Cloning and characterization of Taenia saginata paramyosin cDNA

A λZAP-express cDNA library of Taenia saginata metacestodes was constructed. Antibody screening yielded a clone with an insert of 3,408 bp, an open reading frame of 2,589 bp, a deduced sequence of 863 amino acid and a molecular mass of 98.89 kDa. Alignments of the predicted amino acid sequence showed identity with paramyosins from several species: 98.8% with Taenia solium, 96.3% with Echinococcus.granulosus and about 70% with Schistosoma spp. The insert was expressed and purified. A collagen binding assay was performed which showed that T. saginata GST-paramyosin retained this property in a dose-dependent manner. Problems were encountered due to high backgrounds in serological assays in the homologous T. saginata system. However, the recombinant paramyosin was recognized by antibodies present in 31.6% of sera from T. solium seropositive cysticercosis patients and 100% of the sera from acute cysticercosis patients. The immunodominant epitope was the carboxyl-terminal fragment of the molecule.