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Infection and Immunity, November 1998, p. 5322-5328, Vol. 66, No. 11
0019-9567/98/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1998, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
The p29 and p35 Immunodominant Antigens of
Neospora caninum Tachyzoites Are Homologous to the Family of
Surface Antigens of Toxoplasma gondii
Daniel K.
Howe,1
Amy C.
Crawford,1
David
Lindsay,2 and
L. David
Sibley1,*
Department of Molecular Microbiology,
Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
631101 and
Department of Biomedical
Science and Pathobiology, Virginia-Maryland Regional College of
Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia
24061-03422
Received 5 June 1998/Returned for modification 23 July
1998/Accepted 10 August 1998
Neospora caninum is an apicomplexan parasite that is
closely related to Toxoplasma gondii and has been found to
be associated with neurological disorders in dogs and congenital
infections and abortions in cattle. We have identified two surface
proteins of 29 and 35 kDa (designated Ncp29 and Ncp35, respectively)
from N. caninum tachyzoites that are the predominant
antigens recognized by antisera from Neospora-infected
animals. Monoclonal antibodies against Ncp29 and Ncp35 were used to
analyze several independent and diverse N. caninum
isolates; both antigens were recognized in all isolates, suggesting
that they are well conserved. Localization studies and surface labeling
with biotin demonstrated that Ncp29 and Ncp35 are membrane associated
and displayed on the surface of the parasite. After treatment with
phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C, parasite lysates were
analyzed with antibodies against the cross-reacting determinant of
glycosylphosphatidylinositol anchors. Approximately six
glycolipid-anchored surface proteins were identified, with the two most
prominent corresponding to Ncp29 and Ncp35. Sequence comparisons of
Ncp29 and Ncp35 with GenBank indicated that they are most similar to
the T. gondii surface antigen 1 (SAG1) and surface antigen
1-related sequence 2 (SRS2), respectively. Consequently, Ncp29 has been
designated NcSAG1 and Ncp35 has been designated NcSRS2. Both NcSAG1 and
NcSRS2 contain a tandemly duplicated motif and 12 absolutely conserved cysteines which are also found in all of the SAG and SRS proteins of
T. gondii. Maintenance of these motifs and the 12 cysteine residues suggests that these surface antigens share a similar secondary
and tertiary structure that is presumably important for a conserved
function that these antigens serve during infection.
*
Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of
Molecular Microbiology, Box 8230, 660 S. Euclid, St. Louis, MO
63110-1093. Phone: (314) 362-7059. Fax: (314) 362-1232. E-mail:
sibley{at}borcim.wustl.edu.
Infection and Immunity, November 1998, p. 5322-5328, Vol. 66, No. 11
0019-9567/98/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1998, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
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