Changes in protein expression in the sheep abomasum following trickle infection with Teladorsagia circumcincta

Parasitology. 2012 Mar;139(3):375-85. doi: 10.1017/S0031182011001983. Epub 2011 Nov 11.

Abstract

Continual low-level exposure of sheep to the helminth Teladorsagia circumcincta elicits a temporary protective immunity, where factors in the immune abomasal mucosa prevent penetration of infective larvae, but which is essentially lost within 6 weeks of cessation of parasite challenge. Here, a proteomic approach was used to identify proteins that are differentially regulated in immune compared to naïve sheep, as potential key mediators of immunity. Six naïve sheep and 12 sheep trickle-infected with T. circumcincta were treated with anthelmintic, and the naïve (control) and 6 immune sheep were killed 7 days later. The remaining 6 sheep (immune waning) were killed 42 days after anthelmintic treatment. Abomasal tissue samples were subjected to 2D-gel electrophoresis and densitometric analysis. Selected spots (n=73) were identified by peptide mass fingerprinting and confirmatory Western blotting was carried out for 10 proteins. Spots selectively up-regulated in immune versus control, but not immune waning versus control sheep, included galectin-15 and thioredoxin, which were confirmed by Western blotting. In immune sheep, serum albumin was significantly down-regulated and albumin proteolytic cleavage fragments were increased compared to controls. Unexpectedly, albumin mRNA was relatively highly expressed in control mucosa, down-regulated in immune, and was immunolocalized to mucus-producing epithelial cells. Thus we have identified differential expression of a number of proteins following T. circumcincta trickle infection that may play a role in host protection and inhibition of parasite establishment.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Abomasum / drug effects
  • Abomasum / immunology
  • Abomasum / metabolism*
  • Adaptive Immunity
  • Animals
  • Anthelmintics / administration & dosage
  • Blotting, Western
  • Electrophoresis, Gel, Two-Dimensional
  • Galectins / genetics
  • Galectins / metabolism
  • Gastric Mucosa / drug effects
  • Gastric Mucosa / immunology
  • Gastric Mucosa / metabolism
  • Gene Expression Profiling
  • Gene Expression Regulation
  • Helminth Proteins / genetics
  • Helminth Proteins / metabolism*
  • Proteomics
  • RNA, Messenger / metabolism
  • Serum Albumin / genetics
  • Serum Albumin / metabolism
  • Sheep
  • Sheep Diseases / drug therapy
  • Sheep Diseases / immunology
  • Sheep Diseases / metabolism*
  • Sheep, Domestic
  • Thioredoxins / genetics
  • Thioredoxins / metabolism
  • Trichostrongyloidea*
  • Trichostrongyloidiasis / drug therapy
  • Trichostrongyloidiasis / immunology
  • Trichostrongyloidiasis / metabolism
  • Trichostrongyloidiasis / veterinary*

Substances

  • Anthelmintics
  • Galectins
  • Helminth Proteins
  • RNA, Messenger
  • Serum Albumin
  • Thioredoxins