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PubMed1995

Alveolar mastocytosis and eosinophilia in lambs with naturally acquired nematode infections of Protostrongylus rufescens and Haemonchus contortus.

Specific-pathogen-free Dorset and St. Croix lambs were placed on pasture contaminated with Haemonchus contortus third stage larvae and slugs carrying third stage larvae of Protostrongylus rufescens for an entire grazing season to evaluate breed differences in acquired resistance to these nematodes. Lambs were evaluated for clinical signs, clinical pathology and histopathologic lesions associated with these infections. Both breeds acquired natural infections with H. contortus and lungworm when allowed to graze contaminated pastures for 5 months during the summer and fall in central Maryland. Dorset sheep maintained heavy abomasal worm burdens of H. contortus throughout the grazing period when compared to St. Croix breed sheep. Seven of 12 Dorset sheep and three of 12 St. Croix sheep on pasture acquired heavy lungworm infections after at least 15 weeks of exposure, as evidenced by shedding of first stage larvae in feces and numerous subpleural lung lesions containing adult P. rufescens found at necropsy. All lungworm infected animals had mild respiratory and gastrointestinal signs, and two of five Dorset sheep with both infections had chronic anemia. All lungworm and H. contortus infected Dorset sheep had decreased numbers of circulating white blood cells. There was mastocytosis in the lungs of lungworm infected Dorset and St. Croix sheep when compared to age- and breed-matched control sheep prevented from acquiring both lungworm and trichostrongyle infections. No difference was noted in the number of mast cells in the abomasum, duodenum and skin of infected and non-infected Dorset sheep. A morphologic range of mast cell forms was observed in the lungs of infected sheep including transitional cells and globular leukocytes. The number of eosinophils was significantly greater in the lungs but not in the abomasum of infected sheep. Despite the pronounced cellular infiltrates surrounding the adult lungworms, they were viable on recovery and appeared undamaged when examined histologically.

Abomasum↗

PubMed1983

Observations on the fumarate reductase system in Haemonchus contortus and their relevance to anthelmintic resistance and to strain variations of energy metabolism.

Fumarate reductase activity in a thiabendazole-resistant strain of Haemonchus contortus was found to be significantly lower than that from a susceptible strain. However, the fumarate reductase activity in a mebendazole-resistant strain did not differ from that in the susceptible strain, even though it was cross-resistant to thiabendazole. Published reports of fumarate reductase activity in strains of H. contortus susceptible or resistant to benzimidazoles were reassessed. A second, unrelated Australian thiabendazole-resistant strain also proved to have significantly diminished fumarate reductase activity, whereas two American strains, one resistant to thiabendazole and one to cambendazole, possess fumarate reductase activities indistinguishable from corresponding susceptible strains. It therefore appears that the phenomenon of benzimidazole resistance cannot be generally correlated with diminished fumarate reductase activity, although in the specific case of the Australian thiabendazole-resistant strains it may be a contributory factor.

Animals↗

PubMed1984

Energy metabolism of adult Haemonchus contortus in vitro: a comparison of benzimidazole-susceptible and -resistant strains.

In vitro biochemical characteristics of three strains of Haemonchus contortus, benzimidazole-susceptible, mebendazole-resistant and thiabendazole-resistant isolates, were investigated. Steady-state pool sizes of glucose and metabolic intermediates, including adenine nucleotides and end-products revealed no differences between adult worms resistant or susceptible to benzimidazoles in 30-60 min incubations. Possible regulatory steps in the glycolytic pathway are identified as those involving the enzymes hexokinase, phosphofructokinase and pyruvate kinase. The major component of carbohydrate reserves was trehalose, some glycogen was present and the glucose pool was small. On incubation for 18 h in vitro, carbohydrates were metabolised in all three strains. However, in the benzimidazole-susceptible worms there was a preferential use of the glycogen reserves to maintain energy metabolism. All three strains had similar levels of total lipid, total protein and free amino acid and these did not change on incubation. The major products found in the medium on incubation, in vitro, for 18 h were propionate, acetate and propanol, with smaller amounts of ethanol, lactate and malate. All three strains produced a similar sum total of end-products; however, in the mebendazole-resistant strain there appeared to be a diversion of carbon flow to the ethanol-producing pathway. Carbon dioxide production in 60 min incubations was measured using radioactively labelled glucose. A greater output of labelled CO2 was noted under aerobic than anaerobic conditions. This was particularly true of the mebendazole-resistant strain and, in this strain, was sensitive to cyanide. The extent to which metabolic differences noted in the three strains may be related to benzimidazole resistance is not readily apparent.

