Fig. 4: Adult worms exposed to ESPs from the opposite sex show activated protein kinase signalling in the tegument, musculature, and reproductive organs.

a, c Adult male worms, or b, d adult female worms, were exposed to 24 h culture media containing ESPs from opposite sex adult worms for 15 min (or were not exposed, controls), fixed and processed for fluorescence microscopy by CLSM with a, b anti-phospho p38 MAPK, or c, d anti-phospho ERK antibodies, and Alexa Fluor 488 antibodies (green). Worms were also co-stained with rhodamine phalloidin (red) to reveal filamentous actin. Laser power and gain were adjusted to reveal low background for negative controls (Supplementary Fig. 7) and settings retained for imaging of all treated groups. Maximum projections of z-series from representative individual worms are depicted. EG, egg (in uterus); GC, gynaecophoral canal; M, muscle; OS, oral sucker; OV, ovary; T, tegument; TL, testicular lobes; TT, tubercles of the tegument; V, vitelline region; VD, vitelline duct; VS, ventral sucker. Scale bar = 50 μm.