The neuraminidases of Trypanosoma cruzi and Acanthamoeba castellanii are immunologically related
Pellegrin, J.L.; Ortega-Barria, E.; Prioli, R.P.; Meijia, J.S.; Pereira, M.E.
Tropical Medicine and Parasitology Official Organ of Deutsche Tropenmedizinische Gesellschaft and of Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit 43(1): 33-37
1992
ISSN/ISBN: 0177-2392 PMID: 1376002 Document Number: 393116
The presence of neuraminidase (NA) activity in A. castellanii has recently been reported. It was shown that the NAs of T. cruzi and A. castellanii share cross-reactive determinants using TCN-2, a MAb against the T. cruzi NA and a mouse polyclonal antibody (anti-TR) raised against a tandemly repeated dodecapeptide which contained the epitope recognized by TCN-2. This cross-reactivity was demonstrated by the reaction of TCN-2 and anti-TR with A. castellanii parasites using immunofluorescence, immunoblotting and ELISA. Inhibition and immunoprecipitation of enzyme activity confirmed that the A. castellanii antigen recognized by TCN-2 was the NA. Immunoprecipitation of [35S]-labelled trophozoite lysates showed the A. castellanii NA to have a MW of 115 000. In addition, immunoblot analysis of subcellular fractions obtained by ultracentrifugation showed the A. castellanii NA to be associated with the parasite membrane but not with the cytosol or cytoskeleton fractions. These results suggest that the TCN-2 epitope, contained within a dodecamer tandem repeat unit, is present in T. cruzi and A. castellanii NAs.