title: Recombinant expression of the larval excretory-secretory antigen TES-120 of Toxocara canis in the methylotrophic yeast Pichia pastoris.
abstract: A gene encoding the larval excretory-secretory antigen TES-120 of the dog ascarid worm Toxocara canis was cloned into the methylotrophic yeast Pichia pastoris. Specificity of the recombinant TES-120 antigen produced by the yeast was investigated. Forty-five human serum samples from patients infected with different()parasitic organisms, including 8 cases of toxocariasis, were tested against the recombinant antigen in immunoblot assays. Results from the assays showed that the recombinant TES-120 antigen reacted with sera from toxocariasis patients only. This highly specific recombinant TES-120 antigen can potentially be used for the development of an inexpensive serodiagnostic assay for human toxocariasis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, 50603, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. fongmy@um.edu.my
authors.forename: Mun-Yik
authors.initials: MY
authors.lastname: Fong
authors.forename: Yee-Ling
authors.initials: YL
authors.lastname: Lau
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000909:Antibodies, Helminth / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D000947:Antigens, Helminth / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D004285:Dogs; D006801:Humans; D015151:Immunoblotting; D007814:Larva / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D010843:Pichia / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D013045:Species Specificity; D017166:Toxocara canis / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D014120:Toxocariasis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000469:parasitology
chemical_list: D000909:Antibodies, Helminth; D000947:Antigens, Helminth; D011994:Recombinant Proteins