title: Proteolytic activity in the adult and larval stages of the human roundworm parasite Angiostrongylus costaricensis.
abstract: Angiostrongylus costaricensis is a nematode that causes abdominal angiostrongyliasis, a widespread human parasitism in Latin America. This study aimed to characterize the protease profiles of different developmental stages of this helminth. First-stage larvae (L1) were obtained from the faeces of infected Sigmodon hispidus rodents and third-stage larvae (L3) were collected from mollusks Biomphalaria glabrata previously infected with L1. Adult worms were recovered from rodent mesenteric arteries. Protein extraction was performed after repeated freeze-thaw cycles followed by maceration of the nematodes in 40 mM Tris base. Proteolysis of gelatin was observed by zymography and found only in the larval stages. In L3, the gelatinolytic activity was effectively inhibited by orthophenanthroline, indicating the involvement of metalloproteases. The mechanistic class of the gelatinases from L1 could not be precisely determined using traditional class-specific inhibitors. Adult worm extracts were able to hydrolyze haemoglobin in solution, although no activity was observed by zymography. This haemoglobinolytic activity was ascribed to aspartic proteases following its effective inhibition by pepstatin, which also inhibited the haemoglobinolytic activity of L1 and L3 extracts. The characterization of protease expression throughout the A. costaricensis life cycle may reveal key factors influencing the process of parasitic infection and thus foster our understanding of the disease pathogenesis.
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Toxinologia, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.
authors.forename: Karina Mastropasqua
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Rebello
authors.forename: Caroline Reis de
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Siqueira
authors.forename: Erika Louise
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Ribeiro
authors.forename: Richard Hemmi
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Valente
authors.forename: Ester Maria
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Mota
authors.forename: Jonas
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Perales
authors.forename: Ana Gisele da Costa
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Neves-Ferreira
authors.forename: Henrique Leonel
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Lenzi
mesh_terms: D000801:Angiostrongylus / Q000145:classification / Q000201:enzymology*; D000818:Animals; D005243:Feces / Q000469:parasitology; D005260:Female; D007814:Larva / Q000201:enzymology; D008297:Male; D059748:Proteolysis; D016205:Sigmodontinae