Secreted exosome-like vesicles from the carcinogenic liver fluke (Old ID 21477)
Role
Principal Investigator
Description
Parasitic worms secrete molecules from their oral openings and outer surfaces as they feed and reproduce inside their human hosts. These molecules are referred to as Excretory/Secretory (ES) products, akin to our saliva and sweat. These ES products represent the molecular interface of the host-parasite relationship. We recently showed that ES products from the parasitic liver fluke, a worm that is a major cause of liver cancer throughout parts of SE Asia, are taken up by cells lining the human bile ducts, the site where the parasite resides for years at a time. Until now the mechanisms by which these molecules are taken up and internalised by host cells was unknown. We now show that liver fluke ES proteins enter into human bile duct cells by forming small cell-like vesicles called exosomes. Once the flukes exosomes get inside human bile duct cells they induce a series of changes inside the cell which typifies the early stages of cancer formation. We now propose to better characterise the process of exosome uptake by human bile duct cells and exploit this information to discover vaccines to combat this carcinogenic infection and develop new tools to identify people who are most at risk of developing cancer from liver fluke infection.
Date
01 Jan 2015 - 31 Dec 2018
Project Type
GRANT
Keywords
Opisthorchis viverrini;Liver Cancer;Exosome;Excretory/secretory;Bile duct
Funding Body
National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC)
Amount
742660
Project Team
Javier Sotillo-Gallego