Transcriptomics and Proteomics of Haemonchus contortus in Response to Ivermectin Treatment

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Haemonchus contortus has a serious impact on the gastrointestinal health of ruminants and the economic sustainable development of animal husbandry. In this study, we examined transcriptomic and proteomic differences in ivermectin-resistant and -susceptible strains of H. contortus before and after Ivermectin (IVM) treatment. The results of two omics association analyses showed that UDP-glycosyltransferases (UGT), glutathione S-transferase (GST), cytochrome P450 (CYP), and p-glycoprotein (Pgp) genes play important roles in H. contortus drug resistance. Our study may provide useful data and new targets for research on the resistance response of H. contortus. ABSTRACT: A major problem faced by the agricultural industry is the resistance of Haemonchus contortus to anthelmintic drugs. For a better understanding of the response of H. contortus to IVM and for the screening of drug-resistance-related genes, we used RNA sequencing and isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantification (iTRAQ) technology to detect the transcriptomic and proteomic changes in H. contortus after ivermectin treatment. An integrated analysis of the two omics showed that the differentially expressed genes and proteins were significantly enriched in the pathways of amino acid degradation, the metabolism of xenobiotics by cytochrome P450, the biosynthesis of amino acids, and the tricarboxylic acid cycle. We found that the upregulated UDP-glycosyltransferases (UGT), glutathione S-transferase (GST), cytochrome P450 (CYP), and p-glycoprotein (Pgp) genes play important roles in drug resistance in H. contortus. Our work will help in the understanding of the transcriptome and proteome changes in H. contortus after IVM and will facilitate the discovery of genes related to drug resistance. This information can be further applied to increase the understanding of the response of IVM in relation to H. contortus.