Schistosoma mansoni excretory-secretory products induce protein kinase signalling, hyperkinesia, and stem cell proliferation in the opposite sex

Eman M.N. Shakir, Gabriel Rinaldi, Ruth S. Kirk, Anthony J. Walker*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

1 Citation (Scopus)
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Abstract

Adult male and female schistosomes in copula dwell within human blood vessels and lay eggs that cause the major Neglected Tropical Disease human schistosomiasis. How males and females communicate to each other is poorly understood; however, male-female physical interaction is known to be important. Here, we investigate whether excretory-secretory products (ESPs), released into the external milieu by mature Schistosoma mansoni, might induce responses in the opposite sex. We demonstrate that ESPs adhere to the surface of opposite sex worms inducing the activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK) pathways, particularly in the parasite tegument. Furthermore, we show that mature worms stimulated signalling in juvenile worms. Strikingly, we demonstrate that ESPs from the opposite sex promote stem cell proliferation, in an ERK- and p38 MAPK-dependent manner, in the tegument and within the testes of males, and the ovaries and vitellaria of females. Hyperkinesia also occurs following opposite sex ESP exposure. Our findings support the hypothesis that male and female schistosomes may communicate over distance to modulate key processes underlying worm development and disease progression, opening unique avenues for schistosomiasis control.

Original languageEnglish
Article number985
Number of pages17
JournalCommunications Biology
Volume6
Issue number1
Early online date26 Sept 2023
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 01 Dec 2023

Keywords

  • Adult
  • Humans
  • Animals
  • Female
  • Male
  • Schistosoma mansoni
  • Hyperkinesis
  • Signal Transduction
  • Biological Transport
  • Extracellular Signal-Regulated MAP Kinases
  • Cell Proliferation

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