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Hirudins and hirudin-like factors in Hirudinidae: implications for function and phylogenetic relationships

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Abstract

Haematophagous leeches express a broad variety of bioactive factors that are released from the salivary gland cells into the wound of a host during feeding. Among these, hirudin is probably the best studied factor and, moreover, the only one that has successfully made the transition from nature to clinical use. Many components of the leech saliva still remain either poorly characterized or yet completely unknown. Only recently, a new class of leech-derived factors has been discovered in Hirudo medicinalis, the hirudin-like factors (HLFs). HLFs comprise typical structural features of hirudin but lack others. We were able to verify the expression of HLFs not only in two additional species of the genus Hirudo, but also in Hirudinaria manillensis. Various phylogenetic analyses based on gene and protein sequences support a sister group relationship between hirudins and HLFs. Although potential molecular targets of HLFs remain unknown, the presence of multiple isoforms in individual leeches of different genera points to key functions in the regulation of several processes associated with the blood-sucking life style of leeches.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Detlef Menzel (Futura-Egel-Zucht, Potsdam) for providing the Hirudo specimens and Bethany Sawyer (Biopharm U.K. Ltd, Swansea) for providing the Hirudinaria specimens. We are thankful to Sabine Ziesemer and Amanda Wiesenthal for critical reading of the manuscript and to the reviewers for their constructive and helpful comments. Sarah Lemke received a doctoral stipend from the Konrad Adenauer-Stiftung, Germany.

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  1. Animal Physiology and Biochemistry, Zoological Institute and Museum, Ernst Moritz Arndt-University, Greifswald, Germany

    Christian Müller, Sarah Lemke & Jan-Peter Hildebrandt

  2. Vogelwarte, Zoological Institute and Museum, Ernst Moritz Arndt-University, Greifswald, Germany

    Martin Haase

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We declare that the experiments described in this paper comply with the current laws in Germany. All applicable international, national and/or institutional guidelines for the care and use of animals were followed. This article does not contain any studies with human participants performed by any of the authors.

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Fig. S1

Phylogenetic trees based on best-fitting substitution matrix WAG + I + Γ. The remaining settings were identical to the analyses presented in the main text. a Bayesian reconstruction based on protein sequences of hirudin, haemadin, hirujin and HLF variants including a putative hirudin sequence of Macrobdella decora. b Bayesian reconstruction based on protein sequences without the putative hirudin sequence of Macrobdella decora. Node support as posterior probabilities. Scale bars indicate substitutions per site. Hiru_med, Hirudo medicinalis; Hiru_ver, Hirudo verbana; Hiru_ori, Hirudo orientalis; Hiru_man, Hirudinaria manillensis; Haem_syl, Haemadipsa sylvestris; Haem_int, Haemadipsa interrupta; Poec_vir, Poecilobdella viridis, Alio_fen, Aliolimnatis fenestrata, Macr_dec, Macrobdella decora, Plac_kwe, Placobdella kwetlumye, Plac_ par, Placobdella parasitica. (GIF 52 kb)

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Müller, C., Haase, M., Lemke, S. et al. Hirudins and hirudin-like factors in Hirudinidae: implications for function and phylogenetic relationships. Parasitol Res 116, 313–325 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-016-5294-9

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