Preliminary molecular characterization of the human pathogen Angiostrongylus cantonensis

doi:10.1186/1471-2199-10-97

BMC Molecular Biology
Volume 10

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Zheng X
Li Z
Guo P
Pan Z
Zhan X

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Research article

Preliminary molecular characterization of the human pathogen Angiostrongylus cantonensis

Hualiang He^*¹^,2^,4 , Mei Cheng^*¹^,2 , Xiao Yang¹^,2 , Jinxiu Meng³ , Ai He¹^,2 , Xiaoying Zheng¹^,2 , Zhuoya Li¹^,2 , Pengjuan Guo¹ , Zhihua Pan¹ and Ximei Zhan¹^,2

¹Department of Parasitology, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, 74 Zhongshan, 2nd Road, Guangzhou, 510080, PR China

²Key Laboratory for Tropical Diseases Control, Ministry of Education, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, PR China

³Research Center of Medical Sciences, Guangdong General Hospital. Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences. 96 Dongchuan Road, Weilun Bldg., Guangzhou, 510080, PR China

⁴Current address : College of Agriculture and Landscape Architecture, Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering, Guangzhou, 510225, PR China

author email corresponding author email* Contributed equally

BMC Molecular Biology 2009, 10:97doi:10.1186/1471-2199-10-97


Published:	25 October 2009

Abstract

Background

Human angiostrongyliasis is an emerging food-borne public health problem, with the number of cases increasing worldwide, especially in mainland China. Angiostrongylus cantonensis is the causative agent of this severe disease. However, little is known about the genetics and basic biology of A. cantonensis.

Results

A cDNA library of A. cantonensis fourth-stage larvae was constructed, and ~1,200 clones were sequenced. Bioinformatic analyses revealed 378 cDNA clusters, 54.2% of which matched known genes at a cutoff expectation value of 10^-20. Of these 378 unique cDNAs, 168 contained open reading frames encoding proteins containing an average of 238 amino acids. Characterization of the functions of these encoded proteins by Gene Ontology analysis showed enrichment in proteins with binding and catalytic activity. The observed pattern of enzymes involved in protein metabolism, lipid metabolism and glycolysis may reflect the central nervous system habitat of this pathogen. Four proteins were tested for their immunogenicity using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays and histopathological examinations. The specificity of each of the four proteins was superior to that of crude somatic and excretory/secretory antigens of larvae, although their sensitivity was relatively low. We further showed that mice immunized with recombinant cystatin, a product of one of the four cDNA candidate genes, were partially protected from A. cantonensis infection.

Conclusion

The data presented here substantially expand the available genetic information about the human pathogen A. cantonensis, and should be a significant resource for angiostrongyliasis researchers. As such, this work serves as a starting point for molecular approaches for diagnosing and controlling human angiostrongyliasis.