Immunodominant antigens in Naegleria fowleri excretory--secretory proteins were potential pathogenic factors.
Naegleria fowleri, a ubiquitous pathogenic free-living amoeba, is the most virulent species and causes primary amoebic meningoencephalitis in laboratory animals and humans. The parasite secretes various inducing molecules as biological responses, which are thought to be involved in pathophysiological and immunological events during infection. To investigate what molecules of N. fowleri excretory-secretory proteins (ESPs) are related with amoebic pathogenicity, N. fowleri ESPs fractionated by two-dimensional electrophoresis were reacted with N. fowleri infection or immune sera. To identify immunodominant ESPs, six major protein spots were selected and analyzed by N-terminal sequencing. Finally, six proteins, 58, 40, 24, 21, 18, and 16 kDa of molecular weight, were partially cloned and matched with reference proteins as follow: 58 kDa of exendin-3 precursor, 40 kDa of secretory lipase, 24 kDa of cathepsin B-like proteases and cysteine protease, 21 kDa of cathepsin B, 18 kDa of peroxiredoxin, and 16 kDa of thrombin receptor, respectively. These results suggest that N. fowleri ESPs contained important proteins, which may play an important role in the pathogenicity of N. fowleri.
Kim
Jong-Hyun
JH
Department of Microbiology, Department of Molecular Science & Technology, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon, 443-721, South Korea.
Yang
Ae-Hee
AH
Sohn
Hae-Jin
HJ
Kim
Daesik
D
Song
Kyoung-Ju
KJ
Shin
Ho-Joon
HJ
D000818:Animals; D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan / Q000276:immunology; D000953:Antigens, Protozoan / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D015180:Electrophoresis, Gel, Two-Dimensional; D005260:Female; D015151:Immunoblotting; D016056:Immunodominant Epitopes / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008970:Molecular Weight; D016848:Naegleria fowleri / Q000276:immunology*; D020543:Proteome / Q000032:analysis; D015800:Protozoan Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D037521:Virulence Factors / Q000276:immunology
D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan; D000953:Antigens, Protozoan; D016056:Immunodominant Epitopes; D020543:Proteome; D015800:Protozoan Proteins; D037521:Virulence Factors