Fasciola hepatica single cell RNA-seq

The liver fluke Fasciola hepatica is a parasitic flatworm that causes fascioliasis, a neglected tropical disease and zoonosis. Knowledge on the parasites cell types and cell-specific gene expression would facilitate drug discovery and allow gaining a deeper understanding of the parasites cellular biology. By utilizing single-cell RNA sequencing , we analyzed 19,581 cells of the adult stage of this parasite and identified 15 distinct clusters including cells of the reproductive tract, the gastrodermis and muscle cells. These data provide novel insight into the cellular composition of a complex multicellular parasite and demonstrate how gene expression at single-cell resolution can serve as a resource for the identification of new drug targets.