Schistosoma mekongi, a significant schistosome parasite, has various life stages, including egg, cercaria, female, and male, that play crucial roles in the complex life cycle. This study aimed to explore the microRNA (miRNA) profiles across these developmental stages to understand their potential functions and evolutionary significance, which have not been studied. Pre-processed sequencing reads of small RNA (sRNA) were obtained, and annotations were performed against the S. japonicum reference miRNA database. Results indicated marked variations in miRNA profiles across different life stages, with notable similarities observed between female and male S. mekongi. Principal Coordinate Analysis (PCoA) and unsupervised clustering revealed distinct miRNA signatures for each stage. Gene ontology (GO) analysis unveiled the potential roles of these miRNAs in various biological processes. The differential expression of specific miRNAs was prominent across stages, suggesting their involvement in crucial developmental processes. Furthermore, orthologous miRNA analysis against various worm species revealed distinct presence–absence patterns, providing insights into the evolutionary relationships of these miRNAs. In conclusion, this comprehensive investigation into the miRNA profiles of S. mekongi offers valuable insights into the functional and evolutionary aspects of miRNAs in schistosome biology.

湄公河血吸虫是一种重要的血吸虫寄生虫，有多种生命阶段，包括卵、尾蚴、雌性和雄性，它们在复杂的生命周期中起着至关重要的作用。本研究旨在探索这些发育阶段的 microRNA （miRNA） 谱，以了解它们的潜在功能和进化意义，这些尚未被研究。获得小 RNA （sRNA） 的预处理测序读数，并针对 S. japonicum 参考 miRNA 数据库进行注释。结果表明，不同生命阶段的 miRNA 谱存在显着差异，雌性和雄性湄公河血吸虫之间观察到显着相似性。主坐标分析 （PCoA） 和无监督聚类揭示了每个阶段的不同 miRNA 特征。基因本体论 （GO） 分析揭示了这些 miRNA 在各种生物过程中的潜在作用。特异性 miRNAs 在不同阶段的差异表达突出，表明它们参与关键的发育过程。此外，针对各种蠕虫物种的直系同源 miRNA 分析揭示了不同的存在 - 不存在模式，为这些 miRNA 的进化关系提供了见解。总之，对湄公河血吸虫 miRNA 谱的全面研究为血吸虫生物学中 miRNA 的功能和进化方面提供了有价值的见解。