title: Immune response to Schistosoma mansoni phosphoglycerate kinase during natural and experimental infection: identification of a schistosome-specific B-cell epitope.
abstract: A cDNA clone encoding Schistosoma mansoni phosphoglycerate kinase (SmPGK) was previously identified by affinity-purified antibodies which are specific for 3-h-old schistosomula tegumental antigens. Antibodies to the recombinant SmPGK which has enzymatic activity were localized to various tissues including the tegument of the 3-h-old schistosomula and 42-day-old adult worms. In this study, we show that SmPGK is an immunogenic molecule in both natural infection in humans and experimental vaccination in animals. To understand the role that a highly conserved molecule like SmPGK played during schistosome infection, we affinity purified antibodies to SmPGK from patients with chronic schistosomiasis and demonstrated that they did not cross-react with human PGK. However, affinity-purified rabbit anti-SmPGK antibodies did show immunoreactivity to both human PGK and rabbit PGK. Thus, during natural infection antibodies that cross-react with human PGK are not produced; however, as a result of active immunization with an intact conserved molecule, such cross-reacting antibodies are produced. Immunological analysis of cyanogen bromide digests of SmPGK with monoclonal antibodies that recognize SmPGK but not human PGK identifies a B-cell epitope on a 12.2-kDa fragment represented by amino acids 61 to 174.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, State University of New York, Buffalo 14214, USA.
authors.forename: K W
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Thakur
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Karim
authors.forename: P T
authors.initials: PT
authors.lastname: LoVerde
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000947:Antigens, Helminth / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D018985:Epitopes, B-Lymphocyte; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D010735:Phosphoglycerate Kinase / Q000276:immunology*; D011817:Rabbits; D015183:Restriction Mapping; D012550:Schistosoma mansoni / Q000201:enzymology / Q000276:immunology*; D012555:Schistosomiasis mansoni / Q000276:immunology*; D014611:Vaccination; D014612:Vaccines / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000947:Antigens, Helminth; D018985:Epitopes, B-Lymphocyte; D014612:Vaccines; D010735:Phosphoglycerate Kinase