MOLECULAR DEFINITION OF FILARIAL ANTIGENS

在人类丝状酵素的研究中，进展受到了1) 缺乏明确的寄生虫抗原；2)广泛的免疫学交叉- 在人类的八种丝虫物种中看到的反应性；以及3) 缺乏丰富的寄生虫材料。这个项目的目标是 定义和产生在诱导过程中重要的丝虫蛋白 寄生虫在人类宿主中的特异性免疫反应，并了解 在分子水平上，相关丝虫物种之间的差异。 CDNA库和基因组文库已被构建(Brgia Malayi，Loa 和Wuchereria bancrofti、螺旋体丝虫)或提供 (卷丝虫、马来丝虫幼虫cDNA文库)的筛选 有了确定的患者血清，患者T细胞或寄生虫DNA可能是 已执行。重组抗原和探针已被鉴定为a) 以抗原特异的方式诱导T细胞反应，b)可能部分地 预防丝虫病；c)可区分相关丝虫病 限制性片段长度多态，聚合酶链式反应或直接 Southern blotting；d)编码免疫反应性和潜在保护性 W.bancrofti；e)的分子识别W. Bancrofti基因组或LOA基因组；以及f)可能具有潜在的诊断价值 重要性。

In the study of the human filariases, progress has been hampered by 1) the lack of defined parasite antigens; 2) the broad immunological cross- reactivity seen among the eight filarial species of humans; and 3) the dearth of abundant parasite material. The objectives of this project are to define and generate filarial proteins that are important in inducing parasite-specific immune responses in the human host and to understand, at a molecular level, the differences among related filarial species. cDNA and genomic libraries have been either constructed (Brugia malayi, Loa and Wuchereria bancrofti, Onchocerca volvulus) or made available (Onchocerca volvulus, Brugia malayi larval cDNA library) so that screening with defined patient sera, patient T cells or parasite DNA could be performed. Recombinant antigens and probes have been identified that a) induce T cell responses in an antigen-specific manner, b) may be in part protective in onchocerciasis; c) can distinguish among related filarial species by restriction fragment length polymorphisms, PCR or direct Southern blotting; d) encode immunoreactive and potentially protective molecules of W. bancrofti; e) identify repeated segments of either the W. bancrofti genome or that of Loa; and f) may be of potential diagnostic importance.