Abstract
Haemonchus contortus is the most pathogenic nematode of small ruminants. Infection in sheep and goats results in anaemia that decreases animal productivity and can ultimately cause death. The involvement of ruminant-specific galectin-11 (LGALS-11) and galectin-14 (LGALS-14) has been postulated to play important roles in protective immune responses against parasitic infection; however, their ligands are unknown. In the current study, LGALS-11 and LGALS-14 ligands in H. contortus were identified from larval (L4) and adult parasitic stages extracts using immobilised LGALS-11 and LGALS-14 affinity column chromatography and mass spectrometry. Both LGALS-11 and LGALS-14 bound more putative protein targets in the adult stage of H. contortus (43 proteins) when compared to the larval stage (two proteins). Of the 43 proteins identified in the adult stage, 34 and 35 proteins were bound by LGALS-11 and LGALS-14, respectively, with 26 proteins binding to both galectins. Interestingly, hematophagous stage-specific sperm-coating protein and zinc metalloprotease (M13), which are known vaccine candidates, were identified as putative ligands of both LGALS-11 and LGALS-14. The identification of glycoproteins of H. contortus by LGALS-11 and LGALS-14 provide new insights into host-parasite interactions and the potential for developing new interventions.
Highlights
Haemonchus contortus is a dominant blood feeding gastrointestinal nematode (GIN) parasite of small ruminants
This study describes the ligands of sheep LGALS-11 and LGALS-14 in larval and adult stages of H. contortus
Identification of proteins from H. contortus that interact with LGALS-11 and LGALS-14
Summary
Haemonchus contortus is a dominant blood feeding gastrointestinal nematode (GIN) parasite of small ruminants. Blood feeding by H. contortus results in haemorrhagic gastritis, oedema, diarrhoea and death in severe infections, leading to significant economic impact through decreased livestock production (Mavrot, Hertzberg & Torgerson, 2015; McLeod, How to cite this article Sakthivel et al (2018), Proteomic identification of galectin-11 and 14 ligands from Haemonchus contortus. Sheep can develop effective immunity to H. contortus infection and vaccine-induced protection using H. contortus-derived molecules such as the H-gal-GP, a gut-derived, galactose-containing glycoprotein complex and integral membrane glycoprotein complex, termed H11, a family of microsomal aminopeptidases have been demonstrated, suggesting that the control of this parasite through vaccination is possible (Nisbet et al, 2016). Galectins are a family of carbohydrate-binding molecules with characteristic domain organization and affinity for βgalactosides that mediates a variety of important cellular functions, including inflammation and immune responses due to binding both self and non-self glycans (Vasta et al, 2017)
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