MOLECULAR AND CELLULAR BIOLOGY OF HELMINTH PARASITES V BRATSERA HOTEL, HYDRA, GREECE 12-17 SEPTEMBER 2008 ~~~~~~~~~~~~ This meeting was made possible through the generous support of: Burroughs Wellcome Fund SCIENTIFIC PROGRAMME All timings include minimum of 5 minutes for discussion. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~ Friday 12 September ~ 15:00 - 18:00 Registration, Bratsera Hotel 18:15 Introduction: Rick Maizels, University of Edinburgh 18:45 Plenary Lecture: Paul Sternberg, California Institute of Technology Nematode genomics and informatics: leveraging C. elegans 20:00 Welcome Reception, Bratsera Hotel Day 1 ~Saturday 13 September ~ GENOMES AND GENETICS Session 1: GENOMICS AND EVOLUTION OF PARASITISM Chair - Murray Selkirk, Imperial College London 9:00 Matthew Berriman, Welcome Trust Sanger Institute. Parasitic helminth genome sequencing 9:40 Juan Pedro Laclette, Universidad Nacional Autonoma. The genome project of Taenia solium 10:00 David Bird, NC State University: Sequence of Meloidogyne hapla. A compact nematode genome for plant parasitism 10:20 Sommer Ralf, Max-Planck Institute. The genome of Pristionchus pacificus and implications for the evolution of parasitism Coffee Break Session 2: CROSSOVER FROM C ELEGANS TO PARASITES Chair - Paul Sternberg, California Institute of Technology 11:10 Adrain Streit, Tübingen. Genetics in the parasitic nematode genus Strongyloides 11:30 John Gilleard, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. Developing Haemonchus contortus as a model parasite for forward genetic studies of anthelmintic resistance 11:50 Collette Britton, University of Glasgow. Expression of potential control targets of parasitic nematodes using Caenorhabditis elegans 12:10 Peter Geldhof, Ghent University. Functional analysis of Ostertagia ostertagi vaccine candidates in Caenorhabditis elegans 12:30 Claudia Welz, Univ of Vet Med Hannover. Functional expression of parasitic SLO-1 in Caenorhabditis elegans slo-1 knockout mutants Lunch/Free Time Session 3: TRANSFECTION IN PARASITIC HELMINTHS Chair - Eileen Devaney, University of Glasgow 16:30 James Lok, University of Pennsylvania. Transgenesis in Strongyloides stercoralis and S. ratti: prospects for transposon-mediated gene transfer and applications in studies of gene function, immunology and sensory neurobiology 17:10 Michelle Castelletto, University of Pennsylvania. Regulation and function of fktf-1 in transgenic Strongyloides stercoralis 17:30 Thomas Unnasch, University of South Florida. Analysis of transcription and mRNA processing in Brugia malayi using a homologous transient transfection system 17:50 Paul Brindley, George Wash Med Center. Integration of reporter transgenes into Schistosoma mansoni chromosomes mediated by pseudotyped murine leukemia virus 18:10 - 20:00 Poster Session 1 SCIENTIFIC PROGRAMME ~ FRIDAY 12 SEPTEMBER AND SATURDAY 13 SEPTEMBER Day 2 ~ Sunday 14 September ~ MOLECULAR AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY Session 4 DEVELOPMENT AND DIFFERENTIATION Chair - Ed Pearce, University of Pennsylvania 9:00 Klaus Brehm, University of Würzburg. Cestode stem cells: their role in host-induced larval development and their utilization to achieve parasite transgenesis 9:40 Christoph Grevelding, Institute for Parasitology. Signaling molecules involved in gonad differentiation of Schistosoma mansoni 10:00 Olson Peter, Nat History Museum. Developmental genes in the life cycle of a parasitic flatworm 10:20 Svenja Beckmann, Justus-Liebig-University. The Syk-kinase SmTK4 from Schistosoma mansoni: upstream interaction partners and functional aspects in oogenesis and spermatogenesis Coffee Break Session 5 HELMINTH GENE FAMILIES AND SIGNALLING Chair - Charles Shoemaker, Tufts University 11:10 Cecilia Fernández, Universidad de la República. A diverse family of Kunitz inhibitors from Echinococcus granulosus involved in host-parasite cross-talk in echinococcosis 11:30 Bernadette Connolly, University of Aberdeen. TGF-beta and hedgehog signalling pathways in Trichinella spiralis 11:50 Ed Pearce, University of Pennsylvania. TGFbeta signaling in schistosomes 12:10 Sally Williamson, University of Bath. The nicotinic acetylcholine receptors of Ascaris suum 12:30 Niki Gounaris, Imperial College London. Secreted proteins of Trichinella spiralis modulate purinergic signalling in immune cells Lunch/Free Time (note earlier start time for session 6 to allow for sunset dinner) Session 6 MOLECULAR MECHANISMS IN HELMINTHS Chair - Tom Unnasch, University of South Florida 15:30 Alan Scott, Johns Hopkins University. The Brugia malayi genome 16:10 Larry McReynolds, New England Biolabs. miRNAs in Brugia malayi 16:30 Murray Selkirk, Imperial College London. RNAi in parasitic nematodes 16:50 Richard Davis, Univ of Colorado. RNA metabolism and molecular adaptation in Ascaris embryos 