Laboratory of Parasitology, General Karol Kaczkowski Military Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Warsaw, Poland.
Parasit Vectors. 2021 Feb 8;14(1):106. doi: 10.1186/s13071-021-04613-9.
Excretory-secretory (ES) products are crucial in maintaining helminths in the host. Consequently, the proteins of ES are potential vaccine molecules and potential therapeutic agents for autoimmune diseases. Heligmosomoides polygyrus bakeri, a gastrointestinal parasite of mice, is a model of hookworm infection in humans. ES produced by both sexes of H. polygyrus bakeri L4 stage cultured separately shows different immunomodulatory properties than ES obtained when both sexes are cultured together. Accordingly, the objective of this study was to identify and compare the excretory-secretory molecules from single-sex and mixed cultures.
The composition of ES of male and female L4 stage nematodes in the presence (cultured together) or absence (cultured alone) of the opposite sex was examined. Proteins were identified using mass spectrometry. The functions of identified proteins were explored with Blast2GO.
A total of 258 proteins derived from mixed larval culture in the presence of sex pheromones were identified, 160 proteins from pure female cultures and 172 from pure male cultures. Exposure of nematodes to the sex pheromones results in abundant production of proteins with immunomodulatory properties such as Val proteins, acetylcholinesterases, TGF-β mimic 9 and HpARI. Proteins found only in ES from mixed larval cultures were TGF-β mimics 6 and 7 as well as galectin.
The presence of the opposite sex strongly influences the composition of ES products, probably by chemical (pheromone) communication between individuals. However, examination of the composition of ES from various conditions gives an opportunity for searching for new potentially therapeutic compounds and anthelminthics as well as components of vaccines. Manipulation of the nematode environment might be important for the studies on the immunomodulatory potential of nematodes.
排泄-分泌（ES）产物对于寄生虫在宿主体内的生存至关重要。因此，ES 蛋白是潜在的疫苗分子和治疗自身免疫性疾病的潜在药物。Heligmosomoides polygyrus bakeri 是一种寄生在老鼠胃肠道的寄生虫，是人类钩虫感染的模型。雌雄两性分别培养的 H. polygyrus bakeri L4 期 ES 产物表现出的免疫调节特性与两性共同培养时获得的 ES 产物不同。因此，本研究的目的是鉴定和比较单性和混合培养的 H. polygyrus bakeri L4 期线虫的排泄-分泌分子。
在有（共同培养）或没有（单独培养）异性存在的情况下，分别检测雌雄两性 L4 期线虫 ES 的组成。使用质谱鉴定蛋白质。使用 Blast2GO 探索鉴定出的蛋白质的功能。
在有性信息素存在的情况下，从混合幼虫培养中鉴定出 258 种蛋白质，从纯雌性培养中鉴定出 160 种蛋白质，从纯雄性培养中鉴定出 172 种蛋白质。暴露于性信息素会导致大量具有免疫调节特性的蛋白质产生，如 Val 蛋白、乙酰胆碱酯酶、TGF-β模拟物 9 和 HpARI。仅在混合幼虫培养的 ES 中发现的蛋白质有 TGF-β模拟物 6 和 7 以及半乳糖凝集素。
异性的存在强烈影响 ES 产物的组成，可能是通过个体之间的化学（信息素）通讯。然而，检查来自不同条件的 ES 组成，为寻找新的潜在治疗化合物、驱虫剂以及疫苗成分提供了机会。对线虫环境的操纵可能对研究线虫的免疫调节潜力很重要。
