Recombinant vaccinia viruses and gene gun vectors expressing the large subunit of Schistosoma mansoni calpain used in a murine immunization-challenge model.

Schistosomiasis is a parasitic disease affecting over 200 million people every year in tropical regions of the world. Drug treatment and other existing control measures are costly and have failed to eliminate the incidence of infection, morbidity and mortality due to Schistosoma mansoni infection. Vaccination of susceptible individuals using recombinant vaccines encoding key S. mansoni antigens may be the most effective and least expensive means of controlling schistosomiasis. A candidate vaccine antigen is p80, the large subunit of the S. mansoni protease, calpain. In our vaccine studies, we have employed both the wild-type p80 and a mutant p80 (mut p80) in which an active site amino acid was genetically altered to create a less proteolytically-active enzyme. Two vaccine delivery approaches were implemented using p80 or mut p80 as vaccine antigen: recombinant vaccinia virus (RVV) inoculation and DNA immunization via the Accell gene gun (GG) delivery system. RVV's expressing p80 and mut p80 were generated and tested for recombinant protein expression in vitro. These RVV's were tested for protective capacity in mouse challenge studies. Neither subcutaneous nor intranasal vaccinations with RVV-p80 or RVV-mut p80 were capable of significantly reducing the mean worm burdens of vaccinated mice. A GG-RVV combination immunization regime using WRG-vectors encoding p80 and mut p80 for GG priming and the RVV's for boosting prior to S. mansoni challenge infection was performed and no significant protection was obtained over two repeated studies. However, duplicate challenge studies involving GG immunization of mice with WRG-vectors encoding p80 or mut p80 revealed that 3 inoculations of mice with WRG-full5' mut p80 (containing the full 5' untranslated region of mut p80) provided 60% protection which was statistically significant (p < 0.05). These preliminary in vivo studies demonstrate the potential for further study of the protection afforded by gene gun-delivered WRG-full5' mut p80 into subsequently-challenged mice. Such studies may pave the way to effective vaccination of humans using WRG DNA vectors expressing a schistosomal calcium-activated neutral protease.

Protection against Schistosoma mansoni infection with a recombinant baculovirus-expressed subunit of calpain.

Infections by human schistosomes, in particular Schistosoma mansoni, account for significant morbidity and mortality every year in tropical and sub-tropical areas. The eggs of the parasite induce pathological changes in the infected host; in chronic and heavy infections, these changes may lead to death. A well-designed anti-schistosomal vaccine, alone or in concert with existing control measures such as chemotherapy, may prove to be a safe, inexpensive, and effective means of reducing the occurrence of severe disease and death in S. mansoni infection. Previous studies have demonstrated the importance of the syncytial layer containing the apical plasma membrane (APM) of S. mansoni in both the survival of the parasite in the mammalian host and as a potential source of immunogens which may be utilized as vaccine candidates. In this paper, we present evidence for the protective capacity of several schistosomal antigen preparations, including a calcium binding protein of the APM, S. mansoni calpain (GenBank accession no. M74233). We have constructed and characterized expression of a recombinant baculovirus expressing the large subunit of S. mansoni calpain, Sm-p80. This recombinant Sm-p80 is recognized by IgA, IgM, IgG1, and IgG3 isotype antibodies found in S. mansoni-infected human sera and partially-purified recombinant Sm-p80 provided a 29-39% reduction in worm burden in immunized mice challenged with S. mansoni. Our data indicate that Sm-p80 may be a useful vaccine antigen for the reduction of the morbidity associated with S. mansoni infections of mammalian hosts.

Characterization of a C3 receptor on the envelope of Schistosoma mansoni.

The surface of the syncytial epithelium of the human parasite, Schistosoma mansoni, consists of an apical plasma membrane (APM) and an overlying envelope (En). The rapid turnover of these membranes is an adaptation to parasitism and is influenced by ambient signals emanating from the host's immune system. The third component of complement (C3) has been shown to stimulate the synthesis of the En via a C3-binding protein (C3bp) and a Ca(2+)-dependent signal transduction mechanism. Using ELISA the C3bp was found to be restricted to the En. In addition, cross-linking of iodinated C3 to En proteins with the homobifunctional noncleavable disuccinimidyl suberate reagent yielded a receptor-C3 complex in excess of 250 kDa, and SDS-PAGE analysis of solubilized En proteins that were radiolabeled and chromatographed on C3-Sepharose revealed a 130-kDa protein that specifically bound to the C3 beads. In further experiments, using a photoactivatable radiolabeled cross-linker, the Denny-Jaffe reagent, C3 transferred the radiolabel to a 130-kDa En protein. Metabolic labeling experiments have demonstrated that this C3bp is synthesized by the parasite and, more importantly, antibodies raised against the C3bp blocked En synthesis in vivo. Also, the surface localization of the C3bp was demonstrated using immunolabeling electron microscopy. The data presented herein strongly suggest that the 130-kDa schistosome En protein is a C3bp responsible for renewal of the En in response to C3 binding.

