Institute for Parasitology, BFS, Justus Liebig University Giessen , Giessen, Germany.
Microbiol Spectr. 2024 Jan 11;12(1):e0219323. doi: 10.1128/spectrum.02193-23. Epub 2023 Dec 4.
Schistosomes cause schistosomiasis, one of the neglected tropical diseases as defined by the WHO. For decades, the treatment of schistosomiasis relies on a single drug, praziquantel. Due to its wide use, there is justified fear of resistance against this drug, and a vaccine is not available. Besides its biological relevance in signal transduction processes, the class of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) is also well suited for drug design. Against this background, we characterized one GPCR of , GPCR20, at the molecular and functional level. We identified two potential neuropeptides (NPPs) as ligands, NPP26 and NPP40, and unraveled their roles, in combination with GPCR20, in neuronal processes controlling egg production, oogenesis, and growth of females. Since eggs are closely associated with the pathogenesis of schistosomiasis, our results contribute to the understanding of processes leading to egg production in schistosomes, which is under the control of pairing in this exceptional parasite.
血吸虫引起血吸虫病,这是世界卫生组织定义的被忽视的热带病之一。几十年来,血吸虫病的治疗依赖于一种单一的药物,即吡喹酮。由于其广泛的应用,人们有理由担心对这种药物的耐药性,而且目前还没有疫苗。除了在信号转导过程中的生物学相关性外,G 蛋白偶联受体 (GPCR) 类也非常适合药物设计。在此背景下,我们从分子和功能水平上对一种血吸虫 GPCR,GPCR20,进行了表征。我们鉴定了两种潜在的神经肽 (NPP) 作为配体,NPP26 和 NPP40,并揭示了它们与 GPCR20 结合在控制产卵、卵子发生和 雌性生长的神经元过程中的作用。由于卵与血吸虫病的发病机制密切相关,我们的研究结果有助于了解导致血吸虫产卵的过程,这在这种特殊寄生虫的配对控制下进行。