Molecular negotiations at the host-parasite interface

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The success or failure of an infection depends on the outcome of a molecular dialog between host and pathogen. This is especially true for large metazoan parasites such as nematodes, which infect the gastrointestinal tract and internal tissues. Hosts resist infection by almost all parasite species, and host-parasite interactions are typically quite specific. How this fundamental aspect of nematode parasitism is determined at the molecular level remains a mystery. Our driving hypothesis is that molecules secreted by parasitic nematodes selectively and specifically modulate host immune responses that would normally prevent infection. Parasite molecules interact with host immune cells at the receptor level and at the level of gene regulation. These interactions are specific for permissive hosts and establish the molecular basis of host-parasite specificity. Understanding the molecules used by parasites to accomplish this immunomodulation will reveal the molecular basis for host-parasite specificity and illuminate the evolutionary processes involved in parasitism.