Characterization of immunosuppressive surface coat proteins from Steinernema glaseri that selectively kill blood cells in susceptible hosts.
Surface coat proteins (SCPs) of entomopathogenic nematodes are implicated in the suppression/evasion of host immune responses, which is required for successful host colonization. Steinernema glaseri NC strain SCPs suppressed immune responses in oriental beetle larvae (Exomala orientalis), a susceptible host for S. glaseri, in a dosage-dependent manner, thus protecting Heterorhabditis bacteriophora from being killed in the same host. Melanization of H. bacteriophora decreased from 92+/-5% in the untreated check to 1+/-3% when protected by injection of 230ng of S. glaseri SCPs. As the SCPs dosage increased, freely moving H. bacteriophora increased from 3+/-4% in the untreated group to 57+/-15% with an SCPs dose of 940ng. At 2h and in the absence of SCPs, 8% and 11% of hemocytes of E. orientalis were stained by propidium iodide and Hoechst, respectively. When exposed to 300ng/microl SCPs, 70% and 96% were stained, respectively. At 6h, propidium iodide stained 37% and 92% of the hemocytes without and with SCPs, respectively. In contrast, more than 90% of the cells were stained by Hoechst with or without SCPs. As native proteins, two isolated S. glaseri SCPs had an immunosuppressive effect; they were each composed of 38kDa (PI=4.6) and 56kDa (PI=3.6) subunits. SCP peptides were sequenced using LC-MS/MS and the mass fingerprints obtained with MALDI-TOF-MS; there were no significant matches found in peptide databases, which suggests that the SCPs studied are novel proteins. Twelve cDNA sequences were derived based on short peptides and 7 of them had no significant match against the Caenorhabditis elegans protein database. One of the cDNA matched an unknown C. elegans protein and the remaining 4 cDNAs matched proteins of C. elegans and Brugia malayi.
Department of Entomology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.
Xinyi
X
Li
E A
EA
Cowles
R S
RS
Cowles
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R
Gaugler
D L
DL
Cox-Foster
D000818:Animals; D002853:Chromatography, Liquid; D001517:Coleoptera / Q000469:parasitology*; D006434:Hemocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D007814:Larva / Q000469:parasitology; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D009348:Nematoda / Q000502:physiology*; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D020539:Sequence Analysis, Protein; D019032:Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization; D053719:Tandem Mass Spectrometry; D013997:Time Factors
D008565:Membrane Proteins