Host-Parasite Interactions
Brugia: molecular mechanisms of filarial endosymbiosis
Understanding the complexities of host-parasite interactions is pivotal to the development of successful drugs that target neglected parasitic diseases. Brugia malayi, a filarial nematode and causative agent of lymphatic filariasis (elephantiasis), is a particularly interesting case due to its endosymbiotic relationship with the bacterium Wolbachia. The three-fold relationship between human, parasite, and bacterium represents a fascinating avenue for the integration of transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, glycomics, and in silico metabolic reconstructions.
We are using a systems biology approach to address key questions at the interface of host, parasite, and endosymbiont to inform innovative drug design.
Selected Publications
Voronin, D, Tricoche, N, Peguero, R, Kaminska, AM, Ghedin, E, Sakanari, JA,
Lustigman, S (2024) Repurposed Drugs That Activate Autophagy in Filarial Worms Act as Effective Macrofilaricides. Pharmaceutics 2024, 16 256.
Brent Edwards, Elodie Ghedin, Denis Voronin (2023). Wolbachia interferes with
Zika virus replication by hijacking cholesterol metabolism in mosquito cells. Microbiol Spectr. 2023 Oct 9:e0218023. doi: 10.1128/spectrum.02180-23 PMID: 37811984.Â
Sounart H, Voronin D, Masarapu Y, Chung M, Saarenpää S, Ghedin* E,
Giacomello* S (2023) Miniature spatial transcriptomics for studying parasite-
endosymbiont relationships at the micro scale. Nat Commun. 2023 Oct 14;14(1):6500. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-42237-y PMID: 37838705.