18:30 ~ Boats depart from Hydra port for Vlychos 19:00 Dinner, Vlychos Taverna SCIENTIFIC PROGRAMME ~ DAY 2 ~ SUNDAY 14 SEPTEMBER Day 3 ~ Monday 15 September ~ METABOLISM AND DRUG DISCOVERY Session 7 INSIGHTS FROM C ELEGANS Chair - Niki Gounaris, Imperial College London 9:00 Nektarios Tavernarakis, Foundation for Research and Technology - Hellas. Cellular energy metabolism and ageing in Caenorhabditis elegans 9:40 Richard Martin, Iowa State University. Levamisole channel currents and resistance in adult Caenorhabditis elegans muscle 10:00 Carolyn Behm, Australian National University. MITR-1: a conserved novel nematode-specific protein required for mitochondrial respiration in C. elegans 10:20 Anthony Page, University of Glasgow. A hypodermally expressed Haem peroxidase is critical for viability and cuticle formation in C. elegans Coffee Break Session 8 NEW DRUGS AND DRUG TARGETS Chair - Carolyn Behm, Australian National University 11:10 Pascal Mäser, University Of Bern. Molecular mechanisms of drug resistance in Haemonchus contortus 11:30 Achim Hoerauf, Univ Bonn Med Center. Anti-wolbachial chemotherapy of onchocerciasis - a macrofilaricide at last? 11:50 Mark Taylor, Liverpool School of Tropical Med. Filarial Wolbachia lipoprotein stimulates innate and adaptive inflammatory responses 12:10 Robert Greenberg, University of Pennsylvania. Praziquantel-dependent effects on expression of a P-glycoprotein homolog in Schistosoma mansoni 12:30 David Williams, Illinois State University. Identification of new drug leads targeting redox biochemistry for the control of schistosomiasis Lunch/Free Time Session 9 MOLECULAR DISCOVERY Chair - Alex Loukas, Queensland Inst of Med Research 16:30 Charles Shoemaker, Tufts University. Probing the helminth host-parasite inferface with phage-displayed antibodies 17:10 Patrick Skelly, Tufts Cummings School of Vet Med. Functional characterization of the schistosome surface 17:30 Eileen Devaney, University of Glasgow. Hsp90 and the biology of parasitism 17:50 Karl Hoffmann, Aberystwyth Univ. Transcriptomic analyses of schistosome biology: what we have learned and where we are headed 18:10 Richard Komuniecki, University of Toledo. Use of the Caenorhabditis elegans model system to identify the receptors in parasitic helminths modulating serotonin-stimulated paralysis 18:30 - 20:00 Poster Session 2 SCIENTIFIC PROGRAMME ~ DAY 3 ~ MONDAY 15 SEPTEMBER Day 4 ~ Tuesday 16 September ~ IMMUNOMODULATION AND IMMUNITY Session 10 MECHANISMS OF HOST IMMUNITY Chair - Rick Maizels, University of Edinburgh 9:00 Jonathon Ewbank, Centre d'Immunologie de Marseille-. Innate immunity in C. elegans 9:40 Rachel Lawrence, Royal Vet College. The mechanism by which mannose-binding lectin deficiency prevents parasite clearance and development of anti-parasite IgM 10:00 Nicola Harris, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology. Polyclonal and specific antibodies mediate protective immunity against enteric helminth infection 10:20 Graham LeGros, Malaghan Inst of Med Research The lung is a key site for protective immunity against gastrointestinal helminth parasites Coffee Break Session 11 HELMINTH IMMUNOMODULATION Chair - Achim Hoerauf, Univ Bonn Med Center 11:10 Helmut Haas, Borstel. S. mansoni egg excretory/secretory proteins - major modulators of the host’s immune response 11:30 Corinna Schnöller, Humboldt University. Gastrointestinal nematode infection inhibits experimental allergic airway inflammation but not atopic dermatitis 11:50 Matthew Taylor, University of Edinburgh. Induction and maintenance of effector and regulatory T cell responses during filarial infection 12:10 Sabine Specht, Univ Bonn Med Center. Murine filarial infection induces protection against malaria and inhibits allergic asthma 12:30 Rick Maizels, University of Edinburgh. Immunomodulation by H polygyrus products Lunch/Free Time Session 12 IMMUNE RECOGNITION AND VACCINES Chair - Graham LeGros, Malaghan Inst of Medical Research 16:30 Dave Knox, Moredun Research Institute. Proteomics and vaccine candidate discovery – the old and the new 16:50 Lustigman Sara, NY Blood Center. The immunopotentiating properties of the Onchocerca volvulus recombinant Ov-ASP-1 protein 17:10 Jan Bradley, University of Nottingham. The immunomodulatory properties of hOv-FAR 1; the fatty acid and retinol binding protein of Onchocerca volvulus 17:30 David Dunne, University of Cambridge. Human sensitization and desensitization to allergen- like proteins from Schistosoma mansoni depends on their expression patterns through the parasite life-cycle 17:50 Alex Loukas, Queensland Inst of Med Research. Apical membrane proteins as recombinant vaccines against Schistosoma mansoni - from men to mice then back to men 20:00 Farewell Dinner, Douskos Taverna, Hydra SCIENTIFIC PROGRAMME ~ DAY 4 ~ TUESDAY 16 SEPTEMBER POSTER