ELECTROPHORETIC AND SEROLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF HOST ANTIGENS ASSOCIATED WITH THE ADULT SCHISTOSOMA-MANSONI TEGUMENT

One-dimensional and 2-dimensional (2-D) polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and immunoblotting with various specific antisera were used to analyze host antigens eluted from the surface of adult male Schistosoma mansoni into culture medium following short-term incubation. Silver-stained sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) gels revealed 27 protein bands from the parasite culture medium (eluate), ranging from >200 kDa to 25 kDa. Eight of these bands corresponded to whole mouse plasma protein bands that migrated to the same positions. Color silver-stained 2-D SDS-PAGE gels revealed 93 protein spots from the eluate; 32 of them corresponded with similar spots in a 2-D SDS-PAGE gel of parasite gut contents, whereas 23 protein spots corresponded with similar spots of a normal mouse serum 2-D SDS-PAGE gel. Eleven protein components of the eluate, ranging from >200 kDa to 25 kDa, reacted with anti-mouse whole serum antiserum. Specific antisera recognizing components in the parasite culture medium included those with specificity for each of the classes and subclasses of mouse immunoglobulin (except IgD and IgE), mouse albumin, and mouse alpha-2-macroglobulin. Specific antisera against murine erythrocytes, hemoglobin, the complement component C3, transferrin, fibronectin, fibrinogen, and the mouse major histocompatibility class I protein H-2D(b) heavy chain did not react with any eluate component.