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Ceccarelli G, Goracci L, Carotti A, Paccoia F, Passeri D, Cipolloni M, Di Bona S, Cruciani G, Pellicciari R, Gioiello A. Discovery and Structure-Activity Relationships of Novel ssDAF-12 Receptor Modulators. J Med Chem 2024; 67:4150-4169. [PMID: 38417155 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.3c02421] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/01/2024]
Abstract
The nuclear receptor ssDAF-12 has been recognized as the key molecular player regulating the life cycle of the nematode parasite Strongyloides stercoralis. ssDAF-12 ligands permit the receptor to function as an on/off switch modulating infection, making it vulnerable to therapeutic intervention. In this study, we report the design and synthesis of a set of novel dafachronic acid derivatives, which were used to outline the first structure-activity relationship targeting the ssDAF-12 receptor and to unveil hidden properties shared by the molecular shape of steroidal ligands that are relevant to the receptor binding and modulation. Moreover, biological results led to the discovery of sulfonamide 3 as a submicromolar ssDAF-12 agonist endowed with a high receptor selectivity, no toxicity, and improved properties, as well as to the identification of unprecedented ssDAF-12 antagonists that can be exploited in the search for novel chemical tools and alternative therapeutic approaches for treating parasitism such as Strongyloidiasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giada Ceccarelli
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Perugia, Via del Liceo 1, 06123 Perugia, Italy
| | - Laura Goracci
- Department of Chemistry, Biology and Biotechnology, University of Perugia, Via dell' Elce di Sotto 8, 06123 Perugia, Italy
| | - Andrea Carotti
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Perugia, Via del Liceo 1, 06123 Perugia, Italy
| | - Federico Paccoia
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Perugia, Via del Liceo 1, 06123 Perugia, Italy
| | | | | | - Stefano Di Bona
- Department of Chemistry, Biology and Biotechnology, University of Perugia, Via dell' Elce di Sotto 8, 06123 Perugia, Italy
| | - Gabriele Cruciani
- Department of Chemistry, Biology and Biotechnology, University of Perugia, Via dell' Elce di Sotto 8, 06123 Perugia, Italy
| | | | - Antimo Gioiello
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Perugia, Via del Liceo 1, 06123 Perugia, Italy
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McClure CR, Patel R, Hallem EA. Invade or die: behaviours and biochemical mechanisms that drive skin penetration in Strongyloides and other skin-penetrating nematodes. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2024; 379:20220434. [PMID: 38008119 PMCID: PMC10676818 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2022.0434] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2023] [Accepted: 04/05/2023] [Indexed: 11/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Skin-penetrating nematodes, including the human threadworm Strongyloides stercoralis and hookworms in the genera Necator and Ancylostoma, are gastrointestinal parasites that are a major cause of neglected tropical disease in low-resource settings worldwide. These parasites infect hosts as soil-dwelling infective larvae that navigate towards hosts using host-emitted sensory cues such as odorants and body heat. Upon host contact, they invade the host by penetrating through the skin. The process of skin penetration is critical for successful parasitism but remains poorly understood and understudied. Here, we review current knowledge of skin-penetration behaviour and its underlying mechanisms in the human parasite S. stercoralis, the closely related rat parasite Strongyloides ratti, and other skin-penetrating nematodes such as hookworms. We also highlight important directions for future investigations into this underexplored process and discuss how recent advances in molecular genetic and genomic tools for Strongyloides species will enable mechanistic investigations of skin penetration and other essential parasitic behaviours in future studies. This article is part of the Theo Murphy meeting issue 'Strongyloides: omics to worm-free populations'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Courtney R. McClure
- Molecular Toxicology Interdepartmental PhD Program, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Ruhi Patel
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Elissa A. Hallem
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- Molecular Biology Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
