title: Skin-stage schistosomula of Schistosoma mansoni produce an apoptosis-inducing factor that can cause apoptosis of T cells.
abstract: Skin-stage schistosomula of Schistosoma mansoni were found to secrete molecules that are pro-apoptotic for skin T lymphocytes as measured by annexin V staining, caspase-3 activity, caspase-8 activities, and DNA fragmentation. Caspase-8 activities in lymphocytes peaked approximately 8 h and caspase-3 activity peaked approximately 16 h after exposure to the parasite secretions. Subset analysis showed that mainly CD4(+) and CD8(+) cells (but not B cells) were susceptible to the parasite-induced pro-apoptotic effect. In situ staining confirmed the presence of apoptotic T cells around challenge parasites in the skin of naive or immunized animals. Analysis of T cells to identify the potential molecular pathway of the parasite-induced apoptosis showed increases in the expression of Fas, FasL, and the Fas-associated death domain. Blocking of FasL with a fusion protein reversed the parasite-induced apoptosis, suggesting a role for the Fas/FasL-mediated pathway in the parasite-induced T cell apoptosis. Subsequent analyses of the secretions of skin-stage schistosomula identified the pro-apoptotic activity as being associated with a protein of approximately 23 kDa. This protein was termed S. mansoni-derived apoptosis-inducing factor.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Illinois, 1601 Parkview Avenue, Rockford, IL 61107, USA.
authors.forename: Lin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Kakuturu V N
authors.initials: KV
authors.lastname: Rao
authors.forename: Yi-Xun
authors.initials: YX
authors.lastname: He
authors.forename: Kalyanasundaram
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ramaswamy
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D053148:Caspase 3; D053181:Caspase 8; D053453:Caspase 9; D020169:Caspases / Q000378:metabolism; D002470:Cell Survival; D053938:DNA Fragmentation; D053222:Fas Ligand Protein; D015801:Helminth Proteins / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000032:analysis; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D012550:Schistosoma mansoni / Q000737:chemistry*; D012867:Skin / Q000469:parasitology*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000502:physiology*; D019014:fas Receptor / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D053222:Fas Ligand Protein; C505658:Fasl protein, mouse; D015801:Helminth Proteins; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D019014:fas Receptor; C505409:Casp3 protein, mouse; C505526:Casp8 protein, mouse; C506434:Casp9 protein, mouse; D053148:Caspase 3; D053181:Caspase 8; D053453:Caspase 9; D020169:Caspases