title: A striking common O-linked N-acetylglucosaminyl moiety between cruzipain and myosin.
abstract: Single units of O-linked N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc), usually components of nuclear and cytoplasmatic proteins, are present at the C-terminal domain of cruzipain (Cz), a lysosomal major antigen from Trypanosoma cruzi. On the other hand, antibodies directed against some self-antigens like myosin are associated with Chagas heart disease. The participation of O-GlcNAc moieties in the molecular antigenicity of Cz was determined using GlcNAc linked to aprotinin by ELISA. The immune cross-reactivity between Cz and myosin is mainly focused in the C-T domain. ELISA inhibition assays using rabbit sera specific for Cz and C-T in conjunction with immune-gold electron microscopy analysis of heart tissues from mice immunized with C-T confronted with polyclonal rabbit sera specific for Cz and C-T prior and after myosin adsorption provided evidence which indicates that O-GlcNAc moieties constitute a common epitope between Cz and either myosin or other cardiac O-GlcNAc-containing proteins, showing a new insight into the molecular immune pathogenesis of Chagas heart disease.
authors.affiliation: Instituto Nacional de Parasitología Dr Mario Fatala Chaben, ANLIS-Malbrán, Ministerio de Salud de la Nación, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Acosta
authors.forename: L L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Soprano
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ferrero
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Landoni
authors.forename: M I
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Esteva
authors.forename: A S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Couto
authors.forename: V G
authors.initials: VG
authors.lastname: Duschak
mesh_terms: D000117:Acetylglucosamine / Q000032:analysis / Q000276:immunology*; D000818:Animals; D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan / Q000276:immunology*; D003429:Cross Reactions; D003546:Cysteine Endopeptidases / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D000939:Epitopes / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D016253:Microscopy, Immunoelectron; D009206:Myocardium / Q000473:pathology; D009218:Myosins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology*; D015800:Protozoan Proteins; D011817:Rabbits; D014349:Trypanosoma cruzi / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan; D000939:Epitopes; D015800:Protozoan Proteins; D003546:Cysteine Endopeptidases; C063214:cruzipain; D009218:Myosins; D000117:Acetylglucosamine