Characterization of Ca(2+)-dependent neutral protease (calpain) from human blood flukes, Schistosoma mansoni.

Calcium-dependent, neutral cysteine-proteases (calpain) were purified from human blood flukes, Schistosoma mansoni. The electrophoretic mobilities, Western blot analyses and high specificity to peptide inhibitors confirmed the presence of both calpain I and II in the purified preparation. The schistosome calpains were localized in the surface syncytial epithelium and underlying musculature. Using peptide inhibitors, calpain was shown to function as a mediator of the surface membrane synthetic process. Since there was also no immunological cross-reactivity between vertebrate and schistosome calpains using antibodies affinity-purified from native and recombinant schistosome calpains, this protease may be usefully investigated as forming the basis of a molecular vaccine against schistosomiasis.

Ring-shaped organization of cytoskeletal F-actin associated with surface sensory receptors of Schistosoma mansoni: a confocal and electron microscopic study.

The surface syncytial epithelium of the human blood fluke, Schistosoma mansoni, contains numerous ciliated or unciliated, bulb-shaped sensory receptors. At the ultrastructure level, sensory receptors with similar topographic and morphological structures have been found in the epithelial surface layers of all known species of schistosomes and other species of flatworm parasites. Although many studies have focused on the syncytial cytoskeleton of schistosomes, while some other studies have examined the fine structures of the syncytial sensory receptors, no-one has demonstrated the association of cytoskeletal elements with the surface sensory cells except the well-known microtubules associated with ciliated structures. The present study, using confocal laser scanning microscopy combined with scanning and transmission electron microscopies, demonstrates the association of ring-shaped F-actin within the epithelial sensory receptors. The F-actin rings can be characterized into two types according to their size, density, and distribution. The actin rings found in the syncytia of both the male and female schistosomes appear to be more dense and larger in size than the actin rings located only at the central regions of the tuberculated structures of the male dorsal syncytium. Our observation of F-actin rings associated with the spine-bearing tubercles, combined with the results obtained from other ultrastructural investigations, also indicate the presence of the unciliated sensory receptors in each tuberculated structure of the male dorsal surface syncytium, which have not been reported in other studies on schistosome epithelial sensory cells.

Regulation of gene expression in parasitic flatworms.

Transcriptional regulation and the role of transcription factors are widely regarded to be the major contributors controlling gene expression in eucaryotes. Translational control is less well understood due to the complexity of the components involved in regulation of protein synthesis at this level. Nevertheless, considerable advances have been made recently in elucidating the major controlling factors within the messenger RNA (mRNA) sequence and the translation machinery. In this article, Ron Podesta and Afzal Siddiqui suggest that protein synthesis in flatworm parasites is controlled post-transcriptionally and that these intracellular regulatory mechanisms are activated/suppressed by effectors of the host's immune response.

Schistosoma mansoni: characterization and identification of calcium-binding proteins associated with the apical plasma membrane and envelope.

Calcium-binding proteins (CaBPs) of Schistosoma mansoni were purified by hydrophobic affinity chromatography. Metabolically labeled CaBPs were characterized using SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis followed by fluorography. A number of CaBPs were detected in total tissue extracts, apical plasma membrane, and soluble fractions of the apical bilayer complex, ranging from 15 to 205 kDa in their molecular masses. No CaBPs were discerned in the envelope of the apical bilayer complex. Two CaBPs were positively identified as calmodulin and gelsolin via immunoblot analyses. The possible role of CaBPs in surface signal transduction mechanisms has also been briefly discussed.

Localization of a 24-kilodalton glycoprotein in adult Schistosoma mansoni using immunofluorescence and immunoelectron microscopy.

Studies on schistosome protective immune responses have focused mainly on antigens of the parasite's syncytial surface. One of the characterized schistosome antigens, a 24-kDa glycoprotein, has been considered important in mechanisms of immune evasion by the parasites. In the present study, using affinity-purified antibodies to the 24-kDa protein for immunofluorescence and immunoelectron microscopy, we demonstrated an association of the 24-kDa antigen with the discoid bodies (the major syncytial inclusion bodies; DBs) and the surface membrane complex (most likely the apical plasma membrane) of adult Schistosoma mansoni. This is consistent with previous observations that the 24-kDa antigen appeared to be localized to the syncytial membrane and DB fractions. The present results also support the suggestion that the DBs are the precursor organelles of the apical plasma membrane.

