Schistosome proteases.
While studies of schistosome antigens have proceeded rapidly over the past ten years, studies of schistosome enzymes have also been increasing apace. Now the two `lines' of research are coming together. Parasites such as schistosomes hardly present antigens merely to stimulate a host immune response, so it is not surprising that many antigens turn out to have functions, for example, as enzymes. One type of antigenic schistosome enzyme - glutathione S-transferase - already shows promise as a vaccine candidate. Here, Jim McKerrow and Mike Doenhoff review another important class of enzyme, many of which are clearly antigenic, the schistosome proteases.
Department of Pathology University of California San Francisco CA 94143-0506, USA.
J H
JH
McKerrow
M J
MJ
Doenhoff