Epigenetic Markers Associated with Schistosomiasis

R A Gomes Assenço; E Alves Mota; V F De Oliveira; W De Castro Borges; R Guerra-Sá

doi:10.2478/helm-2021-0009

Epigenetic Markers Associated with Schistosomiasis

Helminthologia. 2021 Feb 10;58(1):28-40. doi: 10.2478/helm-2021-0009. eCollection 2021 Mar.

Authors

R A Gomes Assenço¹, E Alves Mota², V F De Oliveira^{2

3}, W De Castro Borges^{1

4}, R Guerra-Sá^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Farmacêuticas (CiPharma), Escola de Farmácia, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto. Ouro Preto, CEP 35400-000, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
² Laboratório de Bioquímica e Biologia Molecular (LBBM), Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Instituto de Ciências Exatas e Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto. Ouro Preto, CEP 35400-000, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
³ Laboratório de Biologia Molecular Aplicada ao Diagnóstico (LABMAD), Departamento de Análises Clínicas e Toxicológicas, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas, Universidade de São Paulo. São Paulo, CEP 05508-999, São Paulo, Brazil.
⁴ Laboratório de Enzimologia e Proteômica (LEP), Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Instituto de Ciências Exatas e Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto. Ouro Preto, CEP 35400-000, Minas Gerais, Brazil.

Abstract

It is important to consider the use of the epigenome as source of complementary data for genome knowledge, which is suitable for the diagnosis of schistosomiasis. Usually, a laboratory diagnosis of schistosomiasis is performed by means of 1. Egg detection in the stool or urine by microscopy remains with limited sensitivity; 2. Immunological screening, in which positivity persists after treatment, and 3. Molecular appraisals prevail over the disadvantages of the currently used methods. In this sense, molecular methodologies are being developed based on epigenetic biomarkers, aiming to improve the diagnosis of the disease and clinical treatment as early as possible to prevent the occurrence of serious liver damage.

Keywords: DNA methylation; Schistosomiasis; epigenetic markers; histone modification; miRNAs.

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa de Minas Gerais (FAPEMIG) (CBB - APQ-02101-11) and the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) (479317/2012-7).