De novo assembly and comparative analysis of Poecilobdella javanica transcriptome unravels the underlying mechanisms of medicinal leech during blood feeding

The leeches (family Hirudinidae) are classic model invertebrates in diverse clinical treatments. The blood-feeding habit is essential for these therapies, yet the molecular mechanisms underlying the process are poorly understood. In the present study, the transcriptome of Poecilobdella javanica from five time points (days 0, 1, 10, 20, and 30 separately) of blood feeding was sequenced with short paired-end reads.