title: Theileria equi merozoite antigen-2 interacts with actin molecule of equine erythrocyte during their asexual development.
abstract: Theileria equi is a tick-transmitted intraerythrocytic protozoan parasite in equids. Equine merozoite antigen (EMA)-1 and EMA-2 of T. equi have been identified as immunodominant proteins co-expressed on the surface of extra-erythrocytic merozoites. Additionally, only the EMA-2 is shed into the cytoplasm of infected erythrocyte or inside the erythrocytic membrane during their early developmental stage. In this study, we initially performed West-Western blot analysis on Triton X-100-insoluble erythrocytic skeleton collected from a healthy horse, using a glutathione S-transferase (GST)-tagged recombinant EMA-1t or EMA-2t of T. equi. The results indicated positive interactions of actin and band 4.1 molecules in the equine erythrocytic skeleton only with the recombinant EMA-2t. Subsequently, we carried out GST pull-down assay using the recombinant antigens (as above) against solubilized lysate of equine erythrocytic skeleton, and confirmed the co-precipitation of actin molecule with EMA-2t, but not with the EMA-1t. The interaction of EMA-2 with host erythrocytic actin indicated its role in the pathobiology of T. equi infection within host erythrocytes.
authors.affiliation: National Research Centre on Equines, Sirsa Road, Hisar 125 001, Haryana, India.
authors.forename: Sanjay
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.forename: Naoaki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yokoyama
authors.forename: Jung-Yeon
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Sabine
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bork-Mimm
authors.forename: Noboru
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Inoue
authors.forename: Xuenan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Xuan
authors.forename: Ikuo
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Igarashi
authors.forename: Chihiro
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sugimoto
mesh_terms: D000199:Actins / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D000953:Antigens, Protozoan / Q000378:metabolism*; D015153:Blotting, Western; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000737:chemistry / Q000469:parasitology*; D006736:Horses; D016794:Theileria / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000199:Actins; D000953:Antigens, Protozoan