title: Suppression of cathepsin B expression in Schistosoma mansoni by RNA interference.
abstract: In this paper, we used the genetic manipulation technique known as RNA-interference to suppress the expression of a target, cathepsin B, gene in the platyhelminth parasite, Schistosoma mansoni. Parasites were cultured for 6 days in the presence of double stranded RNA derived from the cathepsin B cDNA sequence or from two control sequences. Relative to the controls, the cathepsin B double stranded RNA-treated group exhibited lower levels of cathepsin B as determined by immuno-staining and by enzyme activity measurements. Additionally, using the reverse transcriptase-PCR, suppression was seen in the inability to detect cathepsin B cDNA, using RNA obtained from those parasites. This ability to manipulate gene expression represents a powerful new tool for investigating gene function in these debilitating human parasites.
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard School of Public Health, 665 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA. psk@hsph.harvard.edu
authors.forename: Patrick J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Skelly
authors.forename: Akram
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Da'dara
authors.forename: Donald A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Harn
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002401:Cathepsin B / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000235:genetics; D018509:DNA, Helminth / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D034622:RNA Interference / Q000502:physiology*; D018510:RNA, Helminth / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012550:Schistosoma mansoni / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D018076:DNA, Complementary; D018509:DNA, Helminth; D018510:RNA, Helminth; D002401:Cathepsin B