Strongly integrated host-parasite system: the transcriptomic analysis
The mollusk-trematode system represents a parasitic association with a very long evolutionary history and mutually deep functional impacts. The influence of trematode parasites on mollusk organism is complex and multifaceted: it may include immune suppression, alterations of energy metabolism, gigantism, parasitic castration, shell deformation, change in behavior and motility, etc. Nevertheless, molecular basis of host-parasite interactions between snails and flukes is still underinvestigated, and thorough studies of the trematode-caused changes in the host organism at the molecular level are of high demand in parasitology. In this study, we analyzed changes in gene expression in tissues of Littorina saxatilis snails infected with Microphallus piriformes trematodes