来自寄生虫和其脊椎动物宿主的卡尔雷图林相互之间有着约50％的同源性，其许多功能同样得到保存。然而，现有的氨基酸差异可能会影响其生物性能。卡尔雷图林在Ca2+稳态和内质网中蛋白质正确折叠方面起着重要作用。在内质网以外，卡尔雷图林涉及多种免疫功能，如补体抑制、促进巨噬细胞摄取和免疫上调或下调。已有研究表明，一些寄生虫卡尔雷图林能够限制免疫反应并促进感染性，而其他寄生虫卡尔雷图林则是强免疫原，被用于开发可限制寄生虫生长的潜在疫苗。此外，卡尔雷图林对于寄生虫和宿主之间的对话至关重要，能够诱导种属特异性的Th1、Th2或调节性反应。此外，卡尔雷图林在肿瘤细胞内作为内质网应激的始动者，促进免疫原性细胞死亡和巨噬细胞清除。已有报道指出，卡尔雷图林也具有直接的抗肿瘤活性。寄生虫卡尔雷图林具有高度免疫原性和多效性，无论是免疫反应的正调节还是负调节，这些蛋白质都成为调节免疫病理学和自身免疫性疾病的宝贵工具，以及治疗肿瘤的潜在手段。此外，寄生虫卡尔雷图林中的氨基酸组成差异可能为行动机制提供微妙的变化，这些变化可能会带来治疗工具的优势。本文回顾了寄生虫卡尔雷图林的免疫角色，并讨论了可能的有益应用。版权所有 © 2023 Esperante、Flisser和Mendlovic。

Calreticulin from parasites and its vertebrate hosts share ~50% identity and many of its functions are equally conserved. However, the existing amino acid differences can affect its biological performance. Calreticulin plays an important role in Ca2+ homeostasis and as a chaperone involved in the correct folding of proteins within the endoplasmic reticulum. Outside the endoplasmic reticulum, calreticulin is involved in several immunological functions such as complement inhibition, enhancement of efferocytosis, and immune upregulation or inhibition. Several parasite calreticulins have been shown to limit immune responses and promote infectivity, while others are strong immunogens and have been used for the development of potential vaccines that limit parasite growth. Furthermore, calreticulin is essential in the dialogue between parasites and hosts, inducing Th1, Th2 or regulatory responses in a species-specific manner. In addition, calreticulin participates as initiator of endoplasmic reticulum stress in tumor cells and promotion of immunogenic cell death and removal by macrophages. Direct anti-tumoral activity has also been reported. The highly immunogenic and pleiotropic nature of parasite calreticulins, either as positive or negative regulators of the immune response, render these proteins as valuable tools to modulate immunopathologies and autoimmune disorders, as well as a potential treatment of neoplasms. Moreover, the disparities in the amino acid composition of parasite calreticulins might provide subtle variations in the mechanisms of action that could provide advantages as therapeutic tools. Here, we review the immunological roles of parasite calreticulins and discuss possible beneficial applications.Copyright © 2023 Esperante, Flisser and Mendlovic.