DIGESTION OF HEMOGLOBIN BY SCHISTOSOMES - 35 YEARS ON

Adult schistosomes obtain nutrients by digesting haemoglobin, which th ey obtain from ingested host red blood cells. Here, John Dalton, Angel a Smith, Karen Clough and Paul Brindley argue that a cathepsin L prote inase recently identified in their laboratory as the predominant cyste ine proteinase activity of Schistosoma mansoni may play the leading ro le in haemoglobin digestion, They discuss the importance of elucidatin g the roles of both cathepsin B and cathepsin L in the digestion of ha emoglobin, since both should be considered important targets to which novel schistosomicidal agents could be directed.