Schistosome membrane proteins as vaccines

Evaluation of Echinococcus multilocularis tetraspanins as vaccine candidates against primary alveolar echinococcosis

“…Proteins expressed on the surface, as membrane-integrated proteins, have a 22 wide range of functions in parasite biology [44]. Loukas et al [45] emphasized the importance of the schistosome tegument/body wall by describing it as 'the key to its success but also its Achilles heel', because the schistosome tegument has been described as being responsible for parasite survival through immune evasion, while from a vaccine perspective, it constitutes the host-parasite interface. Although we are unsure, in our experiments, whether the antibodies raised by these tetraspanins kill the metacestode or the oncosphere, or even a parasite stage in between, previous studies with schistosomes suggested that once the surface of the parasite is blocked by anti-TSP antibodies, they will lose their survival strategies and render the parasite surface vulnerable to the host defense mechanisms [19].…”

Vaccinomics for the Major Blood Feeding Helminths of Humans

“…DeMarco and Verjovski-Almeida (2009) recently reviewed the use of proteomics to identify schistosome proteins for vaccine antigen and drug discovery. We have thus restricted our discussion here to studies that focus on the outer membrane proteins of the schistosome tegument, primarily because we believe that exposed membrane proteins are likely to be the most efficacious as vaccine antigens (Loukas et al, 2007;McManus and Loukas, 2008).…”

Solution Structure, Membrane Interactions, and Protein Binding Partners of the Tetraspanin Sm-TSP-2, a Vaccine Antigen from the Human Blood Fluke Schistosoma mansoni

“…This is particularly so in the case of Sm-TSP-3, the most abundantly expressed TSP in schistosomula (59), the larval stage that develops once the schistosome parasite invades a new human host. The newly transformed schistosomulum is widely viewed as the most susceptible stage to antibody-mediated damage (60), and identification of proteins forming complexes with Sm-TSP-3 will be of great interest for the development of new vaccine antigens specifically targeting the schistosomulum.…”