title: Stem cell progeny contribute to the schistosome host-parasite interface.
abstract: Schistosomes infect more than 200 million of the world's poorest people. These parasites live in the vasculature, producing eggs that spur a variety of chronic, potentially life-threatening, pathologies exacerbated by the long lifespan of schistosomes, that can thrive in the host for decades. How schistosomes maintain their longevity in this immunologically hostile environment is unknown. Here, we demonstrate that somatic stem cells in Schistosoma mansoni are biased towards generating a population of cells expressing factors associated exclusively with the schistosome host-parasite interface, a structure called the tegument. We show cells expressing these tegumental factors are short-lived and rapidly turned over. We suggest that stem cell-driven renewal of this tegumental lineage represents an important strategy for parasite survival in the context of the host vasculature.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, United States.|Department of Pharmacology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, United States.|Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, United States.
authors.forename: James J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Collins
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, United States.
authors.forename: George R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Wendt
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, United States.|Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, United States.
authors.forename: Harini
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Iyer
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, United States.|Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, United States.
authors.forename: Phillip A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Newmark
mesh_terms: D053687:Adult Stem Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D006790:Host-Parasite Interactions; D006801:Humans; D012550:Schistosoma mansoni / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology*; D012555:Schistosomiasis mansoni / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology*
keywords: S. mansoni; developmental biology; infectious disease; microbiology; parasitic diseases; stem cells