Taenia solium proteins: A beautiful Kaleidoscope of pro and anti-inflammatory antigens.

Arora, Naina; Prasad, Amit

BACKGROUND Neurocysticercosis (NCC) is an acquired infection of central nervous system associated with epileptic seizures. The parasite "Taenia solium" causes this disease and has a complex life cycle and molts into various stages that influence the host-parasite interaction. The disease has a long asymptomatic phase with viable cyst and degeneration of cyst and leaking cyst fluid has been associated with symptomatic phase. The parasite proteome holds the answers and clues to this complex clinical presentation and hence unravelling of proteome of parasite antigens is needed for better understanding of host-parasite interactions. OBJECTIVE To understand the proteome make-up of T. solium cyst vesicular fluid (VF) and excretory secretory proteins (ESPs). METHODOLOGY The VF and ESPs for the study were prepared from cyst harvested from naturally infected swine. The samples were prepared for nano LC-MS by in-tube digestion of proteins. The spectra obtained were annotated and enrichment analysis was performed and in silico analysis was done. RESULTS T. solium VF and ESPs have 206 and 247 proteins of varied make-up including pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory nature. CONCLUSIONS Due to varied make-up of VF and ESPs it can generate complex humoral and cellular immune response.