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- Title
Expression Analysis of Heat Shock Protein 20 and Rhoptry-associated Protein 1a in Sexual Stages and Kinetes of Babesia bigemina.
- Authors
Vichido, Rodrigo; Falcon, Alfonso; Ramos, Juan A.; Alvarez, Antonio; Figueroa, Julio V.; Norimine, Junzo; Brown, Wendy C.; Castro, Luis A.; Mosqueda, Juan
- Abstract
Heat shock protein 20 (HSP-20) and rhoptry-associated protein 1a (RAP-1a) are two proteins considered as candidates to be included in vaccines or diagnostics methods for the control of bovine babesiosis. It has been hypothesized that both genes have a basic function in the cellular physiology of erythrocyte-infecting stages; it is not known if they have a functional role in tick stages. The objective of this work was to analyze whether hsp-20 and rap-1a are expressed in sexual stages and kinetes of Babesia bigemina. Purified RNA from sexual stages and kinetes was analyzed by reverse transcriptase (RT)-PCR with specific primers for hsp-20 or rap-1a. Expression analysis was carried out using an indirect immunofluorescence test with specific antibodies against HSP-20 and RAP-1a. Results obtained by RT-PCR showed amplicons for hsp-20 and rap-1a in sexual stages and kinetes. Positive signals were also detected when sexual stages and kinetes were analyzed with specific antibodies for HSP-20 and RAP-1a. The results obtained here confirm the hypothesis that the genes hsp-20 and rap-1a from B. bigemina are expressed in sexual stages and kinetes and stress the importance of these proteins in the cellular physiology of tick stages.
- Subjects
BABESIA bigemina; BABESIA; HEAT shock proteins; VACCINES; IMMUNOFLUORESCENCE; IMMUNOGLOBULINS; RNA
- Publication
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 2008, Vol 1149, p136
- ISSN
0077-8923
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1196/annals.1428.073