Browsing by Author "Botelho, Mónica Catarina"
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- Schistosoma haematobium and bladder cancer: what lies beneath?Publication . Botelho, Mónica Catarina; Machado, José Carlos; Costa, José Manuel Correia daSchistosoma haematobium is a parasitic flatworm that infects millions of people, mostly in the developing world, and is associated with high incidence of bladder cancer although why is not clear. But our group was able to define the mechanistic relationship for the first time between infection of S. haematobium and cancer. We used in vitro models to demonstrate the presence of informative carcinogenesis-associated phenotypes in CHO cells exposed to Sh total antigen, in which we showed increased cell proliferation, decreased apoptosis, up regulation of the anti-apoptotic molecule Bcl-2, down regulation of the tumor suppressor protein p27, and increased cell migration and invasion. We further discuss the molecular and cellular events that might be responsible for schistosomiasis-related bladder cancer.
- Schistosoma haematobium: identification of new estrogenic molecules with estradiol antagonistic activity and ability to inactivate estrogen receptor in mammalian cellsPublication . Botelho, Mónica Catarina; Soares, Raquel; Vale, Nuno; Ribeiro, Ricardo; Camilo, Vânia; Almeida, Raquel; Medeiros, Rui; Gomes, Paula; Machado, José Carlos; Costa, José Manuel Correia daWe have previously identified the expression of an estradiol (E2)-related molecule by Schistosoma haematobium total antigen (Sh). We now show that this molecule has an antagonistic effect of estradiol in vitro. Our results are consistent with the existence of an estrogenic molecule that antagonizes the activity of estradiol. We found evidence for this molecule as we identified and characterized by mass spectrometry new estrogenic molecules previously unknown, present in schistosome worm extracts and sera of Schistosoma-infected individuals. We also show that Sh is able to interact in vitro with estrogen receptor (ER), explaining how host endocrine system can favor the establishment of schistosomes. These findings highlight the exploitation of the host endocrine system by schistosomes and represent an additional regulatory component of schistosome development that defines a novel paradigm enabling host–parasite interactions. The identification of these molecules opens new ways for the development of alternative drugs to treat schistosomiasis.