Schistosoma japonicum EKLF/KLF1 is a potential immune target to tackle schistosomiasis

• Published in: Parasites & vectors 2023-09, Vol.16 (1), p.334-334, Article 334
• Main Authors: Piao, Xianyu, Jiang, Ning, Liu, Shuai, Duan, Jiamei, Dai, Hang, Hou, Nan, Chen, Qijun
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Amino acid sequence; Amino acid sequences; Amino acids; Animals; Antibodies; Antigenicity; Antiparasitic agents; Body weight; Body weight loss; Care and treatment; Cloning; Correspondence; Development and progression; Diagnosis; Disease control; DNA sequences; DNA sequencing; EKLF; ELISA; Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; Genes; Genetic aspects; Health aspects; Immune response; Immunization; Immunodiagnosis; Immunofluorescence; Immunological research; In vivo methods and tests; Infections; KLF1; Krueppel-like factor; Kruppel-Like Transcription Factors - genetics; Kruppel-Like Transcription Factors - metabolism; Laboratory animals; Liver; Male; Mice; Nucleotide sequence; Parasites; Physiological aspects; Plasmids; Polyclonal antibodies; Proteins; Rabbits; Recombinants; Schistosoma; Schistosoma japonicum; Schistosomiasis; Schistosomiasis japonica; Specificity; Transcription factors; Tropical diseases; Vaccines; Weight loss
• ISSN: 1756-3305; 1756-3305
• DOI: 10.1186/s13071-023-05947-2

Interruption of parasite reproduction by targeting migrating schistosomula is a promising strategy for managing schistosomiasis. Hepatic schistosomula proteins previously identified based on second-generation schistosome DNA sequencing were found to hold excellent potential for schistosomiasis japonica diagnosis and as vaccine candidates. However, there are still many unknown schistosomula proteins that warrant further investigations. Herein, a novel schistosomula protein, the Schistosoma japonicum erythroid Krüppel-like factor (SjEKLF/KLF1), was explored. Sequence alignment was carried out to detect the amino acid sequence characteristics of SjEKLF. The expression profile of SjEKLF was determined by western blot and immunofluorescence analysis. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to determine the antigenicity of SjEKLF in hosts. Mice immunised with recombinant SjEKLF were challenged to test the potential value of the protein as an immunoprotective target. SjEKLF is defined as EKLF/KLF1 for its C-terminal DNA-binding domain. SjEKLF is mainly expressed in hepatic schistosomula and male adults and located within the intestinal intima of the parasites. Notably, high levels of SjEKLF-specific antibodies were detected in host sera and SjEKLF exhibited outstanding sensitivity and specificity for schistosomiasis japonica immunodiagnosis but failed to distinguish between ongoing infection and previous exposure. In addition, SjEKLF immunisation reduced the infection in vivo, resulting in decreased worm and egg counts, and alleviated body weight loss and hepatomegaly in infected mice. Overall, these findings demonstrate that SjEKLF is critical for the infection of S. japonicum and may be a potential target to help control S. japonicum infection and transmission.