RESUMO
Schistosomes are parasitic platyhelminths that constitute an important public health problem globally. Infection is characterized by the presence of adult worms within the vasculature of their hosts, where they can reside for many years. The worms are covered by an unusual dual lipid bilayer through which they import nutrients. How the parasites import other vital molecules, such as water, is not known. Recent proteomic analysis of the schistosome tegumental membranes revealed the presence of an aquaporin homologue at the host-interactive surface whose cDNA we have cloned and characterized. The cDNA encodes a predicted 304-aa protein (SmAQP) that is found largely in the parasite tegument by immunolocalization and is most highly expressed in the intravascular life stages. Treatment of parasites with short interfering RNAs targeting the SmAQP gene results in potent (>90%) suppression. These suppressed parasites resist swelling when placed in hypotonic medium, unlike their control counterparts, which rapidly double in volume. In addition, SmAQP-suppressed parasites, unlike controls, resist shrinkage when incubated in hyperosmotic solution. While suppressed parasites exhibit lower viability in culture relative to controls and exhibit a stunted appearance following prolonged suppression, they are nonetheless more resistant to killing by the drug potassium antimonyl tartrate (PAT). This is likely because SmAQP acts as a conduit for this drug, as is the case for aquaporins in other systems. These experiments reveal a heretofore unrecognized role of the schistosome tegument in controlling water and drug movement into the parasites and highlight the importance of the tegument in parasite osmoregulation and drug uptake.