Revisiting the Asian Buffalo Leech (
Research article published in Genes (2023)
Abstract
Leeches are well-known annelids due to their obligate blood-feeding habits. Some leech species secrete various biologically active substances which have important medical and pharmaceutical value in antithrombotic treatments. In this study, we provided a high-quality genome of the Asian buffalo leech (Hirudinaria manillensis), based on which we performed a systematic identification of potential antithrombotic genes and their corresponding proteins. Combining automatic and manual prediction, we identified 21 antithrombotic gene families including fourteen coagulation inhibitors, three platelet aggregation inhibitors, three fibrinolysis enhancers, and one tissue penetration enhancer. A total of 72 antithrombotic genes, including two pseudogenes, were identified, including most of their corresponding proteins forming three or more disulfide bonds. Three protein families (LDTI, antistasin, and granulin) had internal tandem repeats containing 6, 10, and 12 conserved cysteines, respectively. We also measured the anticoagulant activities of the five identified hirudins (hirudin_Hman1 ~ hirudin_Hman5). The results showed that three (hirudin_Hman1, hirudin_Hman2, and hirudin_Hman5), but not the remaining two, exhibited anticoagulant activities. Our study provides the most comprehensive collection of antithrombotic biomacromolecules from a leech to date. These results will greatly facilitate the research and application of leech derivatives for medical and pharmaceutical purposes in the treatment of thrombotic diseases.
Abstract sourced from PubMed (NCBI) for the cited record. See the original publication for the authoritative version.
Summary
Leeches are well-known annelids due to their obligate blood-feeding habits. Some leech species secrete various biologically active substances which have important medical and pharmaceutical value in antithrombotic treatments.
Why This Matters for Hirudotherapy
This study generated a high-quality genome of the Asian buffalo leech (Hirudinaria manillensis) and systematically identified 21 antithrombotic gene families comprising 72 genes, including coagulation inhibitors, platelet aggregation inhibitors, fibrinolysis enhancers, and a tissue penetration enhancer, with experimental confirmation of anticoagulant activity in three of five identified hirudins. This work is directly relevant to hirudotherapy and the leech salivary secretome, as it provides the most comprehensive molecular catalog to date of the antithrombotic biomacromolecules produced by a medicinal leech species, characterizing the structural basis—including disulfide bonding patterns and conserved cysteine repeats—of proteins that underlie the therapeutic effects of leech feeding. However, this is a preclinical genomic and in vitro biochemical characterization; the antithrombotic proteins were identified and assayed in isolation, not in the context of live leech therapy or clinical application, and their pharmacological utility in patients remains unestablished.
Citation
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