Genome-wide expression analysis of the effects of a parasitic nematode's secreted exosomes on mammalian cells.

We show that a gastrointestinal nematode that infects mice, Heligmosomoides polygyrus, secretes vesicles packaged with specific microRNAs (miRNAs) and Y RNAs as well as a nematode-specific Argonaute protein. The vesicles are of intestinal origin and are enriched for homologs of mammalian proteins found in exosomes, including heat shock proteins, tetraspanins and an ESCORT protein. The nematode-derived vesicles are internalized by mouse intestinal epithelial cells and mediate changes in expression of host genes involved in inflammation and immunity, including the receptor for the alarmin IL33 as well as a key regulator of MAPK signaling, DUSP1. A total of 12 samples were analyzed, from 4 different conditions: medium, exosome-treated, LPS and LPS+exosomes, each with 3 biological replicates. One of the 'medium' replicates was discarded due to outlier behaviour.