MOLECULAR ANALYSIS OF ANTIGENS TARGETED BY PROTECTIVE ANTIBODIES IN RAPID EXPULSION OF TRICHINELLA-SPIRALIS

Rapid expulsion is a protective immune mechanism which eliminates as much as 99% of a challenge infection of Trichinella spiralis muscle larvae from the gastrointestinal tract of suckling rats. Protective monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) generated against larval excretory-secretory antigens (ESA) specifically recognize a 45-kDa glycoprotein, gp45, in addition to a distinct profile of other cross-reactive antigens that are also recognized by non-protective mAbs. Recent data indicate that protective mAbs recognize carbohydrate epitopes. To complement biochemical studies on the target(s) of rapid expulsion, we describe here the cloning and characterization of the cDNA, TspE1, which belongs to a multigene family and encodes several larval proteins in the 40-50-kDa range. A second cDNA, TspM6 encodes a 45-kDa antigen and is homologous to the published sequence of gp45. Anti-TspE1 antibodies detected antigens within beta- and gamma-stichocytes while anti-TspM6 antibodies detected antigens within alpha-stichocytes of the secretory organs of muscle larvae. Sequence analysis has provided no functional information on the encoded gene products. Neither recombinant antigen is recognized by the mAbs but native parasite molecules with peptide homology to both the TspE1 and TspM6 recombinant antigens bear the glycan recognized by the protective mAbs. These molecules are candidate targets in rapid expulsion.