species inhabiting different intertidal zone shore levels. We applied non-targeted GC–MS-based metabolomics to analyze biochemical shifts induced by trematode infection in a host organism. We have identified changes in energy, amino acid, sugar, and lipid metabolism. In particular, we observed intensified amino acid catabolism and nitrogenous catabolites (glutamine, urea) production. These changes primarily correlated with infection and interspecies differences of the hosts rather than shore level. The changes detected in the host metabolism indicate that other aspects of life may have been affected, both within the host organism and at a supra-organismal level. Therefore, we explored changes in microbiota composition, deviations in the host molluscs behavior, and acetylcholinesterase activity (ACE, an enzyme involved in neuromuscular transmission) in relation to infection. Infected snails displayed changes in their microbiome composition. Decreased ACE activity in snails was associated with reduced mobility, but whether it is associated with trematode infection remains unclear. The authors suggest a connection between the identified biochemical changes and the deformation of the shell of molluscs, changes in their behavior, and the associated microbiome. The role of parasitic systems formed by microphallid trematodes and Littorina snails in the nitrogen cycle at the ecosystem level is also assumed.
Bibliography:	ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23
ISSN:	0932-0113 1432-1955 1432-1955
DOI:	10.1007/s00436-024-08244-8