Laboratory of Parasitology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Salamanca, Av. Licenciado Méndez Nieto s/n, 37007Salamanca, Spain.
Laboratory of Parasitology, Institute of Natural Resources and Agrobiology of Salamanca (IRNASA-CSIC), C/ Cordel de Merinas 40-52, 37008Salamanca, Spain.
Parasitology. 2020 Apr;147(5):559-565. doi: 10.1017/S0031182020000104. Epub 2020 Jan 29.
Dirofilaria immitis is a parasitic nematode that survives in the circulatory system of suitable hosts for many years, causing the most severe thromboembolisms when simultaneous death of adult worms occurs. The two main mechanisms responsible for thrombus formation in mammals are the activation and aggregation of platelets and the generation of fibrin through the coagulation cascade. The aim of this work was to study the anticoagulant potential of excretory/secretory antigens from D. immitis adult worms (DiES) on the coagulation cascade of the host. Anticoagulant and inhibition assays respectively showed that DiES partially alter the coagulation cascade of the host and reduce the activity of the coagulation factor Xa, a key enzyme in the coagulation process. In addition, a D. immitis protein was identified by its similarity to the homologous serpin 6 from Brugia malayi as a possible candidate to form an inhibitory complex with FXa by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and mass spectrometry. These results indicate that D. immitis could use the anticoagulant properties of its excretory/secretory antigens to control the formation of blood clots in its immediate intravascular habitat as a survival mechanism.
犬恶丝虫是一种寄生性线虫,能在合适宿主的循环系统中存活多年,当成虫同时死亡时,会导致最严重的血栓栓塞。哺乳动物中血栓形成的两个主要机制是血小板的激活和聚集,以及通过凝血级联反应生成纤维蛋白。本研究旨在研究犬恶丝虫成虫的排泄/分泌抗原(DiES)对宿主凝血级联的抗凝潜力。抗凝和抑制试验分别表明,DiES 部分改变了宿主的凝血级联,降低了凝血过程中的关键酶凝血因子 Xa 的活性。此外,通过十二烷基硫酸钠聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳和质谱分析,一种与班氏丝虫同源丝氨酸蛋白酶 6 具有相似性的犬恶丝虫蛋白被鉴定为可能与 FXa 形成抑制复合物的候选蛋白。这些结果表明,犬恶丝虫可能利用其排泄/分泌抗原的抗凝特性来控制其在血管内直接栖息地形成血栓,作为一种生存机制。