Identification and preliminary characterization of Hc-clec-160, a novel C-type lectin domain-containing gene of the strongylid nematode Haemonchus contortus

BACKGROUND: The strongylid parasite Haemonchus contortus causes severe anemia in domestic animals worldwide. Effective preventive and therapeutical agents are lacking, because of drug resistance and that little is known about the molecular mechanism of the interaction between H. contortus and host cells. METHODS: A new gene, Hc-clec-160, was discovered with RT-PCR. Transcriptional levels of Hc-clec-160 and Ce-clec-160 throughout different growth phases of corresponding nematodes were assayed by qPCR. Immunofluorescence staining of paraffin section were performed to determine the protein localization in adult worms of H. contortus. To monitor the promoter capacity of the 5'-flanking region of Ce-clec-160, micro-injection was used. Overexpression and RNAi constructs was carried out in the N2 strain of Caenorhabditis elegans to find out the gene function of Hc-clec-160. RESULTS: The full-length cDNA of 1224 bp of Hc-clec-160 was cloned by RT-PCR. The corresponding gene contained twelve exons. Its transcripts peaked in male adult worms. Hc-CLEC-160 was predicted to have a Willebrand factor type A (vWA) domain and a C-type lectin domain. The proteins were not detected by expression in C. elegans or paraffin section experiments in adult of H. contortus. Knockdown of Ce-clec-160 expression in C. elegans by RNAi resulted in shortened body length and decreased brood size. CONCLUSIONS: In this experiment, a new gene Hc-clec-160 was obtained in H. contortus and its function was addressed using a model organism: C. elegans. Our study showed that Hc-clec-160 possesses characteristics similar to those of Ce-clec-160 and plays an important role in the growth and reproduction of this parasitic nematode. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1186/s13071-018-3005-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.