Chromatin accessibility landscape of a parasitic nematode during embryogenesis

Abstract

Background: Chromatin accessibility is a fundamental determinant of genome regulation, enabling transcription factors and RNA polymerase to bind DNA and drive developmental programs. While accessibility landscapes have been studied in model organisms such as Caenorhabditis elegans, almost nothing is known about the regulatory architecture of parasitic nematodes. Results: We used assay for transposase-accessible chromatin with sequencing (ATAC-seq) to characterise the first genome-wide chromatin accessibility map for Haemonchus contortus – a major pathogen of ruminants and a key model organism for the parasitic nematode order Strongylida, which includes many pathogens of humans and animals. A..