| Institution: | * Molecular Helminthology Laboratory, Division of Tropical Health and Infectious Diseases, Queensland Institute of Medical Research, The Bancroft Centre, 300 Herston Road, Brisbane, Queensland 4029, Australia ? Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Shanghai, People's Republic of China |
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1992. Cloning and partial nucleotide sequence of Schistosoma japonicum paramyosin: a potential vaccine candidate against schistosomiasis. International Journal for Parasitology 22: 1187–1191. Paramyosin from the blood fluke, Schistosoma mansoni, has shown promise as a vaccine candidate for schistosomiasis mansoni. Here we report the cloning and partial nucleotide sequence of a cDNA encoding paramyosin from the related human parasite, Schistosoma japonicum. Affinity purified antibodies to this clone recognized a S. japonicum antigen of molecular weight 97 kDa, equivalent to the reported size of S. mansoni paramyosin. Alignment of the cDNA sequence with that of S. mansoni paramyosin revealed 90% identity. Comparison of the predicted amino acid sequences revealed 95% identity. Although these two parasites differ in many characteristics, the substantial homology demonstrated here between S. mansoni and S. japonicum paramyosin could have important implications for the development of a S. japonicum vaccine. |
