Characterization and vaccination of two novel Schistosoma japonicum genes screened from a cercaria cDNA library

Abstract

Two novel genes, SJCWL05 and SJCWL06, were harvested from screening of Schistosoma japonicum (S. japonicum) cercaria cDNA library by using pig sera vaccinated (VPS) with S. japonicum immature egg ws-vaccine (S. japonicum iEw). Prokaryotic recombinant plasmids pGEX-4T-1/SJCWL05 and pGEX-4T-1/SJCWL06 were constructed to analyze their immunogenicity, which was confirmed by SDS-PAGE and Western blotting. Two eukaryotic recombinant plasmids, pcDNA3/SJCWL05 and pcDNA3/SJCWL06, were constructed, and their ability to protect mice against challenge of S. japonicum was evaluated. All mice vaccinated with pcDNA3/SJCWL05 or pcDNA3/SJCWL06 developed ELISA-specific anti-S. japonicum SIEA (S. japonicum soluble immature egg antigens) antibody. Immunoprotection experiments showed that worms and liver eggs reduced 34.64% and 39.14% in the pcDNA3/SJCWL05 group and those reduced 27.17% and 27.95% in the pcDNA3/SJCWL06 group, respectively. The reduction rates of intestine and uterine eggs in female worms of both groups reached 39.45% and 38.5% as well as 30.02% and 28.7%, respectively. Results of our study suggest that novel genes, SJCWL05 and SJCWL06, are potential vaccine candidates against schistosomiasis japonica.

Schistosomiasis, hepatitis B and hepatitis C co-infection

“…As elimination of schistosomiasis is a global target, there is a need for supplementary tools, such as vaccination, to confer long-term prevention. Different approaches for vaccination development have been tested in animal models with variable immunogenicity including Biomphalaria alexandrina snail nucleoproteins, thyroid hormone receptors and more recently, the use of DNA-Sm-p80, and DNA-Sm14 [ 64 - 68 ]. The development of these vaccines relayed mainly on using a subunit approach where the minimal microbial constituents necessary to surmount an appropriate immune response are incorporated into the vaccine, these constituents were tegument proteins most of the times; nevertheless, despite the potential advantages of subunit vaccines, this method resulted in poorly immunogenic vaccines, a thing that entailed the co-administration with potent adjuvants, and in some cases, the addition of T helper epitopes to evoke a long lasting immune response[ 69 ].…”

Schistosoma japonicum scFv-IL18 fusion DNA ameliorates hepatic fibrosis in schistosomiasis-infected mice via improving local concentration of IL-18 in liver

“…infections (Kofta and Wedrychowicz, 2001). The strategies of vaccine for schistosomiasis are to find new candidate antigens or enhance the existing antigens by using cocktail vaccine or different adjuvants as well as better injection technique (Tao et al, 2009;Tian et al, 2011;Wei et al, 2008Wei et al, , 2009. Most vaccine studies have focused attention on how to prevent infection of people by pathogens, but ignored the fact that those people living in endemic areas were already infected by Schistosoma more or less.…”