title: Schistosoma japonicum: heterogeneity in paramyosin genes.
abstract: Paramyosin is an integral muscle protein found in many invertebrates including schistosomes, and is considered an important candidate vaccine antigen in schistosomiasis. The characterisation of natural molecular variation in vaccine antigens including paramyosin is important because strain-specific vaccination may be necessary against schistosomiasis japonica. We have isolated partial cDNAs encoding paramyosin from an adult, Chinese strain Schistosoma japonicum gene library. Two of these cDNAs (B6 and Y6) encode the same region of paramyosin but their nucleotide sequences differ at eight positions and their deduced amino acid sequences differ by an arginine/cysteine substitution, demonstrating intrastrain variation in paramyosin. Southern blot analysis of genomic DNA from the Chinese and Philippine strains of S. japonicum demonstrated strain-related RFLPs at the paramyosin locus, and suggested that more than one copy of the paramyosin gene was present in the S. japonicum genome. PCR-based RFLP analysis which exploited restriction site differences between B6 and Y6 showed that paramyosin genotype B6 was much more common in schistosome populations and verified the existence of introns in the paramyosin gene(s) of S. japonicum.
authors.affiliation: Molecular Parasitology Unit, Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Brisbane, Australia.
authors.forename: C W
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Hooker
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Becker
authors.forename: G J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Waine
authors.forename: B H
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Kalinna
authors.forename: K A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Nimmo
authors.forename: D P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: McManus
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Brindley
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000235:genetics; D018509:DNA, Helminth / Q000235:genetics; D017238:Genes, Helminth / Q000235:genetics*; D018740:Genetic Heterogeneity; D014644:Genetic Variation / Q000235:genetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D015183:Restriction Mapping; D012549:Schistosoma japonicum / Q000235:genetics*; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D014335:Tropomyosin / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D018076:DNA, Complementary; D018509:DNA, Helminth; D014335:Tropomyosin