Amino Acids↗

PubMed1986

Interactions of benzimidazoles (BZ) with tubulin from BZ-sensitive and BZ-resistant isolates of Haemonchus contortus.

The binding of tritiated benzimidazoles (BZs)-albendazole, parbendazole, oxibendazole, mebendazole, oxfendazole and fenbendazole-to crude tubulin extracts from BZ-susceptible and -resistant Haemonchus contortus has been examined. For all BZs, the binding was substantially lower in the resistant isolate. The extent of this reduction was dependent on the structure of the BZ, with mebendazole demonstrating superior binding to the resistant isolate than the other BZs. Enrichment of the crude tubulin extract using polylysine-linked agarose demonstrated that for both isolates more than 85% of the observed binding was to protein eluted in the tubulin-containing fraction. Based on biochemical kinetics, the change in tubulin associated with resistance is reduced capacity in resistant tubulin to bind BZ with little or no reduction in the association constant of the BZ-tubulin complex. Comparative egg hatch assay demonstrated a similar structural specificity with the resistance factor of mebendazole observed to be lower than that of albendazole, parbendazole, oxibendazole and thiabendazole. The results of both studies support the hypothesis that BZ resistance is due to a change in tubulin and that this change is dependent on the structure of the BZ.

Albendazole↗

PubMed1989

Purification of a 44 kilodalton protease which mediates the ecdysis of infective Haemonchus contortus larvae.

We have characterized and purified a parasite protease which mediates the ecdysis of Haemonchus contortus, and at least several other ruminant trichostrongyles. The protease, with an apparent approximate molecular weight of 44,000, is a zinc metalloprotein which hydrolyzes several large protein substrates in in vitro assays. In vivo and in biological assays on isolated second molt cuticles this protease hydrolyzes a specific circular region of the second stage cuticle which results in removal of a cuticular cap, providing a rapid and synchronous method for the escape of infective larvae during the transition from free-living to parasitic environments.

Animals↗

PubMed1989

Cuticle collagen genes of Haemonchus contortus and Caenorhabditis elegans are highly conserved.

Several genes and partial cDNAs encoding cuticle collagens have been isolated from the sheep parasitic nematode Haemonchus contortus. DNA sequencing and Southern blot hybridization studies reveal that H. contortus collagens comprise a large family of related, but non-identical genes. The genes appear to be dispersed throughout the genome. The predominant size of collagen mRNA in molting worms was found to be between 1.0 and 1.2 kb. The one complete gene that was sequenced contains two short introns and encodes a protein of about 300 amino acids. The predicted protein sequence contain several (Gly-X-Y)n triple helix-coding domains that are interrupted by short stretches of non-helix-coding amino acids. The size of the predicted protein and the organization of the triple-helix coding domains are similar to that of Caenorhabditis elegans collagens. All the H. contortus genes studied show a striking homology to the C. elegans collagen gene subfamily represented by col-1. In particular, the amino acid sequence of the carboxy-terminal non-(Gly-X-Y)n region and the positions of cysteine residues flanking the (Gly-X-Y)n domains were found to be highly conserved in the collagens of these two nematodes.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1989

Identification and preliminary characterization of cuticular surface proteins of Haemonchus contortus.

