Publications
Ways that schistosomes acquire nutrients:
Vitamins: The riboflavin (vitamin B2) transporter protein (SmaRT) of the human intravascular parasitic trematode Schistosoma mansoni. Da’dara AA, Gondane R, Skelly PJ. Heliyon. 2024 Mar 22;10(7):e28271. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e28271. 2024 Apr 15. PMID: 38601580
Glucose: Suppressing glucose transporter gene expression in schistosomes impairs parasite feeding and decreases survival in the mammalian host Krautz-Peterson, G., Simoes, M., Faghiri, Z., …Shoemaker, C.B., Skelly, P.J.PLoS Pathogens, 2010, 6(6)
Water: The role of tegumental aquaporin from the human parasitic worm, Schistosoma mansoni, in osmoregulation and drug uptake Faghiri, Z., Skelly, P.J.FASEB Journal, 2009, 23(8), pp. 2780–2789
Ways that schistosome may control the host’s immune response:
Schistosoma mansoni and the purinergic halo Skelly, P.J., Nation, C.S., Da’Dara, A.A. Trends in Parasitology, 2022, 38(12), pp. 1080–1088
Schistosome immunomodulators Acharya, S., Da’dara, A.A., Skelly, P.J. PLoS Pathogens, 2021, 17(12), e1010064
How schistosomes may block blood clotting pathways
The Essential Ectoenzyme SmNPP5 from the Human Intravascular Parasite Schistosoma mansoni is an ADPase and a Potent Inhibitor of Platelet Aggregation Elzoheiry, M., Da’Dara, A.A., Delaforcade, A.M., El-Beshbishi, S.N., Skelly, P.J. Thrombosis and Haemostasis, 2018, 118(6), pp. 979–989
The blood fluke Schistosoma mansoni cleaves the coagulation protein high molecular weight kininogen (HK) but does not generate the vasodilator bradykinin Wang, Q., Da’Dara, A.A., Skelly, P.J. Parasites and Vectors, 2018, 11(1), 182
Some Outstanding Puzzles
Why do schistosomes have an acetylcholinesterase enzyme on their outside surface? Nobody knows. A novel, non-neuronal acetylcholinesterase of schistosome parasites is essential for definitive host infection Skelly, P.J., Da’dara, A.A. Frontiers in Immunology, 2023, 14, 1056469
How do schistosomes change the biochemistry of the blood around them & to what end? How schistosomes alter the human serum proteome Da’dara, A.A., Siddons, G., Icaza, M., Wang, Q., Skelly, P.J. Molecular and Biochemical Parasitology, 2017, 215, pp. 40–46