Isolation of a highly enriched plasma membrane fraction of Trypanosoma brucei by free-flow electrophoresis.

A procedure is described whereby a highly enriched plasma membrane fraction was isolated from Trypanosoma brucei by the technique of preparative free-flow electrophoresis. The purity of the plasma membrane fraction was monitored by electron microscopy and by marker enzymology, and is compared to those obtained by previous methods. Proteins associated with plasma membrane fraction were analyzed by SDS-PAGE and phase separated in Triton X-114.

Effects of serotonin (5HT) and complement C3 on the synthesis of the surface membrane precursors of adult Schistosoma mansoni.

The syncytial surface epithelium of Schistosoma mansoni plays an important role in immune evasion. This syncytium is covered by an unusual double-membrane complex consisting of an apical plasma membrane (APM) and an overlying envelope (En) that have been shown to have different rates of synthesis and turnover. It has been suggested that discoid bodies (DBs) and multilamellar bodies (MLBs), the major syncytial inclusion bodies of schistosomes, may be the precursors of the APM and En, respectively. In this ultrastructural study, we examined the effects of serotonin (5HT) and complement C3, which have been shown to stimulate synthesis and turnover of the APM and En, respectively, on the synthesis of DBs and MLBs in vitro. With short-time incubations (20 or 40 min), 5HT stimulated the synthesis of the DBs by 2-fold, whereas C3 accelerated synthesis of the MLBs by 2-fold. Furthermore, when microtubules within the cytoplasmic connections between the syncytium and the underlying cell bodies (the site of membrane synthesis) were disrupted with colchicine, the DBs and MLBs synthesized in response to 5HT or C3 accumulated in the cell bodies. This suggests that the transport of the organelles to the syncytium is dependent upon the microtubules but not the signaling mechanism in response to 5HT or C3. These observations also support the suggestion that the DBs and MLBs are synthesized in subsyncytial cell bodies and serve as precursors of the APM and En, respectively. The rapid synthetic response to 5HT and C3 is also consistent with rapid synthesis and turnover of the APM/En, as suggested by previous studies.

Surface spines of human blood flukes (Schistosoma mansoni) contain bundles of actin filaments having identical polarity.

The spines of Schistosoma mansoni have crystalline structures that have been suggested to consist of actin filaments. In this ultrastructural study, binding of heavy meromyosin to the actin filament spines strongly supports this view. Moreover, we reveal that all the packed actin filaments in the spines have the same polarity pointing away from the apical plasma membrane toward the basal membrane of the surface syncytial epithelium of the parasites and that the spine filaments interact indirectly with both the apical and basal membranes.

Biochemical properties of a 24 kilodalton membrane glycoprotein antigen complex from Schistosoma mansoni.

Antibodies were affinity purified from crude antiserum by elution from the 24 kDa region of preparative one-dimensional Western blots containing immobilized adult Schistosoma mansoni inner bilayer membrane proteins. They were shown to be specific for a single acidic polypeptide complex, Smgp24, following immunoblotting from two-dimensional polyacrylamide gels. These antibodies were then used to detect the presence of the Smgp24 complex in fractions prepared from lectin affinity chromatography, phase separation in Triton X-114 and chemical and enzymatic carbohydrate modification treatments. The 24 kDa antigen was bound and specifically eluted from both concanavalin A and lentil lectin affinity matrices. In addition, the electrophoretic mobility of the antigen was shifted to approximately 20 kDa after treatment with endoglycosidase F and N-glycanase, but was not appreciably altered following treatment with endoglycosidase H, neuraminidase, or sodium meta-periodate. The 20 kDa species produced by endoglycosidase F or N-glycanase treatment no longer bound to the lectin affinity resins. The Smgp24 complex also partitioned almost quantitatively into the detergent-enriched phase after phase separation in Triton X-114 solutions. These results indicate that the Smgp24 complex is an antigenic integral membrane glycoprotein and may consist of a single polypeptide backbone which is extensively post- or co-translationally modified.

Developmental and immune regulation of gene expression in Hymenolepis diminuta.

