Comparative characterization of two galectins excreted-secreted from intestine-dwelling parasitic versus free-living females of the soil-transmitted nematode Strongyloides

Publication date: October 2018Source: Molecular and Biochemical Parasitology, Volume 225Author(s): Dana Ditgen, Emmanuela M. Anandarajah, Anika Reinhardt, Abuelhassan Elshazly Younis, Susanne Witt, Jan Hansmann, Eva Lorenz, Marisela García-Hernández, Daniela Paclik, Hanns Soblik, Abbas Jolodar, Peter H. Seeberger, Eva Liebau, Norbert W. BrattigAbstractHelminths are complex pathogens that ensure their long-term survival by influencing the immune responses of their host. Excretory/secretory products (ESP) can exert immunoregulatory effects which foster parasite survival. Galectins represent a widespread group of β-galactoside-binding proteins which are involved in a multitude of biological processes operative in parasite-host interaction. We had earlier identified seven galectins in Strongyloides ratti, four of them detected in the ESP of distinct developmental stages of the parasite. In the present report, we focused on the characterization of two of them, Sr-galectin-1 (Sr-Gal-1) and Sr-galectin-3 (Sr-Gal-3). While Sr-Gal-3 expression was strongest in parasitic females, Sr-Gal-1 was predominantly expressed in free-living females. Both proteins were cloned and recombinantly expressed in an E. coli expression system. Their glycan-binding activity was verified by haemagglutination and glycan array analysis. Furthermore, primary immunological activities of the Sr-galectins were initially investigated by the application of an in vitro mucosal 3D-culture model, comprising of muc...
Source: Molecular and Biochemical Parasitology - Category: Parasitology Source Type: research