Hsp70 May Be a Molecular Regulator of Schistosome Host Invasion

A novel signaling pathway in which Heat Shock Protein 70 (Hsp70) plays a role has been added to its many well-established chaperone functions: a regulatory factor for the transition between stages of parasite development.  The studies described by Ishida and Jolly support the conclusion that Hsp70 is involved in a signaling pathway that causes S. mansoni cercariae to begin host invasion maneuvers and that inhibition of Hsp70 bypasses the need for upstream host signals that normally initiate this process. Read the study here.