Antigen oncospheres

Benitez, L., Carate, T., Harrison, L.J., Kirkham, P., Brookes, S.M. and Rarkhouse, R.M. (1996) Cloning and sequencing of the gene encoding the principal 18-kDa secreted antigen of activated oncospheres of Taenia saginata. Molecular and Biochemical Parasitology 78, 265-268. 

Bogh, H.O., Lightowlers, M.W, Sullivan, N.D., Mitchell, C.F. and Rickard, M.D. (1990) Stage-specific immunity to Taenia taeniaeformis infection in mice. A histological study of the course of infection in mice vaccinated with either oncosphere or metacestode antigens. Parasite Immunology 12, 1 53-1 62. 

Predicted Protein Structure and Function of Oncosphere Antigens.293... 

Table 15.2. Recombinant oncosphere antigens of taeniid cestodes, which have been shown to induce host-protective immune responses. ...

The discovery that oncosphere extracts provided a source of potent, protective antigens for both Taenia species and E. granulosus raised the potential for development of practical vaccines to prevent infections with economic and... 

All of the oncosphere antigens cloned to date contain either one of two copies of a predicted Fnlll domain. These domains are widely distributed in eukaryotic proteins and occur also in some prokaryotic proteins (Bork and Doolittle, 1992). Approximately 2% of animal proteins include Fnlll domains. Many, but not all, of these proteins are extracellular and some have roles as adhesins. The structure of this 100 amino acid domain is highly conserved and consists of two layers with three p strands in one plane and four p strands in another (Potts and Campbell, 1996). Overall, amino acid sequence identity between different Fnlll domains is low, even between Fnlll repeat domains within fibronectin itself (Plaxco et al., 1997). Nevertheless, certain residues are highly conserved and maintain the tertiary structure of the proteins (Bork and Doolittle, 1992). Other conserved motifs such as an Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) motif within a loop of some Fnlll domains is associated with proteins having cell adhesion properties, as discussed above (Ruoslahti and Pierschbacher, 1987 D Souza et al., 1991). 

Chow, C., Gauci, C.G., Cowman, A.F. and Lightowlers, M.W. (2004) Echinococcus granulosus oncosphere-specific transcription of genes encoding a host-protective antigen. Experimental Parasitology 106, 183-186. 

Dadley-Moore, D.L., Lightowlers, M.W., Rothel, J.S. and Jackson, D.C. (1999b) Synthetic peptide antigens induce antibodies to Taenia ovis oncospheres. Vaccine 17, 1506-1515. 

Gauci, C.G. and Lightowlers, M.W. (2001) Alternative splicing and sequence diversity of transcripts from the oncosphere stage of Taenia solium with homology to the 45W antigen of Taenia ovis. Molecular and Biochemical Parasitology 112, 1 73-1 81. 

Gaud, C. and Lightowlers, M.W. (2003) Molecular cloning of genes encoding oncosphere proteins reveals conservation of modular protein structure in cestode antigens. Molecular and Biochemical Parasitology 127, 193-198. 

Gauci, C.G., Flisser, A. and Lightowlers, M.W. (1998) A Taenia solium oncosphere protein homologous to host-protective Taenia ovis and Taenia saginata 18 kDa antigens. International Journal for Parasitology 28, 757-760. 

Harrison, G.B.L., Heath, D.D., Dempster, R.P., Lawrence, S.B., Lightowlers, M.W. and Rickard, M.D. (1993) Identification of host-protective antigens of Taenia ovis oncospheres. International journal for Parasitology 23, 41-50. 

Heath, D.D. and Lawrence, S.B. (1 996) Antigenic polypeptides of Echinococcus granulosus oncospheres and definition of protective molecules. Parasite Immunology 18, 347-357. 

Lightowlers, M.W., Rolfe, R. and Gauci, C.G. (1996b) Taenia saginata vaccination against cysticercosis in cattle with recombinant oncosphere antigens. Experimental Parasitology 84, 330-338. 

Osborn, P.J. and Heath, D.D. (1982) Immunisation of lambs against Echinococcus granulosus using antigens obtained by incubation of oncospheres in vitro. Research in Veterinary Science 33, 1 32-1 33. 

Rajasekariah, G.R., Rickard, M.D. and Mitchell, G.F. (1980) Immunization of mice against infection with Taenia taeniaeformis using various antigens prepared from eggs, oncospheres, developing larvae and strobilocerci. International Journal for Parasitology 10, 315-324. 

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