Progress interrogating TRPMPZQ as the target of praziquantel. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2024 Feb;18(2):e0011929
Date
02/15/2024Pubmed ID
38358948Pubmed Central ID
PMC10868838DOI
10.1371/journal.pntd.0011929Scopus ID
2-s2.0-85185235832 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)Abstract
The drug praziquantel (PZQ) has served as the long-standing drug therapy for treatment of infections caused by parasitic flatworms. These encompass diseases caused by parasitic blood, lung, and liver flukes, as well as various tapeworm infections. Despite a history of clinical usage spanning over 4 decades, the parasite target of PZQ has long resisted identification. However, a flatworm transient receptor potential ion channel from the melastatin subfamily (TRPMPZQ) was recently identified as a target for PZQ action. Here, recent experimental progress interrogating TRPMPZQ is evaluated, encompassing biochemical, pharmacological, genetic, and comparative phylogenetic data that highlight the properties of this ion channel. Various lines of evidence that support TRPMPZQ being the therapeutic target of PZQ are presented, together with additional priorities for further research into the mechanism of action of this important clinical drug.
Author List
Marchant JSAuthor
Jonathan S. Marchant PhD Chair, Professor in the Cell Biology, Neurobiology and Anatomy department at Medical College of WisconsinMESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
AnthelminticsPhylogeny
Praziquantel
Transient Receptor Potential Channels
