Regulation of gene expression in the Schistosoma mansoni female

The maturation of females of S. mansoni is a process which depends on the presence of male parasites. Preliminary results indicated that the males may secret hormones, possibly steroid or steroid-like compounds, which regulate the expression of genes directly connected to events pertaining to oogenesis. Because the eggs are important agents in the pathology of schistosomiasis, it is of interest to elucidate the biochemical events associated to this developmental stage. The present work describes the efforts to characterize proteins which regulate the expression of a gene encoding a major protein precursor of egg shells and which is only transcribed by adult females. It is hoped that the receptor for the male hormone will be detected among these regulatory proteins.