The Application of DNA Microarrays in the Functional Genomic Study of Schistosome/Host Biology

The end of the 20th century and the start of the new millennium have bore witness to a remarkable revolution in the way parasite/host biological interactions can be conceptually designed and experimentally studied. Although most traditional investigations of parasitism have been motivated by hypothesis- or model-driven science, the recent successes of parasite and host expressed sequence tag (EST)/genomic sequencing projects have opened up a new avenue to the parasitologist – discovery driven science. Even the most steadfast, classically-trained parasitologist can see enormous value in coupling conventional experimental techniques with the new and exciting technologies made possible by genome sequencing efforts. In this era of functional genomics (defined as experimental approaches that use genomic structural information to understand biology in a systemic and comprehensive fashion (1)) the genome-wide analysis of mRNA expression using DNA microarrays has become pivotal. Here, we review the impact DNA microarrays have had on recent schistosome/host investigations and outline the exciting future areas we plan to visit in our study of schistosome sexual maturation, developmental biology, gender interactions, and host immuno-biology.