[Toward development of a Taenia solium paramyosin-based vaccine against porcine cysticercosis]. / Hacia el desarrollo de una vacuna en contra de la cisticercosis porcina basada en la paramiosina de Taenia solium.

Taenia solium paramyosin (TPmy) is a prominent 100 kDa antigen in human and porcine cysticercosis. TPmy is an alpha-helical coiled coil protein present in muscle and tegumentary structures of T. solium cysticerci. TPmy has the property of binding C1q resulting in inhibition of the complement cascade. TPmy probably binds C1q through its collagen-like domains and could be involved in a parasite strategy to modulate host immune response. Humoral immune response against TPmy is prefrentially directed against carboxyl terminal end in humans and mice, whereas amino terminal end of TPmy preferentially induces a Th1-related cellular immune response. Protection studies in murine model of cysticercosis showed that the amino terminal end fragment of TPmy induces approximately 60% protection against an i.p. challenge with Taenia crassiceps cysts when mice are immunized with recombinant fragments of TPmy. Initial protection studies using genetic immunization showed that amino terminal end fragment of TPmy cloned into a plasmid expression vector with a cytomegalovirus promoter, together with IL-12-expressing plasmids induced 79% protection, suggesting that this kind of TPmy-immunization might result in development of a cost-effective vaccine against cysticercosis.

Autoantibodies against Cajal bodies in systemic lupus erythematosus.

BACKGROUND: Cajal bodies (CB) are distinct sub-nuclear domains rich in small nuclear ribonucleoprotein particles (snRNPs); they are involved in pre-mRNA processing. Lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease characterized by autoantibody production against different nuclear molecules, including those involved in pre-mRNA processing. The aim of the present investigation is to assess the presence of anti-CB autoantibodies in a cohort of SLE sera. MATERIAL/METHODS: Antinuclear antibodies (ANA) were screened by indirect immunofluorescence in a batch of 190 sera from patients who met the ACR criteria for SLE classification; fine specificity was determined by Western blot using HEp-2 cells or rat hepatocyte extracts purified by ion exchange chromatography. RESULTS: Four sera had anti-Cajal body (CB) autoantibodies. Interestingly, all of these patients had intermittent extensive oral and esophageal ulceration. The autoantibodies to CB were of the IgG class, and by Western blot these sera had reactivity against an 80 kDa protein (coilin) associated with Sm proteins. CONCLUSIONS: Anti-CB autoantibodies constitute an uncommon specificity of SLE; therefore it seems that anti-CB antibody specificity is associated with extensive mucous ulceration.

Hacia el desarrollo de una vacuna en contra de la cisticercosis porcina basada en la paramiosina de Taenia solium

La paramiosina de Taenia solium (TPmy) es un antígeno inmunodominante de la cisticercosis humana y porcina. Se trata de una proteína de 100 kDa con una estructura alfa-hélice superenrollada asociada al músculo y a estructuras tegumentarias del cisticerco. La TPmy tiene la propiedad de unirse al C1q e inhibir la cascada del complemento. La TPmy probablemente se une al C1q a través sus dominios tipo colágena y podría estar relacionada con una estrategia parasitaria para modular la respuesta inmune del huésped. En el hombre y en el ratón, la respuesta inmune humoral en contra de la TPmy está preferentemente dirigida hacia el extremo carboxilo terminal mientras que el extremo amino terminal de la TPmy induce una respuesta protectora celular de tipo Th1. Ensayos de protección en el modelo murino de cisticercosis en ratones inmunizados con fragmentos recombinantes de TPmy revelaron que el extremo amino terminal induce alrededor de 60% de protección en contra de un reto intraperitoneal con cisticercos de Taenia crassiceps. Ensayos preliminares de protección por inmunización génica revelaron que el extremo amino terminal de la TPmy clonado en un vector plasmídico con un promotor de citomegalovirus induce alrededor de 79% de protección, junto con plásmidos para la expresión de IL-12, sugiriendo que este tipo de inmunización con TPmy puede resultar en el desarrollo de una vacuna eficaz y económica en contra de la cisticercosis.

Taenia solium paramyosin (TPmy) is a prominent 100 kDa antigen in human and porcine cysticercosis. TPmy is an α-helical coiled coil protein present in muscle and tegumentary structures of T. solium cysticerci. TPmy has the property of binding C1q resulting in inhibition of the complement cascade. TPmy probably binds C1q through its collagen-like domains and could be involved in a parasite strategy to modulate host immune response. Humoral immune response against TPmy is preferentially directed against carboxyl terminal end in humans and mice, whereas amino terminal end of TPmy preferentially induces a Th1-related cellular immune response. Protection studies in murine model of cysticercosis showed that the amino terminal end fragment of TPmy induces approximately 60% protection against an i.p. challenge with Taenia crassiceps cysts when mice are immunized with recombinant fragments of TPmy. Initial protection studies using genetic immunization showed that amino terminal end fragment of TPmy cloned into a plasmid expression vector with a cytomegalovirus promoter, together with IL-12-expressing plasmids induced 79% protection, suggesting that this kind of TPmy-immunization might result in development of a cost-effective vaccine against cysticercosis.