About this Research Topic

Background

Host-parasite interactions (HPI) are, by nature, molecular. The key determinants of HPIs are surface/secretory molecules, especially proteins, which are fundamental to parasite survival and infection. Therefore, studying parasite surface/secretory proteins in the context of the host is important. It builds a mechanistic understanding of processes/pathways linked to parasite persistence or host clearance mediated by HPIs. Moreover, disrupting parasite secretory/surface protein functions provides an opportunity to impact parasitic diseases therapeutically.

The enormous global parasitic disease burden demands continuous progress towards novel therapeutics to control this health issue. Using a wealth of proteomic and genomic studies data, predicting or annotating parasite surface/secretory proteins as new targets at the host-parasite interface is common. However, their function and interaction with host molecules must often be discovered or better understood. This research topic aims to collect original studies containing diverse protein-based approaches to examine HPIs. We request studies employing, but not limited to, biochemical, biophysical, structural/computational, proteomics, and immunological methods alone or in combinations to precisely characterise parasite surface/secretory proteins and their functions in the context of their hosts.

Articles on this research topic will investigate parasite surface/secretory proteins from the following perspectives:

o Role in motility, cell invasion, recognition, and host cell modification.
o Role in Immunosuppression or Immunomodulation.
o New parasite surface/secretory proteins or protein families, especially from neglected and livestock parasites.
o Molecular HP interfaces towards diagnosis and therapy.

We invite full research articles, brief reports, and methodology articles examining parasite proteins to provide unique insights, new ideas, and functional models that directly investigate molecular interactions between the host and the parasite. We also invite reviews and opinions from molecular parasitology experts to give an updated overview of this field.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Classification
• Clinical Trial
• Editorial
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Classification
• Clinical Trial
• Editorial
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: host-parasite, interaction, protein-based methods, therapy, surface/secretory proteins

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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