The genome of Strongyloides spp. gives insights into protein families with a putative role in nematode parasitism.
Parasitic nematodes are important and abundant parasites adapted to live a parasitic lifestyle, with these adaptations all aimed at facilitating their survival and reproduction in their hosts. The recently sequenced genomes of four Strongyloides species, gastrointestinal parasites of humans and other animals, alongside transcriptomic and proteomic analysis of free-living and parasitic stages of their life cycles have revealed a number of protein families with a putative role in their parasitism. Many of these protein families have also been associated with parasitism in other parasitic nematode species, suggesting that these proteins may play a fundamental role in nematode parasitism more generally. Here, we review key protein families that have a putative role in Strongyloides' parasitism - acetylcholinesterases, astacins, aspartic proteases, prolyl oligopeptidases, proteinase inhibitors (trypsin inhibitors and cystatins), SCP/TAPS and transthyretin-like proteins - and the evidence for their key, yet diverse, roles in the parasitic lifestyle.
School of Biological Sciences,Life Sciences Building,University of Bristol,Bristol BS8 1TQ,UK.
Vicky L
VL
Hunt
Biodiversity Research Center,Academia Sinica,Taipei 11529,Taiwan.
Isheng J
IJ
Tsai
Department of Life Sciences,Department of Life Sciences,Imperial College London,London SW7 2AZ,UK.
Murray E
ME
Selkirk
School of Biological Sciences,Life Sciences Building,University of Bristol,Bristol BS8 1TQ,UK.
Mark
M
Viney
D000818:Animals; D015801:Helminth Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D006790:Host-Parasite Interactions; D006801:Humans; D013321:Strongyloides / Q000235:genetics* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D013322:Strongyloidiasis / Q000469:parasitology; D037521:Virulence Factors / Q000235:genetics*
D015801:Helminth Proteins; D037521:Virulence Factors

               Strongyloides
            ; SCP/TAPS; acetylcholinesterases; aspartic proteases; astacins; helminths; prolyl oligopeptdases; proteinase inhibitors; transthyretin-like proteins