Editorial Material
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Kelly A. Speer
Summary: Parasitic and parasitoid organisms rely on chemical cues to locate a host. Recent research suggests that the microbiome can emit volatile organic compounds that attract or repel parasites. This innovative mechanism changes our understanding of host-parasite coevolution and highlights the role of the microbiome as a third actor in this interaction.
Review
Entomology
Christoph Vorburger
Summary: Insect host-parasitoid interactions are common in nature and characterized by host specialization. Many host species rely on heritable bacterial endosymbionts for defense against parasitoids. These symbionts provide strong and specific resistance, potentially due to variation in symbiont-produced toxins. Defensive symbionts are thus important for diversifying selection and may alter host-parasitoid food web structures. Additionally, other defensive mutualisms may also exert diversifying selection on insect parasitoids.
ANNUAL REVIEW OF ENTOMOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Martin Mayer, Lia Schlippe Justicia, Richard Shine, Gregory P. Brown
Summary: The skin secretions of amphibians play a crucial role in host-parasite interactions, with different effects on parasite larvae depending on the geographical area. These variations are due to differential responses of the larvae and differential effects of the skin secretions, indicating rapid spatial variation in critical features of the interaction between hosts and parasites.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
David R. Clark, Kyle A. Young, Justin Kitzes, Pippa J. Moore, Ally J. Evans, Jessica F. Stephenson
Summary: Symbionts tend to aggregate on their hosts, and the degree of aggregation depends on stochastic processes, interaction type, and host traits. Using null models, researchers found that aggregation patterns in neutral systems can be accurately predicted, while aggregation patterns in parasitic systems do not fully conform to expectations.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Juhyung Lee, Timothy M. Davidson, Mark E. Torchin
Summary: The host preference of symbionts evolves from fitness trade-offs, influenced by interspecific variations in host response traits. Less defended hosts that can support higher symbiont densities without harm are preferred by symbionts. Host response traits play a crucial role in modulating a symbiont's host choice, calling for more explicit considerations of host response variability in host preference research.
Article
Ecology
Elena Gimmi, Christoph Vorburger
Summary: The genetic interactions between hosts and parasites play a significant role in determining the dynamics of coevolution. In the case of the black bean aphid and its parasitoid, the specificity of resistance conferred by a heritable bacterial endosymbiont is crucial in maintaining genetic variation and mediating coevolutionary processes.
JOURNAL OF EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Alix E. Matthews, Asela J. Wijeratne, Andrew D. Sweet, Fabio A. Hernandes, David P. L. Toews, Than J. Boves
Summary: A fundamental aspect of symbiotic relationships is host specificity, ranging from extreme specialists associated with only a single host species to generalists associated with many different species. Although symbionts with limited dispersal capabilities are expected to be host specialists, some are able to associate with multiple hosts.
SYSTEMATIC BIOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Mohamed Amine Jmel, Hanne Voet, Ricardo N. Araujo, Lucas Tirloni, Anderson Sa-Nunes, Michail Kotsyfakis
Summary: Kunitz domain-containing proteins are serine protease inhibitors with therapeutic potential. They inhibit key proteases involved in inflammation or hemostasis through competitive inhibition. Tick saliva contains Kunitz-type inhibitors that play a role in host inhibition and blood feeding. Understanding their effects on host immunity and hemostasis may lead to novel therapies and vaccines.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Biology
Tad A. Dallas, Pedro Jordano
Summary: The study on host-helminth parasite interactions found that geographical area influences species richness and the number of species interactions, but the species-area slopes for host species and helminth parasites were different than theoretical predictions. Additionally, host-helminth network modularity decreased with increasing area, contrary to theoretical predictions.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Tara E. Stewart Merrill, Dana M. Calhoun, Pieter T. J. Johnson
Summary: Understanding the capacity of different species to support parasite transmission, known as "competence", is crucial for modeling transmission and testing diversity-disease theory. However, the factors that generate competence and drive its variation are not well understood. This study developed novel approaches to systematically quantify competence for a multi-host, multi-parasite community. The findings suggest that variation in competence is mainly driven by differences in barrier resistance and pre-transmission mortality, highlighting the importance of host resistance and parasite pathogenicity. Host species identity was found to be a strong predictor of competence variation. This study provides valuable insights into the mechanisms of infection and epidemiological patterns.
FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Andres E. Brunetti, Mariana L. Lyra, Anelize Bauermeister, Boyke Bunk, Christian Boedeker, Mathias Muesken, Fausto Carnevale Neto, Jacqueline Nakau Mendonca, Andres Mauricio Caraballo-Rodriguez, Weilan G. P. Melo, Monica T. Pupo, Celio F. B. Haddad, Gabriela M. Cabrera, Joerg Overmann, Norberto P. Lopes
Summary: The host-microbiome associations on vertebrate skin have a significant impact on host health. This study investigates the skin metabolites involved in the beneficial symbiosis between tree frogs and bacteria and identifies macrocyclic acylcarnitines as the major secreted metabolites. It is found that Pseudomonas bacteria can utilize acylcarnitines as a source of carbon and nitrogen.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Maura Rojas-Pirela, Diego Andrade-Alviarez, Lisvaneth Medina, Christian Castillo, Ana Liempi, Jesus Guerrero-Munoz, Yessica Ortega, Juan Diego Maya, Veronica Rojas, Wilfredo Quinones, Paul A. Michels, Ulrike Kemmerling
Summary: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a group of small non-coding RNA molecules that regulate gene expression. They play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of diseases, including those caused by parasitic protists. Additionally, miRNAs have the potential to be used as targets for drug design and as diagnostic and prognostic markers for parasitic diseases.
Review
Immunology
Lisvane Paes-Vieira, Andre Luiz Gomes-Vieira, Jose Roberto Meyer-Fernandes
Summary: Belonging to the GDA1/CD39 protein superfamily, NTPDases catalyze the hydrolysis of ATP and ADP to AMP and Pi. Various isoforms have been described in different cells, with different specificities regarding divalent cations and substrates. NTPDases play a role in thrombosis and inflammation in mammals, and in parasites, their activity on the cell surface is crucial for processes like growth, infectivity, and virulence.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Immunology
Annemarie Voorberg-van der Wel, Clemens H. M. Kocken, Anne-Marie Zeeman
Summary: Recent studies on liver stage malaria parasite-host interactions have shed light on the intricate cross-talk between the parasite and its mammalian host, particularly focusing on the interactions between hypnozoites and hepatocytes. Understanding these interactions may help identify factors that could awaken dormant parasite reservoirs, potentially leading to the total eradication of malaria.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Parasitology
Laura K. Lopez, Meghan A. Duffy
Summary: Recent studies have found that predators influence disease dynamics in prey through alternative mechanisms beyond just lowering prey population density, particularly in aquatic systems. The life histories of aquatic hosts and parasites play a role in shaping transmission pathways, which intersect with predation to influence disease dynamics. Further research is needed to explore how predator-host-parasite interactions shift under changing environmental conditions.
TRENDS IN PARASITOLOGY
(2021)
