De novo transcriptomic response of Pirenella cingulata (Gastropoda) infected with trematode parasites

Pirenella cingulata a snail from intertidal mudflat serves as the first intermediate host of multi-trophic trematode parasites. Trematodes alter the physiological processes of the host, predominantly the immune system, metabolism and cytoskeleton. This is the preliminary investigation where genes involved in the P. cingulata-trematode interaction were analyzed using a de novo transcriptomic approach, revealing differentially expressed genes mostly suppressing immune responses, altering metabolic, cytoskeletal, and transport-related processes. These physiological curbs in gastropod populations brought about by trematodes will have wider ecological ramifications considering the large populations of this snail on any given mudflat and its pan-global distribution. As trematode community in the estuarine ecosystem is trophically linked to diverse communities while infecting and influencing diverse hosts their functions can reverberate in much larger magnitude.