Abstract
Schistosoma japonicum (S. japonicum) infection can induce serious organ damage and cause schistosomiasis japonica which is mainly prevalent in Asia and currently one of the most seriously neglected tropical diseases. Treatment of schistosomiasis largely depends on the drug praziquantel (PZQ). However, PZQ exhibits low killing efficacy on juvenile worms and the potential emergence of its drug resistance is a continual concern. Protein kinases (PKs) are enzymes that catalyze the phosphorylation of proteins and can participate in many signaling pathways in vivo. Recent studies confirmed the essential roles of PKs in the growth and development of S. japonicum, as well as in schistosome-host interactions, and researches have screened drug targets about PKs from S. japonicum (SjPKs), which provide new opportunities of developing new treatments on schistosomiasis. The aim of this review is to present the current progress on SjPKs from classification, different functions and their potential to become drug targets compared with other schistosomes. The efficiency of related protein kinase inhibitors on schistosomes is highlighted. Finally, the current challenges and problems in the study of SjPKs are proposed, which can provide future guidance for developing anti-schistosomiasis drugs and vaccines.
Highlights
Schistosomiasis is a serious neglected tropical disease that causes a series of pathological damages to humans
Extracellular signalregulated kinases (ERKs) was more significantly upregulated in cercariae than other stages of in schistosome. These results suggests that ERK and Jun amino-terminal kinases (JNKs) may participate in female sexual maturation processes, and ERK may be involved in the growth and development of schistosomes (Wang et al, 2006)
Recent progress has confirmed that some Protein kinases (PKs) are related to the growth, development, and survival of S. japonicum (e.g., TK family, GSK, calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CAMKII), MAP kinases, atypical protein kinases (aPKs))
Summary
Schistosomiasis is a serious neglected tropical disease that causes a series of pathological damages to humans. Schistosomiasis is caused by mainly three species including Schistosoma japonicum, Schistosoma mansoni and Schistosoma hematobium. As the causative agent of hepato-intestinal schistosomiasis, S. japonicum is mainly prevalent in southern China, to a lesser extent Indonesia and the Philippines. This parasite has a complex life cycle, which involves two hosts including molluscan and mammalian hosts, and six developmental stages including adult worm, ovum (egg), miracidium, sporocyst (mother sporocyst and daughter sporocyst), cercaria, and schistosomula. Cercariae escape from Oncomelania hupensis, encounter humans or other mammals in the infested water, penetrate their skins to form juvenile worms, and migrate through the lungs to the mesenteric blood vessels, where they mature into
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