Comparative insights to the transportome of Nosema : a genus of parasitic microsporidians

Abstract Nosema, a genus of parasitic microsporidia, causes pebrine disease in arthropods, including economically important silkworms and honeybees. Nosema have gene-poor genomes shaped by loss of the metabolic pathways, as a consequence of continued dependence on host-derived substrates. As an act of counterbalance, they have developed an array of transporter proteins that allow stealing from their hosts. Here, we have identified the core set of twelve transporter families present in Nosema genus, viz. N. apis, N. bombycis, N. ceranae and N. antheraea through in silico pipeline. Transportomes of N. apis, N. bombycis, N. ceranae and N. antheraea have a dominant share of secondary carriers and primary active transporters. The comparatively rich and diverse transportome of N. bombycis indicates the role of transporters in its remarkable capability of host adaptation. The core set of transporter families of Nosema includes ones that have a likely role in osmo-regulation, intra- and extra-cellular pH regulation, energy compensation and self-defence mechanism. This study has also revealed a set of ten species-specific transporter families within the genus. To our knowledge, this is the first ever intra-genus study on microsporidian transporters. Both these datasets constitutes a valuable resource that can aid in development of inhibitor-based Nosema management strategies.