H19/Mir-130b-3p/Cyp4a14 potentiate the effect of praziquantel on liver in the treatment of Schistosoma japonicum infection

Abstract

Abstract Background Schistosomiasis is a prevalent infectious disease caused by the parasitic trematodes of the genus Schistosoma. Praziquantel (PZQ), which is safe and affordable, is the recommended oral treatment for schistosomiasis. Schistosoma japonicum is the major species that cause liver damage. However, RNA molecules and their interaction that play critical roles in the effect of PZQ on the liver after S. japonicum infection remain elusive. Results In this study, C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into 3 groups: the Control group, infection group (SJ), and PZQ treatment group (SE). The total RNA was extracted from the liver of mice. High-throughput whole transcriptome sequencing was performed to detect the RNA expression profiles in three groups. A co-expression gene-interaction network was established based on significant differently expressed genes in PZQ treatment, and mRNA Cyp4a14 was identified as a critical hub gene. Furthermore, ceRNA network were constructed by predicting the specific binding relations among mRNA-lncRNA, and lncRNA-miRNA of Cyp4a14, suggesting a potential regulatory axis H19/miR-130b-3p/Cyp4a14. Dual luciferase reporter assay result proved the specific binding of miR-130b-3p to Cyp4a14 3'UTR. Conclusions Our findings indicated that the H19/Mir-130b-3p/Cyp4a14 axis might involve in the effect of PZQ on the liver after S. japonicum infection, and the expression of mRNA Cyp4a14 could be regulated by miR-130b-3p through binding with the 3’UTR of Cyp4a14. The findings in the present study providing a new view to understand the host response to PZQ against S. japonicum in the future.