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Al-Jawabreh R, Anderson R, Atkinson LE, Bickford-Smith J, Bradbury RS, Breloer M, Bryant AS, Buonfrate D, Cadd LC, Crooks B, Deiana M, Grant W, Hallem E, Hedtke SM, Hunt V, Khieu V, Kikuchi T, Kounosu A, Lastik D, van Lieshout L, Liu Y, McSorley HJ, McVeigh P, Mousley A, Murcott B, Nevin WD, Nosková E, Pomari E, Reynolds K, Ross K, Streit A, Suleiman M, Tiberti N, Viney M. Strongyloides questions-a research agenda for the future. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2024; 379:20230004. [PMID: 38008122 PMCID: PMC10676812 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2023.0004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2023] [Accepted: 09/29/2023] [Indexed: 11/28/2023] Open
Abstract
The Strongyloides genus of parasitic nematodes have a fascinating life cycle and biology, but are also important pathogens of people and a World Health Organization-defined neglected tropical disease. Here, a community of Strongyloides researchers have posed thirteen major questions about Strongyloides biology and infection that sets a Strongyloides research agenda for the future. This article is part of the Theo Murphy meeting issue 'Strongyloides: omics to worm-free populations'.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Roy Anderson
- Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Imperial College London, London SW7 2BX, UK
| | - Louise E. Atkinson
- School of Biological Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast BT9 5DL, UK
| | | | | | - Minka Breloer
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg 20359, Germany
| | - Astra S. Bryant
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Washington, Seattle 98195, USA
| | - Dora Buonfrate
- Department of Infectious Tropical Diseases and Microbiology, IRCCS Sacro Cuore Don Calabria Hospital, Verona 37024, Italy
| | - Luke C. Cadd
- School of Biological Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast BT9 5DL, UK
| | - Bethany Crooks
- School of Biological Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast BT9 5DL, UK
| | - Michela Deiana
- Department of Infectious Tropical Diseases and Microbiology, IRCCS Sacro Cuore Don Calabria Hospital, Verona 37024, Italy
| | - Warwick Grant
- Department of Environment and Genetics, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria 3083, Australia
| | - Elissa Hallem
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, Molecular Biology Institute, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles 90095, USA
| | - Shannon M. Hedtke
- Department of Environment and Genetics, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria 3083, Australia
| | - Vicky Hunt
- Life Sciences Department, University of Bath, Bath BA2 7AY, UK
| | - Virak Khieu
- National Centre for Parasitology, Entomology and Malaria Control, Cambodia Ministry of Health, Cambodia
| | - Taisei Kikuchi
- Department of Integrated Biosciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa 277-8652, Japan
| | - Asuka Kounosu
- Division of Parasitology, Department of Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, University of Miyazaki, Miyazaki 889-1692, Japan
| | - Dominika Lastik
- Life Sciences Department, University of Bath, Bath BA2 7AY, UK
| | - Lisette van Lieshout
- Leiden University Center for Infectious Diseases, Leiden University Medical Center, 2300 RC Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Yuchen Liu
- Department of Evolution, Ecology & Behaviour, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZB, UK
| | - Henry J. McSorley
- Division of Cell Signalling and Immunology, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, UK
| | - Paul McVeigh
- School of Biological Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast BT9 5DL, UK
| | - Angela Mousley
- School of Biological Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast BT9 5DL, UK
| | - Ben Murcott
- Life Sciences Department, University of Bath, Bath BA2 7AY, UK
| | - William David Nevin
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Imperial College London, London SW7 2BX, UK
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool L3 5QA, UK
| | - Eva Nosková
- Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, 611 37 Brno, Czech Republic
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Czech Academy of Sciences, 603 65 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Elena Pomari
- Department of Infectious Tropical Diseases and Microbiology, IRCCS Sacro Cuore Don Calabria Hospital, Verona 37024, Italy
| | - Kieran Reynolds
- Life Sciences Department, University of Bath, Bath BA2 7AY, UK
| | - Kirstin Ross
- Environmental Health, College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, South Australia 5042, Australia
| | - Adrian Streit
- Department of Integrative Evolutionary Biology, Max Planck Institute for Biology Tübingen, Tübingen 72076, Germany
| | - Mona Suleiman
- Life Sciences Department, University of Bath, Bath BA2 7AY, UK
| | - Natalia Tiberti
- Department of Infectious Tropical Diseases and Microbiology, IRCCS Sacro Cuore Don Calabria Hospital, Verona 37024, Italy
| | - Mark Viney
- Department of Evolution, Ecology & Behaviour, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZB, UK