Cuticular surface antigens of the XL3 and L4 stages of Haemonchus contortus have been studied by surface labeling and immunological techniques. Live worms were labeled with 125I and extracted with sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) followed by SDS + 2-mercaptoethanol. The SDS-soluble surface proteins of XL3s and L4s were found to consist of relatively few major species. The pattern of labeled polypeptides was distinctive for each developmental stage. These proteins are refractory to digestion by bacterial collagenase. Several of the proteins are glycosylated. Further extraction of labeled worms with SDS + 2-mercaptoethanol solubilized additional labeled proteins that appeared to be primarily collagens. Rabbit antisera prepared against native XL3 and L4-cuticles reacted strongly with the surfaces of live worms in immunofluorescence assays. In contrast, antisera prepared against SDS-extracted cuticles reacted weakly or not at all with live worms in similar experiments. Rabbit antisera prepared against adult cuticles failed to react with live XL3s or L4s. These studies suggest that the major surface antigens of XL3s and L4s are solubilized by SDS and that there are different antigens present on the cuticular surfaces of XL3s, L4s and adults. Stage-specificity in cuticular surface proteins may contribute to the successful parasitic lifestyle of this nematode.

Animals↗

PubMed1990

Specific interaction of benzimidazole anthelmintics with tubulin: high-affinity binding and benzimidazole resistance in Haemonchus contortus.

The specific (high-affinity) binding of tritiated benzimidazole [(3H]BZ) anthelmintics-mebendazole [(3H]MBZ) and oxibendazole [(3H]OBZ) to, and the specific displacement (inhibition) of these radioligands by unlabelled BZs (oxibendazole, mebendazole, oxfendazole, albendazole, fenbendazole and thiabendazole) from crude tubulin extracts prepared from thiabendazole (TBZ)-susceptible (S) or TBZ-resistant (R) strains of adult Haemonchus contortus, have been examined. The most striking difference between R and S was that the drug specifically bound at infinite ligand concentration (Bmax), was markedly reduced for the R strain, with no apparent change in association constant (Ka). Thus, resistance was associated with a loss of high-affinity receptors. TBZ-resistance was not associated with a change in low-affinity binding. There was a greater loss of high affinity receptors for [3H]OBZ than for [3H]MBZ. Using the displacement data. BZs were ranked according to their Ka and IC50 (concentration of BZ inhibiting 50% of radioligand binding) values. The Ka and IC50 values and the rank order of the BZs were approximately independent of the radioligand displaced or source (S or R) of the tubulin extracts used. The results are consistent with tubulin binding being the primary mechanism of action for all of these BZs.

Animals↗

PubMed1990

Molecular cloning and primary sequence of a cysteine protease expressed by Haemonchus contortus adult worms.

We have cloned cDNAs encoding a 35-kilodalton cysteine protease that is a major component of protective extracts isolated from blood-feeding Haemonchus contortus adult worms. Near full-length cDNAs for the protease were isolated by immunoscreening an adult worm cDNA expression library with a rabbit antiserum prepared against the protein eluted from preparative SDS gels and by rescreening the library with oligonucleotide probes. The protein predicted from the nucleotide sequence of the cDNAs and of a genomic DNA clone comprises 342 amino acids and contains an N-terminal signal sequence, 16 cysteine residues and four potential N-linked glycosylation sites. The enzyme appears to be glycosylated in vivo. The H. contortus protease, called AC-1, displays an overall 42% sequence identity with the human lysosomal thiol protease cathepsin B. The similarities between cathepsin B and AC-1 are localized primarily to regions of cathepsin B that comprise the mature, active form of the enzyme. A stretch of six amino acids that includes the active site cysteine of cathepsin B is conserved, and is present in the same relative location in AC-1, suggesting that this region comprises the active site of the H. contortus enzyme.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1990

Molecular analysis of selection for benzimidazole resistance in the sheep parasite Haemonchus contortus.

