Before testing, the researchers believed that by blocking Hsp70 in the cercariae, the cercariae would die, Ishida said. "We know heat shock proteins play a role in helping cells cope with stress," Ishida said. "There must be stress in the transition from living in cool, fresh water into a warm host's salty blood."
But, instead, they saw Hsp70 induced a change in the organism's behavior, indicating the protein is likely a regulator of the molecular signaling pathway associated with invasion.