Wang Jipeng, Paz Carlos, Padalino Gilda, Coghlan Avril, Lu Zhigang, Gradinaru Irina, Collins Julie N R, Berriman Matthew, Hoffmann Karl F, Collins James J
Department of Pharmacology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA.
Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS), Aberystwyth University, Aberystwyth, Wales, UK.
Science. 2020 Sep 25;369(6511):1649-1653. doi: 10.1126/science.abb7699.
Schistosome parasites kill 250,000 people every year. Treatment of schistosomiasis relies on the drug praziquantel. Unfortunately, a scarcity of molecular tools has hindered the discovery of new drug targets. Here, we describe a large-scale RNA interference (RNAi) screen in adult that examined the function of 2216 genes. We identified 261 genes with phenotypes affecting neuromuscular function, tissue integrity, stem cell maintenance, and parasite survival. Leveraging these data, we prioritized compounds with activity against the parasites and uncovered a pair of protein kinases (TAO and STK25) that cooperate to maintain muscle-specific messenger RNA transcription. Loss of either of these kinases results in paralysis and worm death in a mammalian host. These studies may help expedite therapeutic development and invigorate studies of these neglected parasites.
血吸虫寄生虫每年导致25万人死亡。血吸虫病的治疗依赖于药物吡喹酮。不幸的是,分子工具的匮乏阻碍了新药物靶点的发现。在此,我们描述了一项在成年血吸虫中进行的大规模RNA干扰(RNAi)筛选,该筛选检测了2216个基因的功能。我们鉴定出261个基因,其表型影响神经肌肉功能、组织完整性、干细胞维持和寄生虫存活。利用这些数据,我们对具有抗寄生虫活性的化合物进行了优先级排序,并发现了一对协同维持肌肉特异性信使RNA转录的蛋白激酶(TAO和STK25)。这两种激酶中的任何一种缺失都会导致哺乳动物宿主体内的寄生虫麻痹和死亡。这些研究可能有助于加快治疗方法的开发,并振兴对这些被忽视寄生虫的研究。