Linked information
Departments
Roles
BMHA Training Faculty, HALO Faculty
The Bryant Lab seeks to understand the fundamental biology of soil-transmitted parasitic nematodes. The lab uses the potentially fatal human parasite Strongyloides stercoralis as a powerful new model system for understanding the specialized life history traits of mammalian parasites. We apply a combination of quantitative behavioral analyses, neural imaging techniques, and functional genomics tools that are well-developed for studying C. elegans, but which have rarely been applied to human parasitic worms. Our experiments examine the remarkable ability of S. stercoralis parasitic adults to persist and reproduce for many months in the small intestine at host body temperature; unlike C. elegans who have a much shorter maximum lifespan at ambient temperature and die within hours at 35°C. Our goal is to use C. elegans as a benchmark to identify the specific molecular and cellular adaptations that enable the specialized longevity and reproductive responses of S. stercoralis parasitic adults. Our results will reveal regulatory mechanisms that promote survival and longevity in a parasitic species that is a major source of neglected disease worldwide.
