Protein disulphide isomerase of Ostertagia ostertagi:: an excretory-secretory product of L4 and adult worms?

A pepstatin A-agarose column was used in an attempt to purify a previously described antibody-degrading aspartyl proteinase from excretory -secretory material from the L4 and the adult stages of the bovine abomasal nematode Ostertagia ostertagi. However, no aspartyl proteinase activity was detected in the eluted fractions (L4Pepst and AdPepst). Screening of cDNA libraries with polyclonal antibodies raised against L4Pepst and AdPepst showed that a protein disulphide isomerase (Ost-PD12) was present in both antigen fractions. This multifunctional enzyme was detected in extracts of L3, L4 and adult parasites and, interestingly, also in excretory-secretory material of L4 and adult O. ostertagi. By immunohistochemistry, the Ost-PD12 enzyme was localised in some parts of the hypodermis of L4 and adult worms and in the intestinal cells of all three parasitic life stages. Two-dimensional Western blot analysis indicated that Ost-PD12 is recognised by calves during a natural O. ostertagi infection, which suggests that Ost-PD12 could be used for immunological control of ostertagiosis. (C) 2002 Australian Society for Parasitology Inc. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.