Dermatopontin is a cell adhesion molecule likely secreted by haemocytes that might regulate haemocyte adhesion and encapsulation responses possibly with matrilin also playing a role. Dematopontin is upregulated in BI-D1870 inquirer resistant B. glabrata exposed to Echinostoma caproni, and is downregulated at 0.5 days/upregulated at 1 day following infection of susceptible B. glabrata with Echinostoma paraensei demonstrating the dynamic nature of dermatopontin gene expression during the course of infection. Differential expression in resistant snail haemocytes of the serine protease elastase 2 which degrades extracellular matrix molecules and can mediate bacterial killing and of ubiquitin conjugating enzyme E2D 2 which marks misfolded/damaged proteins for degradation by the 26S proteasome is indicative of increased proteolysis in the face of infection and parasite induced stress. In susceptible snail haemocytes the differential expression of antimicrobial peptides theromacin and neuromacin support an antimicrobial response, although this is insufficient to kill the invading schistosome larvae. Importantly, the remaining 38 genes uniquely differentially expressed in the current study are most likely those expressed in response to the concentrations of ESPs used, which were chosen to represent the conditions that might be experienced when haemocytes are in close proximity to transforming larvae. With lower doses resulting in reduced HSP70 protein expression in the same snail strain. The uniquely differentially expressed genes should also include those expressed in response to ESPs that have the capacity to interact with haemocytes in the absence of lymph factors. Although we considered injecting ESPs into snails and subsequently collecting haemocytes, the quantity of ESP material generated during miracidium-to-mother-sporocyst development is very low and sufficient only for in vitro assays. Of these uniquely differentially expressed genes, the nuclear factor kB subunit Relish was expressed by resistant snail haemocytes exposed to ESPs. In molluscs, as in other organisms, Relish is activated in response to immune challenge including by bacterial LPS in the abalone Haliotis diversicolor and scallop Chlamys farreri. Relish expression is also upregulated in the pearl oyster Pinctata fucada after injection of the bacterium Vibrio alginolyticus and in the oyster Crassostrea gigas upon infection with Vibrio caralliilyhus. In B. glabrata, Relish expression has recently been shown to increase 6 h post S. mansoni infection. That Relish is differentially expressed in haemocytes from the different snail strains after 1 h ESP exposure implies that ESPs might induce early and specific effects on NF-kB signalling in haemocytes. Modulation of this transcription factor by S. mansoni is therefore worthy of further study because in humans and other organisms the NF-kB pathway is rapidly activated following infection resulting in expression of hundreds of early response genes including antimicrobial peptides.