Proteomics Research on Features of Life Activity of Parasitic Worms

Studying the proteome of helminths is of fundamental and applied importance, as it helps to find the molecular mechanisms underlying the life activity of parasitic organisms and the relationships in the parasite–host system. It also allows us to identify molecules that can be proposed as targets for creation of anthelmintic drugs. The review collects available information on the composition of proteins of parasitic worms. Based on data from genomic, transcriptomic and proteomic analysis of a small number of well-studied species, a primary description of the main groups of parasite proteins—structural proteins, carbohydrate metabolism enzymes, and proteins responsible for the body’s resistance to stress—was carried out. Comparative studies of the protein composition of some helminths at different stages of the life cycle are presented, and proteins typical for larvae and imago parasites are described. Works devoted to the study of proteins that parasites secrete into the external environment (secretomes) are discussed separately. It has been shown that the secretome proteins include various proteolytic enzymes, proteins of the detoxification system, signaling molecules, etc.