Cloning and characterization of a female genital complex cDNA from the liver fluke Fasciola hepatica.

A cDNA clone whose RNA is abundant in the female genital complex of the liver fluke Fasciola hepatica has been isolated from a cDNA library in lambda gt10 by differential screening. The pattern of expression in different fluke tissues and at different stages of miracidium formation suggests that this gene is expressed in the F. hepatica vitelleria. The nucleotide sequence of the cloned cDNA was determined and the primary structure of the putative protein was deduced. The proposed protein is rich in glycine, lysine, and tyrosine and its overall amino acid composition agrees with that reported for the F. hepatica egg shell. The clone has homology with DNA from other trematodes; this homology is higher in organisms in which egg development is similar to that of F. hepatica and suggests that the protein is conserved in organisms in which miracidium formation occurs in fresh water.