Genome analysis: Helping to solve the molecular mysteries of schistosomes

Considerable progress has been made by the Schistosome Genome Project, prim arily in gene discovery, involving comparison of cDNA libraries representin g different stages of the parasite life-cycle. Genome analysis will provide greater insight in to some of the fundamental biological functions occurri ng during the complex schistosome life-cycle and will help to determine the molecular pathways involved. In this article we present an update of the S chistosome Genome Project and highlight interesting areas of molecular rese arch relating to gene expression and development, host-parasite relationshi ps and molecular systematics.