Characterization of the methionine sulfoxide reductases of Schistosoma mansoni

Schistosomiasis, also known as Bilharzia, is an infectious disease caused by several species of Schistosoma. Twenty million individuals suffer severe symptoms and 200,000 people die annually from the disease. The host responds to the presence of S. mansoni by producing reactive oxygen species that cause oxidative stress. We hypothesized that schistosomes produce antioxidants in response to oxidative stress. A known antioxidant protein is methionine sulfoxide reductase (Msr). Methionine residues can be oxidized to methionine sulfoxide in the presence of oxidizing agents, and the process is readily reversed by the action of the Msr system. Two S. mansoni MsrB genes (MsrB1 and MsrB2) were cloned and the recombinant proteins were expressed in bacteria and purified. The S. mansoni MsrB proteins contained the common conserved catalytic-and zinc-coordinating cysteines. Analysis of the proteins showed that both proteins promote the reduction of both free methionine sulfoxide (Met[O]) and dabsyl-Met(O) to free methionine (Met) and dabsyl-Met, respectively, while exhibiting differences in their specific activities toward these substrates. Using real-time polymerase-chain reaction (RT-PCR), both proteins were found to be expressed in all stages of the parasite's life cycle, with the highest level of expression of both proteins in the egg stage. This is the first description of MsrB proteins from a parasite.

Murine immune responses to a novel schistosome egg antigen, SmEP25

Pathology in schistosomiasis consists of granuloma formation around parasite eggs. There is considerable variation in the severity of disease in individuals with schistosomiasis, which may result from differential responses to egg antigens. The egg-induced immunopathology is mediated by CD4+ T helper cells sensitised to egg antigens. In this study, cellular responses to a 25-kDa fraction of egg proteins identified a novel T-cell antigen, SmEP25. The native SmEP25 elicited significant proliferative responses as well as gamma interferon (IFN-gamma), IL-2, IL-4, and IL-5 secretion in CD4+ cells from 8.5-week infected CBA and C57BL/6 mice. In C57BL/6 mice, proliferative responses to SmEP25 were relatively stronger than those directed against the major egg antigen Sm-p40, whereas in CBA mice the reverse was found. SmEP25 elicited stronger Th2 type response than Sm-p40 in both mouse strains. By comparison, recombinant SmEP25 elicited a smaller, Th1-polarised response, with significant IFN-gamma, low levels of IL-5 and essentially no IL-4. B-cell responses to SmEP25 coincided with the start of parasite egg production and SmEP25 protein was restricted to parasite eggs. The systematic identification of T-cell-sensitising egg components will lead to a better understanding of the processes involved in granuloma formation.