About this Research Topic
The Host-Parasite interactions (HPI) are molecular by nature; several host-parasite (HP) molecules engage in crosstalk that dictates the parasite’s fate in the host environment. Parasites with different lifestyles have many surface and secretory proteins that physically contact host molecules, creating molecular interfaces to manipulate host behaviour and generate conditions conducive to the parasite. Consequently, the study of surface/secretory proteins develops an understanding of molecular tactics used by parasites for invasion, survival, and growth in host cells/tissues and uncovers critical mechanisms associated with parasitism, survival adaptation, and virulence. Furthermore, altering this molecular HP interface represents a strategy to develop interventions that limit parasite infections.
Due to the enormous global parasitic disease burden, progress towards novel therapeutics to control this health issue is crucial. 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, these parasite proteins’ exact function and interaction with host molecules/environment often need to be discovered or better understood.
This research topic aims to collect original studies containing protein-based approaches to examine HPI. We request studies deploying but not limited to using biochemical, biophysical, structural/computational, proteomics, and immunological methods alone or in an integrated manner to precisely characterize parasite surface/secretory proteins and their functions in the context of their hosts.
This research theme will contain a range of articles that explore the following:
i) HP protein interactions facilitating attachment to or invasion of host cells and parasite growth.
ii) Mechanisms by which surface/secretory proteins of parasites with different lifestyles induce host tolerance towards the parasite, i.e., Immune evasion, Immunomodulation etc. Adaptive co-evolutionary aspects or ‘molecular arms race’.
iii) Finding novel parasite surface/secretory proteins or protein families, especially from neglected and livestock parasites.
iV) 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 envisage molecular crosstalk between the host and the parasite during infection, revealing the molecular basis of HPI. We also invite reviews and opinions from molecular parasitology experts to give an updated overview of this field.
Due to the enormous global parasitic disease burden, progress towards novel therapeutics to control this health issue is crucial. 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, these parasite proteins’ exact function and interaction with host molecules/environment often need to be discovered or better understood.
This research topic aims to collect original studies containing protein-based approaches to examine HPI. We request studies deploying but not limited to using biochemical, biophysical, structural/computational, proteomics, and immunological methods alone or in an integrated manner to precisely characterize parasite surface/secretory proteins and their functions in the context of their hosts.
This research theme will contain a range of articles that explore the following:
i) HP protein interactions facilitating attachment to or invasion of host cells and parasite growth.
ii) Mechanisms by which surface/secretory proteins of parasites with different lifestyles induce host tolerance towards the parasite, i.e., Immune evasion, Immunomodulation etc. Adaptive co-evolutionary aspects or ‘molecular arms race’.
iii) Finding novel parasite surface/secretory proteins or protein families, especially from neglected and livestock parasites.
iV) 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 envisage molecular crosstalk between the host and the parasite during infection, revealing the molecular basis of HPI. We also invite reviews and opinions from molecular parasitology experts to give an updated overview of this field.
Keywords: host-parasite, surface, secretory proteins, interaction, crosstalk, invasion, immunomodulation, protein-based methods, therapy
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.
