In vitro transcriptome and proteome of Haemonchus contortus larvae exposed to host blood components.

Hematophagy is essential for the survival and development of blood-feeding nematodes, including Haemonchus contortus (the barber's pole worm) - a gastrointestinal nematode model for the study of anthelmintic resistance and drug discovery. Upon host ingestion, the infective larvae of this nematode transit to parasitic stage, then consume blood, contributing to the pathology of haemonchosis, a disease responsible for substantial economic losses. However, this process cannot be replicated in vitro without blood supplements. Therefore, despite genomic insights into developmental biology and anthelmintic resistance mechanisms, hematophagy remains poorly understood in this and other blood-feeding species. Here, we present a transcriptome dataset from the in vitro-cultured parasitic larvae of H. contortus exposed to 100 µM hemin chloride, 10% serum, and 10% defibrinated blood of host animals. A proteomic dataset for the in vitro-cultured larvae exposed to 10% serum is also available. These resources enable exploration of blood-component-specific transcriptomic reprogramming, hub gene-driven translational/metabolic modules, and molecular adaptations. This dataset also enables identification of genes critical for blood-feeding adaptation and parasitism, advancing therapeutic targets for intervention.