title: A monoclonal antibody that tracks endospore formation in the microsporidium Nosema bombycis.
abstract: Nosema bombycis, the first identified microsporidium, is a destructive pathogen of the silkworm Bombyx mori and causes severe worldwide economic losses in sericulture. Major microsporidian structural proteins, such as the spore wall protein (SWP), are known to be involved in host invasion. In this study, the reactivity of the monoclonal antibody 2B10 was tested against an endospore protein of N. bombycis with a molecular weight size at 50-kDa, using Western blotting. The antigen was purified after immunoprecipitation and was further identified as EOB13320 according to MALDI-TOF MS assay. We found that EOB13320 locates to the surface of the different developmental stages of the parasite, mostly the sporoblast stage and the mature spore after immunoelectron microscopy examination. EOB13320 was also widely distributed in the developing endospore, especially at the sporoblast stage. This endospore protein also accumulated in the cytoplasm of both the merogony and sporoblast stages. These results imply that EOB13320 detected by monoclonal antibody 2B10 is expressed throughout the life cycle of the parasite, notably during the stage when the endospore is formed, and that this protein is important for spore-coat formation and parasite maintenance. Our study could be instrumental in the understanding of spore wall formation and will help to gain greater insight into the biology of this parasite.
authors: State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, P.R. China; College of Animal Science and Technology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, P.R. China.
authors: Yanhong
authors: Y
authors: Li
authors: The Sericultural Research Institute, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu 212018, P.R. China.
authors: Meiling
authors: M
authors: Tao
authors: College of Animal Science and Technology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, P.R. China.
authors: Fuping
authors: F
authors: Ma
authors: State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, P.R. China.
authors: Guoqing
authors: G
authors: Pan
authors: State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, P.R. China; Laboratory of Animal Biology, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing 400047, P.R. China.
authors: Zeyang
authors: Z
authors: Zhou
authors: College of Animal Science and Technology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, P.R. China; Fisheries Ecology and Environment Laboratory, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, P.R. China.
authors: Zhengli
authors: Z
authors: Wu
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000908:Antibodies, Fungal / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D000946:Antigens, Fungal / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D015870:Gene Expression; D057054:Molecular Imaging; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016818:Nosema / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D013172:Spores, Fungal
chemical_list: D000908:Antibodies, Fungal; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000946:Antigens, Fungal; D005656:Fungal Proteins