Evolutionary origins and functions of Schistosoma mansoni Pellino

Abstract

The immune system of modern man has innate signalling pathways that arose in ancestral species. This is exemplified by the discovery of the Toll-like receptor (TLR) pathway using free-living model organisms, specifically Drosophila, as well as Caenorhabditis elegans. Here, we use the helminth parasite Schistosoma mansoni, which has adapted to reside within the vasculature of man, to explore homologous signalling pathways in a co-evolving system using the innate signalling Pellino protein. Pellino proteins are highly conserved E3 ubiquitin ligases that mediate activation of NF-kB and MAPK pathways.