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Bétous R, Emile A, Che H, Guchen E, Concordet D, Long T, Noack S, Selzer PM, Prichard R, Lespine A. Filarial DAF-12 sense the host serum to resume iL3 development during infection. PLoS Pathog 2023; 19:e1011462. [PMID: 37339136 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1011462] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2022] [Accepted: 06/05/2023] [Indexed: 06/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Nematode parasites enter their definitive host at the developmentally arrested infectious larval stage (iL3), and the ligand-dependent nuclear receptor DAF-12 contributes to trigger their development to adulthood. Here, we characterized DAF-12 from the filarial nematodes Brugia malayi and Dirofilaria immitis and compared them with DAF-12 from the non-filarial nematodes Haemonchus contortus and Caenorhabditis elegans. Interestingly, Dim and BmaDAF-12 exhibit high sequence identity and share a striking higher sensitivity than Hco and CelDAF-12 to the natural ligands Δ4- and Δ7-dafachronic acids (DA). Moreover, sera from different mammalian species activated specifically Dim and BmaDAF-12 while the hormone-depleted sera failed to activate the filarial DAF-12. Accordingly, hormone-depleted serum delayed the commencement of development of D. immitis iL3 in vitro. Consistent with these observations, we show that spiking mouse charcoal stripped-serum with Δ4-DA at the concentration measured in normal mouse serum restores its capacity to activate DimDAF-12. This indicates that DA present in mammalian serum participate in filarial DAF-12 activation. Finally, analysis of publicly available RNA sequencing data from B. malayi showed that, at the time of infection, putative gene homologs of the DA synthesis pathways are coincidently downregulated. Altogether, our data suggest that filarial DAF-12 have evolved to specifically sense and survive in a host environment, which provides favorable conditions to quickly resume larval development. This work sheds new light on the regulation of filarial nematodes development while entering their definitive mammalian host and may open the route to novel therapies to treat filarial infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rémy Bétous
- INTHERES, Université de Toulouse, INRAE, ENVT, Toulouse, France
| | - Anthony Emile
- INTHERES, Université de Toulouse, INRAE, ENVT, Toulouse, France
| | - Hua Che
- Institute of Parasitology, McGill University, Sainte-Anne-De-Bellevue, Canada
| | - Eva Guchen
- INTHERES, Université de Toulouse, INRAE, ENVT, Toulouse, France
| | | | - Thavy Long
- Institute of Parasitology, McGill University, Sainte-Anne-De-Bellevue, Canada
| | - Sandra Noack
- Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health, Ingelheim am Rhein, Germany
| | - Paul M Selzer
- Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health, Ingelheim am Rhein, Germany
| | - Roger Prichard
- Institute of Parasitology, McGill University, Sainte-Anne-De-Bellevue, Canada
| | - Anne Lespine
- INTHERES, Université de Toulouse, INRAE, ENVT, Toulouse, France
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Molecular Cloning and Characterization of a Fasciola gigantica Nuclear Receptor Subfamily 1 (FgNR1). Pathogens 2022; 11:pathogens11121458. [PMID: 36558792 PMCID: PMC9787296 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens11121458] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2022] [Revised: 11/29/2022] [Accepted: 11/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Fasciola gigantica, a giant liver fluke, causes tremendous loss to the livestock economy in several regions throughout the world. The situation of drug resistance has been emerging increasingly; therefore, novel drugs and drug targets need to be discovered. The adult F. gigantica inhabits the major bile ducts where bile salts accumulate—these are steroid-like molecules that mediate several physiological processes in organisms through interacting with their specific nuclear receptors. However, the molecular mechanism of the interaction in the parasitic organisms have not been clearly understood. In this study, putative nuclear receptor subfamily 1 of F. gigantica (FgNR1) was identified. Nucleotide and amino acid sequences of the FgNR1 homolog were obtained from the transcriptome of F. gigantica and predicted for properties and functions using bioinformatics. The full-length cDNA was cloned and expressed in the bacterial expression system and then used for immunization. Western analysis and immunolocalization suggested that FgNR1 could be detected in the crude worm antigens and was highly expressed in the caeca and testes of the adult parasite. Moreover, the bile could significantly activate the expression of FgNR1 in cultured parasites. Our results indicated that FgNR1 has high potential for the development of a novel anthelminthic drug in the future.