The molecular basis for the resistance of the sheep parasitic nematode Haemonchus contortus to the benzimidazole (BZ) group of anthelmintics was investigated. Three BZ-susceptible and three resistant populations from different geographical locations were characterized with respect to the egg-hatch assay with thiabendazole (TBZ), mebendazole (MBZ) binding tests and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) after Southern blotting. Cloned H. contortus alpha- and beta-tubulin genes were used as probes to analyze the RFLPs of genomic DNA prepared from mixtures of infectious larvae (L3) or adults. The susceptible populations showed, with both alpha- and beta-tubulin probes, 2 to 6 different fragments, depending on the restriction enzyme used. The three resistant populations showed as many fragments with the alpha-tubulin probe as the susceptible populations, but when probed with beta-tubulin only 1 or 2 fragments were visible, but always less than in the susceptible populations. An in vitro selection experiment was carried out using a susceptible population that was isolated in the laboratory before BZ came on the market. The results showed that after two selections with increasing amounts of TBZ, the population had become resistant, according to the egg-hatch assay values and MBZ binding assay. Using RFPL, the number of beta-tubulin probe reactive DNA fragments was reduced from 5 to 1. Analysis of the DNA of individual male adults of susceptible populations indicated a heterogeneity among the individual worms regarding the number of beta-tubulin probe reactive fragments (1 to 4) and frequency of the specific fragments. Usually, only one specific fragment (9 kb) was found in the resistant individuals. This 9-kb fragment was already present in some individuals in the susceptible population although it was in combination with other fragments. This would imply that genes conferring BZ resistance were present in H. contortus populations before BZ came on the market, and could explain the fast selection for BZ resistance in the field.

Animals↗

PubMed1990

A developmentally regulated cysteine protease gene family in Haemonchus contortus.

The nucleotide sequence of a gene encoding a 35-kDa thiol protease of the parasitic nematode Haemonchus contortus has been determined. The gene, designated AC-2, shares 97% nucleotide sequence identity and 98% amino acid identity with previously characterized AC-1 cDNAs encoding the thiol protease. The AC-2 gene spans 8 kb and appears to contain 11 introns, ranging in size from 57 bp to over 5.2 kb. One of the introns interrupts the proposed active site region that is conserved between the H. contortus protease and the related thiol proteases cathepsin B and papain. Southern blot hybridization experiments indicate that the protease is encoded by a small gene family in H. contortus. Rabbit antisera prepared against the recombinant protein react on Western blots with 35 and 37-kDa proteins of adult worms. These proteins were not detectable by Western blot analysis in three larval parasitic developmental stages of H. contortus. Northern blot hybridizations indicate that mRNA transcripts for the gene family are present at low levels in a mixed population of third- and fourth-stage larvae but highly abundant in adult worms. Expression of the protease correlates with blood-feeding and suggests a role for the protease in blood digestion.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Biochemical and immunochemical characterization of 125I-labeled cuticle components of Haemonchus contortus.

Live Haemonchus contortus developmental stages were radioiodinated and then subjected to a stepwise extraction procedure consisting of a buffer extract (with or without detergent) to solubilize putative surface-associated antigenic macromolecules, followed by a detergent/beta-mercaptoethanol (BME) extract to solubilize putative cuticle collagen proteins. A buffer-extracted iodinated 100-kDa protein was present in the free-living, infective L3(2M) stage. This labeled protein was released during in vitro exsheathment of L3(2M) and was not present in the ecdysed second molt (2M) cuticle. In addition to the 100-kDa protein, exsheathment fluid contained a 70-kDa labeled protein that was not extracted from iodinated L3(2M) with either detergent or BME. The data suggest that these proteins are components of the specialized ring portion of the 2M cuticle that is enzymatically ruptured during ecdysis. The L3(2M) and the exsheathed third-stage larvae (L3) contained 3 labeled, BME-extracted, collagenase-sensitive proteins of 108, 88 and 53 kDa. In contrast, four detergent-extracted, collagenase-insensitive, iodinated proteins (143, 81, 58 and 30 kDa) were present in adult H. contortus. The 143-kDa protein was both glycosylated and immunogenic. All 4 adult cuticle proteins were released from the cuticle surface into culture fluids. Furthermore, a cysteine protease was secreted by adults which apparently hydrolyzed the released 81-, 58- and 30-kDa surface proteins.

