Tegumental expression of a novel type II receptor serine/threonine kinase (SmRK2) in Schistosoma mansoni

The TGF-beta family of receptor serine/threonine kinases (RSTKs) is responsible for a diverse array of functions in metazoans. Here, we describe the isolation of SmRK2, a type II RSTK expressed in schistosomula and adult stages of Schistosoma mansoni. Based on amino acid sequence homology, SmRK2 is most closely related to the Activin type 11 receptor subset of RSTKs. SmRK2 appears to be expressed as three different transcripts: one encoding a full-length receptor with 5'- and 3'-untranslated regions (UTRs) (SmRK2), a second encoding a longer form containing no 3'-UTR and no stop codon (SmRK2a), and a third truncated variant (SmRK2b), which contains sequence encoding the first 53 amino acids of the N-terminal extracellular domain followed by an inserted 10 residue hydrophobic domain. Using an anti-peptide antibody raised against a partial extracellular domain sequence common to all three isoforms, SmRK2 was localized predominantly to the tegumental surface of the parasites. We hypothesize that SmRK2 is the receptor partner for the previously reported type I RSTK SmRK1 (or SmTbetaR1) and that together these proteins constitute a receptor system for receiving signals from the mammalian host. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.