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Herbert DR, Stoltzfus JDC, Rossi HL, Abraham D. Is Strongyloides stercoralis hyperinfection induced by glucocorticoids a result of both suppressed host immunity and altered parasite genetics? Mol Biochem Parasitol 2022; 251:111511. [PMID: 36007683 DOI: 10.1016/j.molbiopara.2022.111511] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2022] [Revised: 08/01/2022] [Accepted: 08/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The gastrointestinal (GI) nematode Strongyloides stercoralis (S.s.) causes human strongyloidiasis, a potentially life-threatening disease that currently affects over 600 million people globally. The uniquely pernicious aspect of S.s. infection, as compared to all other GI nematodes, is its autoinfective larval stage (L3a) that maintains a low-grade chronic infection, allowing undetectable persistence for decades. Infected individuals who are administered glucocorticoid therapy can develop a rapid and often lethal hyperinfection syndrome within days. Hyperinfection patients often present with dramatic increases in first- and second-stage larvae and L3a in their GI tract, with L3a widely disseminating throughout host organs leading to sepsis. How glucocorticoid administration drives hyperinfection remains a critical unanswered question; specifically, it is unknown whether these steroids promote hyperinfection through eliminating essential host protective mechanisms and/or through dysregulating parasite development. This current deficiency in understanding is largely due to the previous absence of a genetically defined mouse model that would support all S.s. life-cycle stages and the lack of successful approaches for S.s. genetic manipulation. However, there are currently new possibilities through the recent demonstration that immunodeficient NOD.Cg-PrkdcscidIl2rgtm1Wjl/SzJ (NSG) mice support sub-clinical infections that can be transformed to lethal hyperinfection syndrome following glucocorticoid administration. This is coupled with advances in transcriptomics, transgenesis, and gene inactivation strategies that now allow rigorous scientific inquiry into S.s. biology. We propose that combining in vivo manipulation of host immunity and deep immunoprofiling strategies with the latest advances in S.s. transcriptomics, piggyBac transposon-mediated transgene insertion, and CRISPR/Cas-9-mediated gene inactivation will facilitate new insights into the mechanisms that could be targeted to block lethality in humans with S.s. hyperinfection.
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Affiliation(s)
- De'Broski R Herbert
- Department of Pathobiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 3800 Spruce St., Philadelphia, PA 10104, USA.
| | - Jonathan D C Stoltzfus
- Department of Biology, Millersville University of Pennsylvania, 50 E. Frederick St., Millersville, PA 17551, USA.
| | - Heather L Rossi
- Department of Pathobiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 3800 Spruce St., Philadelphia, PA 10104, USA.
| | - David Abraham
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University, 1025 Walnut St., Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA.
