Fig. 3: Male-enriched neuron clusters in S. japonicum.
a UMAP subclustering of the nervous system in female (left) and male (right) S. japonicum. Three neuron populations enriched in males (N2.2, N3.2, and N4.3) are highlighted with circles. b FISH (Fluorescence in situ hybridization) localization of neural marker genes (nrps, Sjc-0001200, Sjc-0003639) in adult male worms. Scale bars = 200 μm. c GO (Gene Ontology) enrichment analysis of highly expressed genes in N2.2, N3.2, and N4.3 neurons. d Key driver genes (nrps, ddc, and lsamp) associated with the N4.3 neuron development. e Heatmaps showing three driver genes expressed in N4.3 neurons. f Localization of the lsamp gene in adult male worms: (left) in situ hybridization; (right) double-FISH colocalization of lsamp with nrps or ddc in N4.3 neurons. Scale bars = 200 μm (left) and 5 μm (right). g The expression profiles of nrps, ddc, and lsamp in female (red line) and male (blue line) S. japonicum based on previous RNA-seq data10. LOESS-smoothed curves are shown with 95% confidence bands (shaded areas), representing 95% confidence intervals calculated from the standard errors of the local regression fits. All of them exhibit male-enriched and pairing-induced expression patterns. Source data are provided as a Source Data file.
