title: Expression, tissue localization and serodiagnostic potential of Taenia multiceps acidic ribosomal protein P2.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The larval stage of Taenia multiceps, also known as coenurus, is the causative agent of coenurosis, which results in severe health problems in sheep, goats, cattle and other animals that negatively impact on animal husbandry. There is no reliable method to identify coenurus infected goats in the early period of infection.
  
  
  METHODS
  We identified a full-length cDNA that encodes acidic ribosomal protein P2 from the transcriptome of T. multiceps (TmP2). Following cloning, sequencing and structural analyses were performed using bioinformatics tools. Recombinant TmP2 (rTmP2) was prokaryotically expressed and then used to test immunoreactivity and immunogenicity in immunoblotting assays. The native proteins in adult stage and coenurus were located via immunofluorescence assays, while the potential of rTmP2 for indirect ELISA-based serodiagnostics was assessed using native goat sera. In addition, 20 goats were randomly divided into a drug treatment group and a control group. Each goat was orally given mature, viable T. multiceps eggs. The drug treatment group was given 10% praziquantel by intramuscular injection 45 days post-infection (p.i), and all goats were screened for anti-TmP2 antibodies with the indirect ELISA method established here, once a week for 17 weeks p.i.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The open reading frame (366 bp) of the target gene encodes a 12.62 kDa protein, which showed high homology to that from Taenia solium (93% identity) and lacked a signal peptide. Immunofluorescence staining showed that TmP2 was highly localized to the parenchymatous zone of both the adult parasite and the coenurus; besides, it was widely distributed in cystic wall of coenurus. Building on good immunogenic properties, rTmP2-based ELISA exhibited a sensitivity of 95.0% (19/20) and a specificity of 96.3% (26/27) in detecting anti-P2 antibodies in the sera of naturally infected goats and sheep. In goats experimentally infected with T. multiceps, anti-TmP2 antibody was detectable in the control group from 3 to 10 weeks and 15 to 17 weeks p.i. In the drug-treated group, the anti-TmP2 antibody dropped below the cut-off value about 2 weeks after treatment with praziquantel and remained below this critical value until the end of the experiment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The indirect ELISA method developed in this study has the potential for detection of T. multiceps infections in hosts.
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, 611130, China. huangxing198308@163.com.|Chengdu Agricultural College, Chengdu, 611130, China. huangxing198308@163.com.
authors.forename: Xing
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, 611130, China. 77588606@qq.com.
authors.forename: Lin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Panzhihua Animal Science and Technology Institute, Panzhihua, 617061, China. yhhfg@163.com.
authors.forename: Yingdong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, 611130, China. 448070309@qq.com.
authors.forename: Xiaobin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Gu
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, 611130, China. btyzwangyu@163.com.
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, 611130, China. 451908892@qq.com.
authors.forename: Weimin
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Lai
authors.affiliation: College of Science, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya'an, 625014, China. 1295543513@qq.com.
authors.forename: Xuerong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, 611130, China. guangyou1963@aliyun.com.
authors.forename: Guangyou
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000909:Antibodies, Helminth / Q000097:blood*; D000947:Antigens, Helminth / Q000032:analysis* / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D019411:Clinical Laboratory Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / Q000379:methods; D015511:Goat Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology; D006041:Goats; D010750:Phosphoproteins / Q000032:analysis* / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D012269:Ribosomal Proteins / Q000032:analysis* / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D013621:Taenia / Q000235:genetics*; D013622:Taeniasis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology / Q000662:veterinary*; D014730:Veterinary Medicine / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D000909:Antibodies, Helminth; D000947:Antigens, Helminth; D010750:Phosphoproteins; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D012269:Ribosomal Proteins; C031937:phosphoprotein P2, ribosomal