Figure 2: Stage-, gut- and gender-enriched transcription.

Key biological pathways or processes in Toxocara canis, for which the gene transcription is enriched in adult females (red) and males (blue); in adults and third-stage larvae (L3; grey); and in the alimentary tract of the adult worms (black box, top left). Molecules enriched in L3s and involved in parasite–host interactions, such as immunomodulation, are also indicated (black box, bottom left; ANT, abundant new transcripts); the number of genes with significantly increased transcription are given in parentheses. The proposed arrested or dauer status of the L3 stage of T. canis (from embryontated eggs) is supported by the transcription profiles (heat-map, right) for gene homologues daf-9, daf-12 and osm-3, osm-6 (upregulation; yellow) and two mek-2 paralogs (downregulation; orange to red), which are all known to promote dauer in C. elegans; the biological replicates (1–4) studied are indicated to the right of the heat-map.