RNA-Seq of Cryptocotyle lingua: sequencing of the transcriptome for a new model in experimental parasitology

Realization of behavior by the nervous system is one of the central questions in neurobiology. Many aspects were revealed by the application of the organisms with the simple nervous system. However, parasites were rarely used as a model. In the project, we introduce a new model for experimental parasitology and neurobiology - cercaria of the trematode Cryptocotyle lingua (Digenea: Heterophyidae). This model has unique properties: extremely simple nervous system, a transparent body, a rather complex, but easily interpreted behavior, accessibility and potential for laboratory cultivation. The main part of the project is dedicated to the sequencing and the annotation of the transcriptome of the free-living trematode larva - cercaria. Identification of the genes and their expression profiles is necessary for further research on the C. lingua model at the cellular and molecular level. In the second part of the project, we will study the spatial and temporal expression of genes involved in the regulation of the nervous system of the cercaria model.