Exploring the transcriptomic changes underlying recombinant vaccine efficacy against Teladorsagia circumcincta in 3-month-old lambs

Teladorsagia circumcincta is an abomasal parasitic nematode that can cause serious issues in small ruminant production, which are aggravated by drug resistance. Vaccines have been suggested as a feasible, long-lasting alternative for control since adaptation to the host's immune mechanisms by helminths develops at a much slower pace than anthelmintic resistance. Recently, a T. circumcincta recombinant subunit vaccine yielded over a 60% reduction in egg excretion and worm burden and induced strong humoral and cellular anti-helminth responses in vaccinated 3-month-old Canaria Hair Breed (CHB) lambs, but Canaria Sheep (CS) of a similar age were not protected by the vaccine. Here, we compared the transcriptomic profiles in the abomasal lymph nodes of such 3-month-old CHB and CS vaccinates 40 days after infection with T. circumcincta to understand differences in responsiveness at the molecular level. In the CS, differentially expressed genes (DEG) identified were related to general immunity processes such as antigen presentation or antimicrobial proteins and down-regulation of inflammation and immune response through regulatory T cell-associated genes. However, upregulated genes in CHB vaccinates were associated with type-2 oriented immune responses, i.e., immunoglobulin production, activation of eosinophils, as well as tissue structure and wound repair-related genes and protein metabolism pathways such as DNA and RNA processing. These results highlight potentially more optimal timing and orientation of immune responses in CHB sheep compared to CS associated with vaccine-induced protection. The data obtained in this study thus deepens our understanding of variations in responsiveness to vaccination in young lamb and provides insights for vaccine refinement strategies.