Distribution and Expression of the FMRFamide‐gated Sodium Channel in the CNS of Biomphalaria glabrata Under Parasitic Infection

Abstract

Schistosomiasis is a disease of major global concern for health and socioeconomic development. This neglected tropical disease represents a significant health burden for over 80 countries in Africa, Asia, and South America. Is estimated that more than 240 million of people required preventive treatment in 2016, and thousands are at risk of death annually. Schistosoma mansoni, the trematode specie that causes the most widespread form of intestinal schistosomiasis, requires two host organisms: snails from the genus Biomphalaria as its intermediary host, and humans or other mammals as its definitive host. Snails undergo major physiological and behavioral changes upon parasitic infection, but the neural contribution to these changes is poorly understood. As FMRFamide‐related neuropeptides regulate diverse physiological processes in the snail, such as respiration, reproduction and feeding, and these vital processes are known to be affected by parasitosis, we hypothesized that this peptide system participates in the behavioral and physiological modifications that occur in the snail following the parasitic infection. The FMRFamide peptides have two types of receptors, a G‐coupled receptor and a peptide gated sodium channel (FaNaC) that is unique to this phyla and is the sole sodium channel gated by a peptide. We performed immunohistochemistry and western blot experiments in snail CNS samples to determine the FaNaC receptor distribution and expression. We found a change in the neuronal distribution of the receptor in the visceral and left parietal ganglia from infected snails. Our overarching goal is to better understand the neural circuits involved in the physiological changes observed in B. glabrata during parasitic infection. This knowledge could lead to effective and selective strategies to control B. glabrata proliferation.Support or Funding InformationNIH (USA): RCMI MD007600, NIGMS‐RISE R25 GM061838NSF (USA): CREST HRD‐1137725, PIRE OISE 1545803 National Academy of Sciences (NAS, USA): U.S.‐Egypt Science and Technology (S&T) Joint Fund 2000007152; Science and Technology Development Fund (STDF, Egypt): USC17‐188This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2019 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.