Gene expression and its regulation was studied in the rat tapeworm, Hymenolepis diminuta, during strobilization. RNAs extracted from the different developmental stages of the parasite were translated in vitro in a rabbit reticulocyte lysate system. Two-dimensional patterns of the translational products were compared with the 2-dimensional patterns obtained by metabolic labelling with [35S]methionine. The results indicated a post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression during strobilization in this parasite. Gene expression and its regulation was also studied in H. diminuta obtained from 'non-permissive' hosts (mice) and immune suppressed mice and compared with the parasites of the same age obtained from 'permissive' rats hosts. The 2-dimensional patterns of the in vitro translation products, obtained by translating the RNA of different groups of parasites, were compared with the patterns of gene products obtained from parasites using [35S]methionine metabolic labelling. The results indicated a massive post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression, the latter inhibited in parasites obtained from normal mice, but not in immune suppressed mice.

Differential adhesive properties of the surface of human blood flukes Schistosoma mansoni. Sexual, regional, and developmental differences in interfacial free energies and structure of glycocalyx.

While infecting a vertebrate host, blood flukes (Schistosoma mansoni) must continually resist adhesions by immune effector cells. However, the male and female schistosomes must adhere to one another in order to establish and maintain the sexual pairing process after 4 wk postinfection. Using a contact angle method, the relative adhesiveness of male and female parasites were determined. Results indicate that schistosomes restrict effector cell adhesion through developmental, sexual, and regional differences in adhesive properties.

Integument of the tapeworm scolex. 1. Freeze-fracture of the syncytial layer, microvilli and discoid bodies.

The tegument of cestodes is the most important and structurally complex metabolic interface between these parasites and the hostile environment in which they reside. In spite of the complex metabolic, regulatory and immunological properties of this layer of syncytial cytoplasm, which are relatively well known, the detailed fine structural anatomy of the cestode tegument remains equivocal. The present study therefore reports the freeze-fracture morphology of the tapeworm (Hymenolepis diminuta) tegument. The most important features revealed by analysis of platinum replicas of freeze-fractured tapeworm scolex-neck tegument include: (a) presence of highly ordered linear and/or circumferentially-orientated rows of intramembrane particles situated on the PF fracture face of microvillar plasma membrane, which may participate in movements of the microvilli, (b) presence of apparent 'pores' (11 nm in diameter) at the tips of the tegumentary microvilli, which could serve as regulated gates through which extramicrovillar surface coating materials can be extruded, and (c) the alignment of cytoplasmic discoid bodies into positions at the bases of the surface microvilli such that they could move into the core of each microvillus and thereby release their contents for extrusion (via the pores) onto the outer surface of the microvilli. Concomitantly, the limiting membrane of the discoid bodies could be added to the tegument plasma membrane and thereby contribute to the rapid turnover of the tegumentary surface. This study provides the first detailed account of the ultrastructural anatomy of the tapeworm tegument and is intended to serve as a point of reference for future investigations of tapeworm tegumentary functions.

Schistosoma mansoni: effects of in vitro serotonin (5-HT) on aerobic and anaerobic carbohydrate metabolism.

The effect of Serotonin on carbohydrate metabolism, excreted end products, and adenine nucleotide pools in Schistosoma mansoni was determined following 60 min in vitro incubations under air (= 21% O2) and anaerobic (95% N2:5% CO2) conditions. In the presence of 0.25 mM Serotonin, glucose uptake increased by 82-84% and lactate excretion increased by 77-78%; levels of excreted lactate were significantly higher under aerobic than under anaerobic conditions. The tissue pools of glucose, hexosephosphates, fructose 1,6-bisphosphate, pyruvate, and lactate were significantly increased under anaerobic conditions compared to air incubation; the presence of Serotonin decreased tissue glucose pools and increased the size of the pyruvate and lactate tissue pools. The glycolytic carbon pool was significantly greater under anaerobic than under aerobic conditions, irrespective of Serotonin. Serotonin increased adenosine 5'-diphosphate and adenosine 5'-monophosphate levels under aerobic conditions; neither Serotonin nor gas phase significantly affected total adenine nucleotide levels or the adenylate energy charge. Serotonin increased energy requirements by S. mansoni due to increased muscle contractions; demand was met by enhanced rates of carbohydrate metabolism. Irrespective of gas phase, 74-78% of available carbohydrate was converted to lactate. In the presence of Serotonin, conversion of glucose to lactate was reduced to 63-67%. In view of the requirements by S. mansoni for an abundant supply of glycoprotein and glycolipid precursors for surface membrane renewal, it is suggested that carbohydrate (glucose and glycogen) that was not converted to lactate may have been incorporated into biosynthetic processes leading to membrane synthesis.