Ancient diversity in host-parasite interaction genes in a model parasitic nematode

Lewis Stevens (), Isaac Martínez-Ugalde, Erna King, Martin Wagah, Dominic Absolon, Rowan Bancroft, Pablo Gonzalez de la Rosa, Jessica L. Hall, Manuela Kieninger, Agnieszka Kloch, Sarah Pelan, Elaine Robertson, Amy B. Pedersen, Cei Abreu-Goodger, Amy H. Buck and Mark Blaxter ()
Additional contact information
Lewis Stevens: Wellcome Sanger Institute
Isaac Martínez-Ugalde: University of Edinburgh
Erna King: Wellcome Sanger Institute
Martin Wagah: Wellcome Sanger Institute
Dominic Absolon: Wellcome Sanger Institute
Rowan Bancroft: University of Edinburgh
Pablo Gonzalez de la Rosa: Wellcome Sanger Institute
Jessica L. Hall: University of Edinburgh
Manuela Kieninger: Wellcome Sanger Institute
Agnieszka Kloch: University of Warsaw
Sarah Pelan: Wellcome Sanger Institute
Elaine Robertson: University of Edinburgh
Amy B. Pedersen: University of Edinburgh
Cei Abreu-Goodger: University of Edinburgh
Amy H. Buck: University of Edinburgh
Mark Blaxter: Wellcome Sanger Institute

Nature Communications, 2023, vol. 14, issue 1, 1-19

Abstract: Abstract Host-parasite interactions exert strong selection pressures on the genomes of both host and parasite. These interactions can lead to negative frequency-dependent selection, a form of balancing selection that is hypothesised to explain the high levels of polymorphism seen in many host immune and parasite antigen loci. Here, we sequence the genomes of several individuals of Heligmosomoides bakeri, a model parasite of house mice, and Heligmosomoides polygyrus, a closely related parasite of wood mice. Although H. bakeri is commonly referred to as H. polygyrus in the literature, their genomes show levels of divergence that are consistent with at least a million years of independent evolution. The genomes of both species contain hyper-divergent haplotypes that are enriched for proteins that interact with the host immune response. Many of these haplotypes originated prior to the divergence between H. bakeri and H. polygyrus, suggesting that they have been maintained by long-term balancing selection. Together, our results suggest that the selection pressures exerted by the host immune response have played a key role in shaping patterns of genetic diversity in the genomes of parasitic nematodes.

Date: 2023
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-43556-w

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