title: A worm of one's own: how helminths modulate host adipose tissue function and metabolism.
abstract: Parasitic helminths have coexisted with human beings throughout time. Success in eradicating helminths has limited helminth-induced morbidity and mortality but is also correlated with increasing rates of 'western' diseases, including metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes. Recent studies in mice describe how type 2 immune cells, traditionally associated with helminth infection, maintain adipose tissue homeostasis and promote adipose tissue beiging, protecting against obesity and metabolic dysfunction. Here, we review these studies and discuss how helminths and helminth-derived molecules may modulate these physiologic pathways to improve metabolic functions in specific tissues, such as adipose and liver, as well as at the whole-organism level.
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands; Department of Molecular Cellular Biology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Bruno
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Guigas
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology & Immunology, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA; Department of Laboratory Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA. Electronic address: ari.molofsky@ucsfmedctr.org.
authors.forename: Ari B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Molofsky
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000469:parasitology; D000818:Animals; D005075:Biological Evolution; D006373:Helminthiasis / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D006376:Helminths / Q000502:physiology; D006790:Host-Parasite Interactions / Q000502:physiology*; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000469:parasitology; D051379:Mice
keywords: adipose tissue; diabetes; helminth; metabolism; type 2 immunity