Studies on specific serological antigens in metacercariae and juveniles of Paragoniums westermani and its monoclonal antibodies.

Abstract

The polyclonal antibodies to juveniles of Paragoniums westermani (PwJ-PcAbs) from sera of Wistar rats infected with Paragoniums westermani (P.w.) were purified by Sephadex G 200 chromatography. Next the shared serological antigens of P.w. metacercaria and juveniles (PwMJ-SAg) from the crude antigens of the metacercariae (M-NS-Ag) were purified with immuno-affinity chromatography on cyanogen bromide-activated cross-linked Sepharose 4B beads coupled with PwJ-PcAbs. PwMJ-SAg, a group of glycoprotein molecules shown by the staining test, were specific serological antigens of P.w. metacercariae and juveniles, identified by the immunoabsorb test and immunoelectrophoresis. By SDS-PAGE, PwMJ-SAg were fractionated to seven bands, including major bands A (27.5 K) and Bi (19.5 K), the two major serological antigen molecules. 20 sera samples from the patients with the nonpulmonary type of P. w. paragonimiasis were detected using PwMJ-SAg and M-NS-Ag by Dot-ELISA, and the difference of sensitivity between two antigens was highly statistically significant (P less than 0.001). BALB/c mice, in the early stage of infection with P. w. metacercaria, were immunized with PwMJ-SAg. The spleen cells of the mice were isolated and fused with SP2/o, a murine myeloma cell line. After three subclonal cultures, eight cell lines secreting monoclonal antibodies (McAbs) to PwMJ-SAg were prepared from 384 wells of hybridoma cells. All McAbs were IgG1 subclass.