Expression of TRPM PZQ in excitable cells and sensory structures throughout the Schistosoma mansoni lifecycle
Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: Praziquantel (PZQ) is an essential medicine used to treat schistosomiasis and other infectious diseases caused by parasitic flatworms. The parasite target of PZQ is a transient receptor potential ion channel of the melastatin subfamily, TRPM PZQ . As little is currently known about the native role of TRPM PZQ in schistosomes, we developed and validated TRPM PZQ specific antibodies to immunolocalize TRPM PZQ across various S. mansoni life cycle stages (adult worms, juvenile worms, miracidia and cercariae). TRPM PZQ was expressed in muscle, nervous tissues, as well as various sensory structures on the surface of the parasite across all these life cycle stages. In adult male worms, TRPM PZQ positive neurons innervated the oral and ventral suckers as well as sensory papillae covering the head of the worm. TRPM PZQ was also present in papillae throughout the body, and within tubercles. In a S. mansoni strain selected in the laboratory for resistance to PZQ, reduced expression and immunostaining of TRPM PZQ was apparent. In immature worms, which can recover from PZQ exposure, TRPM PZQ expression was predominantly found within the musculature compared with the neuronal localization evident in adult worms. A developmental transition of TRPM PZQ from muscle to nervous tissues during schistosome maturation was also supported from single cell RNAseq data. Because muscle buffers Ca 2+ transients more effectively than neurons, the transition of TRPM PZQ away from muscle during schistosome maturation may increase the sensitivity of adult male worms to PZQ.
Institutions: Medical College of Wisconsin, University of Glasgow
Language: English
Subfield: Parasitology
Field: Immunology and Microbiology
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7222795839