Strongyloides venezuelensis: adhesion of adult worms to culture vessels by orally secreted mucosubstances.
Adults worms of Strongyloides venezuelensis were cultured in vitro. After overnight incubation, about 60% of the worms adhered firmly to the bottom of culture vessels by secreting adhesive substances from the mouth. A single worm produced 24.5 +/- 10.1 of the adhesion spots overnight. When they were transferred to new culture vessels, they still produced new spots comparable to those produced for first 24 hr. The adhesion spots were positively stained with Coomassie brilliant blue and also with mucicarmine, periodic acid-Schiff, and alcian blue, pH 2.5, but not with alcian blue, pH 0.3, indicating their glycoprotein nature. The substances were amorphous and did not contain cells or nuclei. Histologic staining with a panel of lectins showed that the adhesive substances were rich in mannose, N-acetyl galactosamine, and N-acetyl glucosamine, but devoid of sialic acid. These characteristics were distinct from those of jejunal goblet cell mucins of rats. Adhesive substances contained antigenic components recognized by sera from infected rats. Thus, the adhesive substances secreted from the mouth of S. venezuelensis were clearly of parasite origin. We consider the production/secretion of the adhesive substances by S. venezuelensis adult worms a key step for the parasites to invade and establish the host epithelial layer.
Maruyama
H
H
Department of Parasitology, Miyazaki Medical College, Miyazaki, Japan.
Nawa
Y
Y
D000268:Adhesiveness; D000818:Animals; D000909:Antibodies, Helminth / Q000096:biosynthesis; D000947:Antigens, Helminth / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D005898:Glass; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D015801:Helminth Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D007106:Immune Sera / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D010969:Plastics; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013321:Strongyloides / Q000378:metabolism*
D000909:Antibodies, Helminth; D000947:Antigens, Helminth; D006023:Glycoproteins; D015801:Helminth Proteins; D007106:Immune Sera; D010969:Plastics