0000000000951736
AUTHOR
Norbert W. Brattig
Identification and characterization of onchoastacin, an astacin-like metalloproteinase from the filaria Onchocerca volvulus
Abstract The tissue-invasive nematode Onchocerca volvulus causes skin and eye pathology in human onchocerciasis. While the adult females reside sessile in subcutaneous nodules, the microfilariae are abundantly released from the nodules, males and juvenile worms migrate through the host tissue. Matrix-degrading metallo- and serine proteinases have been detected in excretory-secretory worm products that may be essential for migration of the mobile stages. In this study, a 1713 bp long cDNA encoding for a putative proteinase of O. volvulus has been isolated. The predicted protein sequence includes a signal peptide indicating secretion to the extracellular space, a propeptide, an astacin-like p…
Eosinophil granule proteins in serum and urine of patients with helminth infections and atopic dermatitis.
Eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) and eosinophil-derived neurotoxin (EPX) are cytotoxic molecules involved in helminth infections and allergic reactions. Hitherto most clinical chemical studies have been concerned with the analysis of serum ECP in allergic diseases. The aim of this study was to examine whether serum as well as urine levels of these proteins are useful clinical chemical parameters in helminthiases and allergic diseases such as atopic dermatitis. Comparing these diseases under the same methodological conditions, levels of ECP and EPX were generally higher in helminthiases than in atopic dermatitis and non-helminth, non-allergic diseases. The highest levels of both proteins oc…