Abstract
14-3-3 proteins are present in all eukaryotic organisms and are ubiquitously expressed in a broad range of tissues and cellular compartments. They are regulatory adapter proteins that play key roles in a variety of signaling pathways, and have been proposed as suitable targets for the control and detection of certain parasites. Trichinella britovi is a widely-distributed parasitic nematode, transmitted through ingestion of meat products containing invasive larvae. The present study describes the cloning and expression of Tb14-3-3, and investigates the immunological and protective potential of the recombinant protein. Immunization of mice with rTb14-3-3 triggered an IgG response, and significant differences, in the profiles of secreted cytokines observed in vitro, between experimental groups. Nonetheless, neither specific antibodies, nor increased secretion of IFNγ, IL-4, and IL-10 cytokines, conferred greater protection against infection. No reduction in larval burden was observed during recovery at 48 dpi. Additionally, rTb14-3-3 was not recognized by sera from the infected control mice, except for one, suggesting some mismatch between native and recombinant Tb14-3-3 antigenic sites. Therefore, before 14-3-3 can be considered a potential tool for Trichinella detection and vaccination, more research regarding its target proteins, and actual specific function, is needed.
Highlights
Trichinella is a genus of parasitic nematodes infecting mainly mammals, but it is known to affect reptiles and predatory birds [1,2,3]
The entire life cycle of Trichinella is completed in a single host: the molting and maturing of larvae in the intestine, followed by the mating of the adult worms (Ad), and the subsequent release of newborn larvae (NBL), which migrate to the muscle tissues [7]
The present study describes an immunological analysis of T. britovi 14-3-3 protein, encoded by cloned
Summary
Trichinella is a genus of parasitic nematodes infecting mainly mammals, but it is known to affect reptiles and predatory birds [1,2,3]. The parasite does not demonstrate any free-living stages and is not secreted to the environment It acts as an intestinal parasite during the early stages of infection, similar to other families of parasitic nematodes. The invasive larvae migrate to the host’s muscles, where they form nurse cells and wait to be ingested by the potential host, which is a very unique life strategy [8]. This uniqueness was recently confirmed at the genomic level, in a broad comparative study, where the Trichinella genus, placed in a small clade
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