Kinases: Molecular Stage Directors for Schistosome Development and Differentiation

Understanding schistosome biology is still a challenging mission. The reproductive biology of this parasitic trematode is closely associated with the pathologic consequences of schistosomiasis, the devastating infectious disease caused by members of the family Schistosomatidae worldwide. Recent studies of signaling mechanisms confirmed the prominent roles of protein kinases (PKs) in directing schistosome biology, and first evidence was obtained for an additional contribution of kinases with substrates different from proteins (non-PKs). This review provides an overview of the Schistosoma mansoni kinome in the context of male–female interaction and summarizes recent studies of kinases controlling development and differentiation. Due to their importance for schistosome biology, kinases represent Achilles’ heels and are therefore of high value also for translational research. Kinases are indispensable to life and are involved in diverse biological processes such as metabolism, cell proliferation, apoptosis, cytoskeletal organization, and differentiation. Kinase dysfunction can lead to severe diseases such as cancer in humans, which accounts for many efforts to generate kinase inhibitors for drug development. In schistosomes, kinases play pivotal roles for different physiological processes, including reproduction, which is closely associated with egg production and the pathology of schistosomiasis. The pairing-dependent sexual maturation of females, a unique aspect of schistosome biology, seems to be controlled by kinases, of which many are transcribed gonad-preferentially and/or pairing-dependently. Due to the alarmingly limited repertoire of anthelmintics, kinases represent attractive targets for novel approaches to fight parasite-induced infectious diseases.