Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40163807›Full record

ArticlePLoS neglected tropical diseases2025

Spatial proteomics of Onchocerca volvulus with pleomorphic neoplasms shows local and systemic dysregulation of protein expression.

Lucia S Di Maggio, Kerstin Fischer, Bruce A Rosa, Devyn Yates, Byoung-Kyu Cho, Jessica Lukowski, Antonia Zamacona Calderon, Minsoo Son, Young Ah Goo, Nicholas O Opoku and 3 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in PLoS neglected tropical diseases, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Review
  3. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors.

Lucia S Di MaggioInfectious Diseases Division, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America.ORCID 0000-0001-9558-4157
Kerstin FischerInfectious Diseases Division, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America.
Bruce A RosaInfectious Diseases Division, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America.
Devyn YatesInfectious Diseases Division, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America.
Byoung-Kyu ChoMass Spectrometry Technology Access Center at McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America.
Jessica LukowskiMass Spectrometry Technology Access Center at McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America.
Antonia Zamacona CalderonMass Spectrometry Technology Access Center at McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America.
Minsoo SonMass Spectrometry Technology Access Center at McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America.
Young Ah GooMass Spectrometry Technology Access Center at McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America.
Nicholas O OpokuFred Newton Binka School of Public Health, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho, Ghana.
Gary J WeilInfectious Diseases Division, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America.
Makedonka MitrevaInfectious Diseases Division, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America.
Peter U FischerInfectious Diseases Division, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America.ORCID 0000-0003-4558-3417

Funding

Washington University Center for Cellular ImagingP30CA091842 · NCI · WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY · PI TIMOTHY J. EBERLEIN · 2001 to 2026
$128.0M
WU INSTITUTE OF CLINICAL AND TRANSLATIONAL SCIENCESUL1TR002345 · NCATS · WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY · PI William G. Powderly · 2017 to 2026
$97.8M
WU P&FP30DK020579 · NIDDK · WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY · PI Clay F. Semenkovich · 2013 to 2026
$27.1M
Gates Foundation INV-021433NCATS NIH HHS UL1 TR002345NCI NIH HHS P30 CA091842NIDDK NIH HHS P30 DK020579
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Onchocerca volvulus is the agent of onchocerciasis (river blindness) and targeted by WHO for elimination though mass drug administration with ivermectin. A small percentage of adult female worms develop pleomorphic neoplasms (PN) which occur more frequently after ivermectin treatment. Worms with PN have a lower life expectancy and improved understanding of proteins expressed in PN and their impact on different tissues could help elucidate the mechanisms of macrofilaricidal activity of ivermectin. Within paraffin embedded nodules removed after ivermectin treatment, we detected 24 (5.6%) O. volvulus females with PN. To assess the protein inventory of the PN and identify proteins potentially linked with tumor development, we used laser capture microdissection and highly sensitive mass spectrometry analysis. Three female worms were used to compare the protein profiles of three tissue types (body wall, uterus, and intestine) to the PN, and then to healthy female worms without PN. The healthy females showed all normal embryogenesis. In PN worms, 151 proteins were detected in the body wall, 215 proteins in the intestine, 47 proteins in the uterus and 1,577 proteins in the PN. Only the uterus of one PN female with some stretched intrauterine microfilariae had an elevated number of proteins (601) detectable, while in the uteri of the healthy females 1,710 proteins were detected. Even in tissues that were not directly affected by PN (intestine, body wall), fewer proteins were detected compared to the corresponding tissue of the healthy controls. Immunolocalization of calcium binding protein OvDig-1 (OVOC8391), which was identified through mass spectrometry as one of the proteins with the highest spectral counts in the PN tissue triplicates, allowed us to confirm the results using an independent method. In conclusion we identified proteins that are potentially linked to the development of PN, and systemic dysregulation of protein expression may contribute to worm mortality.

Indexed as

Helminth ProteinsNeoplasmsOnchocerca volvulusOnchocerciasisAnimalsFemaleHumansIvermectinMass SpectrometryProteomicsHelminth ProteinsIvermectin

Identifiers

PMID40163807
PMCPMC11981190

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.