Microarray analysis of the human antibody response to synthetic Cryptosporidium glycopeptides.

Abstract

Glycoproteins expressed by Cryptosporidium parvum are immunogenic in infected individuals but the nature of the epitopes recognised in C. parvum glycoproteins is poorly understood. Since a known immunodominant antigen of Cryptosporidium, the 17kDa glycoprotein, has previously been shown to bind to lectins that recognise the Tn antigen (GalNAcα1-Ser/Thr-R), a large number of glycopeptides with different Tn valency and presentation were prepared. In addition, glycopeptides were synthesised based on a 40kDa cryptosporidial antigen, a polymorphic surface glycoprotein with varying numbers of serine residues, to determine the reactivity with sera from C. parvum-infected humans. These glycopeptides and non-glycosylated peptides were used to generate a glycopeptide microarray to allow screening of sera from C. parvum-infected individuals for the presence of IgM and IgG antibodies. IgG but not IgM in sera from C. parvum-infected individuals bound to multivalent Tn antigen epitopes presented on glycopeptides, suggesting that glycoproteins from C. parvum that contain the Tn antigen induce immune responses upon infection. In addition, molecular differences in glycosylated peptides (e.g. substituting Ser for Thr) as well as the site of glycosylation had a pronounced effect on reactivity. Lastly, pooled sera from individuals infected with either Toxoplasma or Plasmodium were also tested against the modified Cryptosporidium peptides and some sera showed specific binding to glycopeptide epitopes. These studies reveal that specific anti-glycopeptide antibodies that recognise the Tn antigen may be useful diagnostically and in defining the roles of parasite glycoconjugates in infections.

• Authors: Jamie Heimburg-Molinaro, Jeffrey W Priest, David Live, Geert-Jan Boons, Xuezheng Song, Richard D Cummings, Jan R Mead
• Journal: International journal for parasitology (Int J Parasitol) Vol. 43 Issue 11 Pg. 901-7 (Oct 2013) ISSN: 1879-0135 [Electronic] England
• PMID: 23856596 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't, Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.)
• Copyright: Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Chemical References

• Antibodies, Protozoan
• Antigens, Protozoan
• Glycopeptides
• Immunoglobulin G
• Immunoglobulin M

Topics

• Antibodies, Protozoan (blood)
• Antigens, Protozoan (immunology)
• Cryptosporidium parvum (immunology)
• Glycopeptides (immunology)
• Humans
• Immunoglobulin G (blood)
• Immunoglobulin M (blood)
• Protein Array Analysis