Animals↗

PubMed1991

Beta-tubulin and benzimidazole resistance in the sheep nematode Haemonchus contortus.

We have compared benzimidazole (BZ) susceptible (s) and resistant (R) strains of Haemonchus contortus from sheep by two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (2-D PAGE), Western blotting and ELISA techniques. The S strain bound more drug per mg protein than the R strain. BZ binding could be resolved into high-affinity and low-affinity binding. Low-affinity binding in parasite preparations devoid of tubulin was observed, but high-affinity binding occurred only in preparations containing tubulin. Resistance was associated with a decrease in the high affinity component. The S and R strains were shown by ELISA to contain similar total amounts of tubulin. By 2-D PAGE, the beta-tubulin isoform pattern of the S strain was different from that of the R strain, but the alpha-tubulin isoform patterns of the 2 strains were similar. BZ resistance was associated with a decrease in high-affinity BZ binding to tubulin and an alteration in beta-tubulin isoform pattern.

Animals↗

PubMed1991

Cloning of a cDNA encoding phosphofructokinase from Haemonchus contortus.

Phosphofructokinase (PFK), the key regulatory enzyme in glycolysis, has been cloned from the pathogenic parasitic nematode Haemonchus contortus by functional complementation in Escherichia coli. An E. coli strain deleted for both PFK loci (strain DF1020) was transformed with plasmid DNA from a lambda ZAP II H. contortus cDNA library. Two out of 3 x 10(7) transformants were able to grow on minimal medium with mannitol as the sole carbon source. A plasmid, pPFK, containing a 2.7-kb insert, was isolated from one of these transformants and conferred on DF1020 the ability to grow on mannitol (the PFK phenotype). The complemented cells contain PFK enzyme activity, absent in the E. coli mutant, at levels considerably higher than in wild type E. coli. Sequence analysis of the 2.7-kb insert shows an open reading frame that predicts a 789-amino acid protein that has approximately 70% similarity to mammalian PFKs. The amino acid sequence around asp182, thought to be the catalytic site, is completely conserved from nematodes to mammals.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1992

Cloning and sequence comparisons of four distinct cysteine proteases expressed by Haemonchus contortus adult worms.

Three new members of a developmentally regulated cysteine protease gene family of the parasitic nematode Haemonchus contortus have been isolated and characterized. One of the new genes, AC-3, was found to be linked in tandem to the previously characterized AC-2 gene. Nucleotide sequence analyses revealed that the first 90 amino acids of AC-3 are organized into four exons, similar to the situation in AC-2. A cDNA that appears to be a near full-length copy of the AC-3 gene was isolated using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique to amplify cDNAs from adult worm poly(A)+ mRNAs. In addition to AC-3, a distinct cysteine protease cDNA, AC-4, was amplified by the same oligonucleotide primers. cDNAs encoding a fifth cysteine protease, AC-5, were isolated from an adult worm cDNA expression library using specific rabbit antisera and by PCR. Comparison of the predicted amino acid sequences of AC-3, AC-4 and AC-5 reveal that they share 64-77% identity with one another and with the previously reported AC-1 and AC-2 sequences. The amino acids surrounding the active site cysteine are highly conserved, as are the positions of other cysteine residues in the mature protein sequences. The H. contortus proteases are more similar to one another than they are to human cathepsin B (38-44% amino acid identity) or to the Sm31 cysteine protease of Schistosoma mansoni (36-40% identity). Our studies indicate that H. contortus adult worms express mRNAs for several distinct cysteine proteases. The significant primary sequence differences between the proteases suggest that they differ in their substrate specificities and precise physiological functions.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1992

Cloning of a cDNA encoding phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase from Haemonchus contortus.

