Establishing Transgenic Schistosomes

Draft genome sequences for Schistosoma japonicum and Schistosoma mansoni are now available. The schistosome genome encodes approximately 13,000 protein encoding genes for which the function of only a small minority is understood. The new genes represent potential intervention targets. Molecular tools are needed to determine the importance of these new genes. There is a role for transgenesis in functional genomics of the new schistosome gene sequences, both in gainand loss-of-function approaches such as insertional mutagenesis screens and vector-based RNA interference. This laboratory symposium focuses on the development of approaches, systems, and tools to address the problem of establishing transgenic schistosomes which, in turn, can be applied to fundamental questions of schistosome physiology, the host–parasite relationship, and to developing new interventions.