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Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
Schistosoma mansoni TGF-β receptor II: Role in host ligand-induced regulation of a schistosome target gene
PLoS Pathogens, Volume 2, No. 6, Year 2006
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Description
Members of transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) superfamily play pivotal roles in development in multicellular organisms. We report the functional characterization of the Schistosoma mansoni type II receptor (SmTβRII). Mining of the S. mansoni expressed sequence tag (EST) database identified an EST clone that shows homology to the kinase domain of type II receptors from different species. The amplified EST sequence was used as a probe to isolate a cDNA clone spanning the entire coding region of a type II serine/threonine kinase receptor. The interaction of SmTβRII with SmTβRI was elucidated and shown to be dependent on TGF-β ligand binding. Furthermore, in the presence of human TGF-β1, SmTβRII was able to activate SmTβRI, which in turn activated SmSmad2 and promoted its interaction with SmSmad4, proving the transfer of the signal from the receptor complex to the Smad proteins. Gynaecophoral canal protein (GCP), whose expression in male worms is limited to the gynaecophoric canal, was identified as a potential TGF-β target gene in schistosomes. Knocking down the expression of SmTβRII using short interfering RNA molecules (siRNA) resulted in a concomitant reduction in the expression of GCP. These data provide evidence for the direct involvement of SmTβRII in mediating TGF-β-induced activation of the TGF-β target gene, SmGCP, within schistosome parasites. The results also provide additional evidence for a role for the TGF-β signaling pathway in male-induced female reproductive development. © 2006 Osman et al.
Authors & Co-Authors
Osman, Ahmed M.
United States, Buffalo
University at Buffalo, the State University of new York
Niles, Edward G.
United States, Buffalo
University at Buffalo, the State University of new York
Verjovski-Almeida, Sergio
Brazil, Sao Paulo
Universidade de São Paulo
LoVerde, Philip T.
United States, Buffalo
University at Buffalo, the State University of new York
United States, San Antonio
Texas Biomedical Research Institute
Statistics
Citations: 117
Authors: 4
Affiliations: 3
Identifiers
Doi:
10.1371/journal.ppat.0020054
ISSN:
15537374
Research Areas
Environmental
Genetics And Genomics
Sexual And Reproductive Health
Participants Gender
Male
Female