Localization of actin and myosin in Cryptosporidium parvum using immunogold staining.

The location of actin and myosin of the several stages of Cryptosporidium parvum was observed. The tissue antigen of C. parvum was prepared through immunosuppression of ICR mice with Depomedrol. The thin sectioned specimens, which were incubated with the IgG fraction of the rabbit polyclonal antibodies raised against chicken back muscle actin and bovine uterus myosin, were treated with 10 nm gold-conjugated goat anti-rabbit IgG. Electrodense particles were located mainly on the pellicles of all observed developmental stages of the parasites. The number of actin gold particles in the cytoplasm increased when the parasite was dividing actively as in case of meronts. Especially in macrogametocytes, a lot of actin and myosin particles were synthesized and storaged as amilopectin-like bodies. There were many actin gold particles along the microspikes of cytoplasmic membranes in various developmental stages. The actin and myosin observed in this study may play important roles to control the shape of the parasites and movements of cytoplasmic membranes as cytoskeletal proteins.