Authors

Discussion

Brugia malayi is a filarial nematode, and one of three causative agents of lymphatic filariasis (elephantiasis) in humans- a disease that is the second-highest cause for physical disability worldwide. Like several other filarial nematodes, it relies heavily on an intracellular bacterium known as Wolbachia, an obligate symbiont. Clearance of the bacterium via antibiotics results in stunted worm growth, infertility, and eventual death.

Yet even knowing the two organisms have such a critical relationship, and that this dependency is shared amongst many medically-important filarial nematodes, comparatively little is known about the exact mechanism behind it. Previous studies have indicated the symbiotic relationship depends on a mixture of factors, including metabolic provisioning and human immune-system evasion.

Taking a bioinformatics-heavy approach, this project intends to draw definitive answers as to the exact relationship the two organisms share. Bioinformatics allows for the analysis of both organism’s genomes, proteomes, and RNA-omes over the nematode lifecycle, which will show gene regulation at certain time-points. This allows for identification of genes important for the maintenance of overall symbiosis between the organisms, which may warrant further investigation/exploitation to further understanding of the debilitating disease they cause.