Biochemical and metabolic data have led to the conclusion that the enzyme phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK; EC 4.1.1.32) contributes to a critical point of divergence in energy conservation pathways between mammals and nematodes. To facilitate the determination of the molecular basis for host vs parasite differences in PEPCK, we have cloned a cDNA encoding this enzyme from a parasitic nematode of ruminants, Haemonchus contortus. H. contortus PEPCK was cloned by functional complementation of a PEPCK-, malic enzyme- strain of Escherichia coli (E1786) using an egg stage H. contortus cDNA library in lambda ZAPII. Selection was for growth on malate as the sole carbon source (malate+ phenotype). We isolated a plasmid, pPEPCK, which reproducibly confers a malate+ phenotype in E1786. The sequence of the 2.0-kb EcoRI insert of pPEPCK predicts a 612-amino acid protein which shows about 74% similarity to Drosophila melanogaster and chicken PEPCK. Extracts of E1786[pPEPCK], but not E1786, contain IDP- or GDP-dependent PEPCK enzyme activity. Sequence analysis revealed that the open reading frame (ORF) in pPEPCK lacked a 5' initiation codon and was probably expressed as an in-frame fusion protein with beta-galactosidase. A strategy combining library screening with PCR analysis of positive clones led to the identification of a clone encoding 6 additional NH2-terminal amino acids, including a Met, which, by comparison with known PEPCK amino acid sequences, is likely to be the translation initiation site.

Animals↗

PubMed1992

Three beta-tubulin cDNAs from the parasitic nematode Haemonchus contortus.

Experimental evidence indicates that tubulin is the site of action of the anthelmintic benzimidazoles. Furthermore, certain residues of beta-tubulin seem to be critical for this mechanism. Although the benzimidazoles selectively affect nematode vs. mammalian beta-tubulin, the molecular basis for this differential action is not known. To enhance our understanding of this phenomenon, and to provide the basis for investigating benzimidazole resistance in parasitic nematodes, we undertook the cloning of beta-tubulin cDNAs from the ruminant parasite, Haemonchus contortus. We have cloned and sequenced three beta-tubulin cDNAs from this organism, beta 12-16, beta 12-164, and beta 8-9. The first 2 differ at only 23 nucleotides, which give rise to 4 amino acid changes. beta 8-9 represents a different isotype class from the other two, since it differs extensively in the carboxyterminus. By comparing the sequences of these and other nematode beta-tubulins with mammalian beta-tubulins, several regions of consistent difference can be recognized; the functional significance of these regional differences has not been defined. Sequences very similar or identical to beta 8-9 and beta 12-16 are present in both benzimidazole-sensitive and benzimidazole-resistant populations of H. contortus. However, it appears that drug-resistant organisms may differ in the presence of a gene product which is closely related to beta 8-9.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1993

Molecular characterisation of beta-tubulin genes present in benzimidazole-resistant populations of Haemonchus contortus.

A beta-tubulin isotype 1 gene, gru-1, from a benzimidazole (BZ)-resistant population of the nematode parasite, Haemonchus contortus, was cloned and sequenced. The predicted gene organisation showed 10 exons and 9 introns, one of which was H. contortus specific. Using probes and restriction sites selected from this sequence, restriction maps were constructed from and around beta-tubulin genes of 3 BZ-susceptible and 7 BZ-resistant populations. There was a reduction in beta-tubulin isotype 1 genes to usually one, in BZ-resistant populations. So, our previously reported reduction of beta-tubulin probe-reactive RFLP fragments in resistant populations correlated with the reduction of beta-tubulin isotype 1 genes. The beta-tubulin isotype 1 gene present on the apparently selected fragment and was not always the same, and the geographical origin of the resistant populations indicated independent development rather than geographical spread of the resistant populations. The beta-tubulin genes on the apparently selected fragments were transcribed and processed to mRNA using the nematode-specific trans-spliced leader (SL1). Comparison of the derived amino acid sequence of gru-1, with known sequences from a susceptible population, identified 3 mutations that could be involved in BZ resistance.

Amino Acid Sequence↗