Galectins from Onchocerca ochengi and O. volvulus and their immune recognition by Wistar rats, Gudali zebu cattle and human hosts

BMC Microbiology

article

Ngwasiri, Ngwafu Nancy¹  Daniel, Achukwi Mbunkah²  Brattig, Norbert W.³  Ndjonka, Dieudonné¹  Liebau, Eva⁴  Paguem, Archile¹  Leusder, Dustin⁴  Kingsley, Manchang Tanyi⁶  Eisenbarth, Albert⁵  Renz, Alfons⁵ 

[1] University of Ngaoundéré;TOZARD Research Laboratory;Department Molecular Medicine, Bernhard Nocht Institute of Tropical Medicine;University of Muenster;Department Comparative Zoology, Eberhard Karls University, Institute of Evolution and Ecology;Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Buea;Veterinary Research Laboratory, IRAD Wakwa Regional Centre;Programme Onchocercoses, Station of the University of Tübingen

关键词: Recombinant galectin;    Somatic extract;    Onchocerca ochengi;    Onchocerca volvulus;    Excretory-secretory products;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12866-020-02064-3

学科分类：放射科、核医学、医学影像

来源: BioMed Central

【 摘 要 】

During the last two decades research on animal filarial parasites, especially Onchocerca ochengi, infecting cattle in savanna areas of Africa revealed that O. ochengi as an animal model has biological features that are similar to those of O. volvulus, the aetiological agent of human onchocerciasis. There is, however, a paucity of biochemical, immunological and pathological data for O. ochengi. Galectins can be generated by parasites and their hosts. They are multifunctional molecules affecting the interaction between filarial parasites and their mammalian hosts including immune responses. This study characterized O. ochengi galectin, verified its immunologenicity and established its immune reactivity and that of Onchocerca volvulus galectin. The phylogenetic analysis showed the high degree of identity between the identified O. ochengi and the O. volvulus galectin-1 (ß-galactoside-binding protein-1) consisting only in one exchange of alanine for serine. O. ochengi galectin induced IgG antibodies during 28 days after immunization of Wistar rats. IgG from O. ochengi-infected cattle and O. volvulus-infected humans cross-reacted with the corresponding galectins. Under the applied experimental conditions in a cell proliferation test, O. ochengi galectin failed to significantly stimulate peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from O. ochengi-infected cattle, regardless of their parasite load. An O. ochengi galectin gene was identified and the recombinantly expressed protein was immunogenic. IgG from Onchocerca-infected humans and cattle showed similar cross-reaction with both respective galectins. The present findings reflect the phylogenetic relationship between the two parasites and endorse the appropriateness of the cattle O. ochengi model for O. volvulus infection research.

【 授权许可】

CC BY|CC0