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Mendez P, Walsh B, Hallem EA. Using newly optimized genetic tools to probe Strongyloides sensory behaviors. Mol Biochem Parasitol 2022; 250:111491. [PMID: 35697205 PMCID: PMC9339661 DOI: 10.1016/j.molbiopara.2022.111491] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2022] [Revised: 05/25/2022] [Accepted: 06/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
The oft-neglected human-parasitic threadworm, Strongyloides stercoralis, infects roughly eight percent of the global population, placing disproportionate medical and economic burden upon marginalized communities. While current chemotherapies treat strongyloidiasis, disease recrudescence and the looming threat of anthelminthic resistance necessitate novel strategies for nematode control. Throughout its life cycle, S. stercoralis relies upon sensory cues to aid in environmental navigation and coordinate developmental progression. Odorants, tastants, gases, and temperature have been shown to shape parasite behaviors that drive host seeking and infectivity; however, many of these sensory behaviors remain poorly understood, and their underlying molecular and neural mechanisms are largely uncharacterized. Disruption of sensory circuits essential to parasitism presents a promising strategy for future interventions. In this review, we describe our current understanding of sensory behaviors - namely olfactory, gustatory, gas sensing, and thermosensory behaviors - in Strongyloides spp. We also highlight the ever-growing cache of genetic tools optimized for use in Strongyloides that have facilitated these findings, including transgenesis, CRISPR/Cas9-mediated mutagenesis, RNAi, chemogenetic neuronal silencing, and the use of fluorescent biosensors to measure neuronal activity. Bolstered by these tools, we are poised to enter an era of rapid discovery in Strongyloides sensory neurobiology, which has the potential to shape pioneering advances in the prevention and treatment of strongyloidiasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patricia Mendez
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Molecular Biology Interdepartmental PhD Program, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
| | - Breanna Walsh
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Molecular Biology Interdepartmental PhD Program, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Medical Scientist Training Program, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
| | - Elissa A Hallem
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Molecular Biology Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
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Lok JB, Kliewer SA, Mangelsdorf DJ. The 'nuclear option' revisited: Confirmation of Ss-daf-12 function and therapeutic potential in Strongyloides stercoralis and other parasitic nematode infections. Mol Biochem Parasitol 2022; 250:111490. [PMID: 35697206 DOI: 10.1016/j.molbiopara.2022.111490] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2022] [Revised: 05/19/2022] [Accepted: 06/07/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Mechanisms governing morphogenesis and development of infectious third-stage larvae (L3i) of parasitic nematodes have been likened to those regulating dauer development in Caenorhabditis elegans. Dauer regulatory signal transduction comprises initial G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) signaling in chemosensory neurons of the amphidial complex that regulates parallel insulin- and TGFβ-like signaling in the tissues. Insulin- and TGFβ-like signals converge to co-regulate steroid signaling through the nuclear receptor (NR) DAF-12. Discovery of the steroid ligands of DAF-12 opened a new avenue of small molecule physiology in C. elegans. These signaling pathways are conserved in parasitic nematodes and an increasing body of evidence supports their function in formation and developmental regulation of L3i during the infectious process in soil transmitted species. This review presents these lines of evidence for G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR), insulin- and TGFβ-like signaling in brief and focuses primarily on signaling through parasite orthologs of DAF-12. We discuss in some depth the deployment of sensitive analytical techniques to identify Δ7-dafachronic acid as the natural ligand of DAF-12 homologs in Strongyloides stercoralis and Haemonchus contortus and of targeted mutagenesis by CRISPR/Cas9 to assign dauer-like regulatory function to the NR Ss-DAF-12, its coactivator Ss-DIP-1 and the key ligand biosynthetic enzyme Ss-CYP-22a9. Finally, we present published evidence of the potential of Ss-DAF-12 signaling as a chemotherapeutic target in human strongyloidiasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- James B Lok
- Department of Pathobiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 3800 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
| | - Steven A Kliewer
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA; Department of Molecular Biology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - David J Mangelsdorf
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX USA
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Viney M, Morris R. Approaches to studying the developmental switch of Strongyloides – moving beyond the dauer hypothesis. Mol Biochem Parasitol 2022; 249:111477. [DOI: 10.1016/j.molbiopara.2022.111477] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2022] [Revised: 04/05/2022] [Accepted: 04/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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Transgenesis in parasitic helminths: a brief history and prospects for the future. Parasit Vectors 2022; 15:110. [PMID: 35346328 PMCID: PMC8962113 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-022-05211-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2021] [Accepted: 02/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Helminth infections impact the health of hundreds of millions of persons globally and also cause important economic losses in livestock farming. Methodological limitations as well as the low attention given to the study of helminths have impacted biological research and, thus, the procurement of accurate diagnosis and effective treatments. Understanding the biology of helminths using genomic and proteomic approaches could contribute to advances in understanding host-helminth interactions and lead to new vaccines, drugs and diagnostics. Despite the significant advances in genomics in the last decade, the lack of methodological adaptation of current transgenesis techniques has hampered the progression of post-genomic research in helminthology. However, the application of new techniques, such as CRISPR, to the study of trematodes and nematodes has opened new avenues for genome editing-powered functional genomics for these pathogens. This review summarises the historical advances in functional genomics in parasitic helminths and highlights pending limitations that will need to be overcome to deploy transgenesis tools.
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