title: Potential novel epitopes in the extracellular products of oyster homogenate-supplemented Perkinsus marinus cells are not detected by subtractive immunization.
abstract: The extracellular products (ECPs) of the oyster parasite Perkinsus marinus have been posed to contain virulence factors, including serine proteases. Supplementation of P. marinus cultures with oyster homogenates enhances infectivity and changes the ECP composition. Therefore, subtractive immunization was used to attempt creation of antibodies to proteins unique to ECPs produced following parasite exposure to oyster homogenates. While control mice remained competent to respond to an unrelated antigen, no serum titers against novel ECP epitopes were detected in experimental mice. Attempts to create discriminatory hybridomas resulted in no clones with anti-ECP specificity. These findings suggest that, because no unique epitopes can be found within ECPs generated following exposure of P. marinus to host homogenates, the changes to ECPs are greatly constrained.
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental and Aquatic Animal Health, School of Marine Science, Virginia Institute of Marine Science, College of William and Mary, P.O. Box 1346, Gloucester Point, Virginia 23062, USA.
authors.forename: Christopher G
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Earnhart
authors.forename: Stephen L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Kaattari
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003470:Culture Media; D003520:Cyclophosphamide / Q000494:pharmacology; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D000939:Epitopes / Q000276:immunology*; D056890:Eukaryota / Q000201:enzymology / Q000276:immunology* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D005260:Female; D006825:Hybridomas; D007114:Immunization / Q000379:methods; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D010125:Ostreidae / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000276:immunology; D011529:Protozoan Infections, Animal / Q000276:immunology*; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D016622:Silver Staining; D037521:Virulence Factors / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D003470:Culture Media; D000939:Epitopes; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents; D037521:Virulence Factors; D003520:Cyclophosphamide; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases