Arasu, Prema, PhD, DVM
Associate Professor

M.S.: University of Wyoming, Wyoming
Ph.D.: Hahnemann University of Health Sciences, Pennsylvania
D.V.M.: Cornell University, New York
Post-doctoral: Harvard Medical School/Massachusetts General Hospital
New England Biolabs, Inc., Massachusetts

Phone: (919) 513-6530
Fax: (919) 513-6455
E-mail: prema_arasu@ncsu.edu



Research Area:

My research interests are focused on host/parasite interactions and nematode development. Our model system is the canine hookworm, Ancylostoma caninum, a close relative of the well characterized genetic model, Caenorhabditis elegans. Using the mouse as experimental host, we are investigating the molecular mechanisms of larval reactivation during pregnancy and lactation which results in the transmammary transmission of hookworm infection to nursing newborns. The hypothesis is that host-derived factors (e.g. TGF-beta2 and IGF-1 which are upregulated during pregnancy and lactation) signal parasite-encoded receptors to trigger the reactivation of arrested larvae. Molecular and immunological studies involve antibody/cytokine analyses, cloning and characterization of ligand/receptor molecules, ligand binding studies, etc.. Long range goals are to understand pathways of arrest and reactivation of infectious agents, and to develop novel control strategies.

In collaboration with Dr. Greg Gibson (NCSU Genetics/Bioinformatics), we are also investigating the population diversity of hookworms and using microarray analyses to define gene expression profiles during parasite development and in the dog/hookworm infection process.

Selected Publications:

Mitreva, M., Arasu, P., Hawdon, J., Martin, J., et al. 2004. Investigating hookworm genomes by comparative analysis of ESTs from two Ancylostoma species. Submitted.

Freitas, T. and Arasu, P. 2004. Molecular characterization of two Transforming Growth Factor ??ligands from the canine hookworm, Ancylostoma caninum. In preparation.

Romaris, F., North, S.J., Gagliardo, L.F., Butcher, B.A., Ghosh, K., Beiting, D.P., Panico, M., Arasu, P., Dell, A., Morris, H.R., Appleton, J.A.. 2002. A putative serine protease among the excretory-secretory glycoproteins of L1 Trichinella spiralis. Molecular & Biochemical Parasitolology 122(2):149-60.

Arasu, P. 2001. In vitro reactivation of Anyclostoma caninum tissue-arrested third stage larvae by Transforming Growth Factor b. The Journal of Parasitology. 87(4):733-738.

Arasu, P. and Heller, A. 1999. Antibody responses during pregnancy-induced transmammary transmission of arrested larvae of Ancylostoma caninum nematodes. Veterinary Immunology and Immunopathology. 70:289-298.

Arasu, P. and Kwak, D. 1999 Developmental arrest and pregnancy-induced transmission of Ancylostoma caninum larvae in the murine model. The Journal of Parasitology 85(6):779-784.

Return to Top