Schistosoma mansoni: control of female fertility by the male

• Main Authors: Werner Kunz, Lutz Gohr, Christoph Grevelding, Peter Schüssler, Gabriele Sommer, Marion Menrath, Anja Michel
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Ministério da Saúde 1995-04-01
• Series: Memórias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz.
• Subjects: Schistosoma mansoni; in vitro culture; gene expression; male; female interaction
• Online Access: http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0074-02761995000200010
• ISSN: 0074-0276; 1678-8060

We have established an in vitro culture system for adult schistosomes that allows monitoring gene expression for up to more than ten days. Comparing female worms that are paired with those that have been separated, we find distinct differences, clearly documenting an influence of the male in female gene expression. In perfect coincidence with classical observations that were based on histological techniques, we find that the male particularly regulates gene expression in those tissues that are characterized by cell proliferation, e.g. the vitellaria. From these results, we hypothesize that the key target for the inductive signal that is transferred from the male to the female during pairing is the activation of a growth factor that stimulates mitotic proliferation.