CaMKII regulates neuromuscular activity and survival of the human blood fluke Schistosoma mansoni.

Calcium/calmodulin dependant protein kinase II (CaMKII), an important transducer of Ca2+ signals, orchestrates multiple cellular functions in animals. Here we investigated the importance of CaMKII to Schistosoma mansoni, a blood parasite that causes human schistosomiasis. We demonstrate that phosphorylated (activated) CaMKII is present in cercariae, schistosomula and adult worms, and show that striking activation occurs in the nervous tissue of these parasite life-stages; CaMKII was also activated in the tegument and muscles of adult worms and the vitellaria of females. Exposure of worms to the anti-schistosomal drug praziquantel (PZQ) induced significant CaMKII activation and depletion of CaMKII protein/activation in adult worms resulted in hypokinesia, reduced vitality and death. At medium confidence (global score ≥ 0.40), S. mansoni CaMKII was predicted to interact with 51 proteins, with many containing CaMKII phosphorylation sites and nine mapped to phosphoproteome data including sites within a ryanodine receptor. The CaMKII network was functionally enriched with mitogen-activated protein kinase, Wnt, and notch pathways, and ion-transport and voltage-dependent channel protein domains. Collectively, these data highlight the intricacies of CaMKII signalling in S. mansoni, show CaMKII to be an active player in the PZQ-mediated response of schistosomes and highlight CaMKII as a possible target for the development of novel anti-schistosome therapeutics.

COVID-19 breakthroughs: separating fact from fiction.

The newly recognised coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, causative agent of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), has caused a pandemic with huge ramifications for human interactions around the globe. As expected, research efforts to understand the virus and curtail the disease are moving at a frantic pace alongside the spread of rumours, speculations and falsehoods. In this article, we aim to clarify the current scientific view behind several claims or controversies related to COVID-19. Starting with the origin of the virus, we then discuss the effect of ibuprofen and nicotine on the severity of the disease. We highlight the knowledge on fomites and SARS-CoV-2 and discuss the evidence and explications for a disproportionately stronger impact of COVID-19 on ethnic minorities, including a potential protective role for vitamin D. We further review what is known about the effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection in children, including their role in transmission of the disease, and conclude with the science on different mortality rates between different countries and whether this hints at the existence of more pathogenic cohorts of SARS-CoV-2.

Deep phosphoproteome analysis of Schistosoma mansoni leads development of a kinomic array that highlights sex-biased differences in adult worm protein phosphorylation.

Although helminth parasites cause enormous suffering worldwide we know little of how protein phosphorylation, one of the most important post-translational modifications used for molecular signalling, regulates their homeostasis and function. This is particularly the case for schistosomes. Herein, we report a deep phosphoproteome exploration of adult Schistosoma mansoni, providing one of the richest phosphoprotein resources for any parasite so far, and employ the data to build the first parasite-specific kinomic array. Complementary phosphopeptide enrichment strategies were used to detect 15,844 unique phosphopeptides mapping to 3,176 proteins. The phosphoproteins were predicted to be involved in a wide range of biological processes and phosphoprotein interactome analysis revealed 55 highly interconnected clusters including those enriched with ribosome, proteasome, phagosome, spliceosome, glycolysis, and signalling proteins. 93 distinct phosphorylation motifs were identified, with 67 providing a 'footprint' of protein kinase activity; CaMKII, PKA and CK1/2 were highly represented supporting their central importance to schistosome function. Within the kinome, 808 phosphorylation sites were matched to 136 protein kinases, and 68 sites within 37 activation loops were discovered. Analysis of putative protein kinase-phosphoprotein interactions revealed canonical networks but also novel interactions between signalling partners. Kinomic array analysis of male and female adult worm extracts revealed high phosphorylation of transformation:transcription domain associated protein by both sexes, and CDK and AMPK peptides by females. Moreover, eight peptides including protein phosphatase 2C gamma, Akt, Rho2 GTPase, SmTK4, and the insulin receptor were more highly phosphorylated by female extracts, highlighting their possible importance to female worm function. We envision that these findings, tools and methodology will help drive new research into the functional biology of schistosomes and other helminth parasites, and support efforts to develop new therapeutics for their control.

Protein kinase A signalling in Schistosoma mansoni cercariae and schistosomules.

Cyclic AMP (cAMP)-dependent protein kinase/protein kinase A regulates multiple processes in eukaryotes by phosphorylating diverse cellular substrates, including metabolic and signalling enzymes, ion channels and transcription factors. Here we provide insight into protein kinase A signalling in cercariae and 24h in vitro cultured somules of the blood parasite, Schistosoma mansoni, which causes human intestinal schistosomiasis. Functional mapping of activated protein kinase A using anti-phospho protein kinase A antibodies and confocal laser scanning microscopy revealed activated protein kinase A in the central and peripheral nervous system, oral-tip sensory papillae, oesophagus and excretory system of intact cercariae. Cultured 24h somules, which biologically represent the skin-resident stage of the parasite, exhibited similar activation patterns in oesophageal and nerve tissues but also displayed striking activation at the tegument and activation in a region resembling the germinal 'stem' cell cluster. The adenylyl cyclase activator, forskolin, stimulated somule protein kinase A activation and produced a hyperkinesia phenotype. The biogenic amines, serotonin and dopamine known to be present in skin also induced protein kinase A activation in somules, whereas neuropeptide Y or [Leu(31),Pro(34)]-neuropeptide Y attenuated protein kinase A activation. However, neuropeptide Y did not block the forskolin-induced somule hyperkinesia. Bioinformatic investigation of potential protein associations revealed 193 medium confidence and 59 high confidence protein kinase A interacting partners in S. mansoni, many of which possess putative protein kinase A phosphorylation sites. These data provide valuable insight into the intricacies of protein kinase A signalling in S. mansoni and a framework for further physiological investigations into the roles of protein kinase A in schistosomes, particularly in the context of interactions between the parasite and the host.