Serine Proteases of Parasitic Helminths

Serine proteases form one of the most important families of enzymes and perform significant functions in a broad range of biological processes, such as intra- and extracellular protein metabolism, digestion, blood coagulation, regulation of development, and fertilization. A number of serine proteases have been identified in parasitic helminths that have putative roles in parasite development and nutrition, host tissues and cell invasion, anticoagulation, and immune evasion. In this review, we described the serine proteases that have been identified in parasitic helminths, including nematodes (Trichinella spiralis, T. pseudospiralis, Trichuris muris, Anisakis simplex, Ascaris suum, Onchocerca volvulus, O. lienalis, Brugia malayi, Ancylostoma caninum, and Steinernema carpocapsae), cestodes (Spirometra mansoni, Echinococcus granulosus, and Schistocephalus solidus), and trematodes (Fasciola hepatica, F. gigantica, and Schistosoma mansoni). Moreover, the possible biological functions of these serine proteases in the endogenous biological phenomena of these parasites and in the host-parasite interaction were also discussed.

Eosinophil and Tissue-invasive Parasitic Helminth / 한양의대학술지

Eosinophils are primarily tissue resident cells, and play important roles in host's immune responses and maintenance of chronic infection during infection with tissue-invasive parasitic helminth. Such parasite secretes particular molecules to evade eosinophil-mediated helminthotoxicity. Continuous competition between eosinophil and parasite leads to stable equilibria between them. Recent evidence provides a concept that not only eosinophils contribute to parasite's survival but also parasite modulates host's immune response. Therefore, it is important to know complex interrelationship between eosinophil and parasite to understand how gently parasite talk to eosinophils and how carefully eosinophils listen to parasite's voice. In this regard, this review examin papers about eosinophil-mediated tissue inflammatory responses in response to helminthic parasite.