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Apoptosis as a possible mechanism of infertility in Echinococcus granulosus hydatid cysts
Author(s) -
Paredes R.,
Jiménez V.,
Cabrera G.,
Iragüen D.,
Galanti N.
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
journal of cellular biochemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.028
H-Index - 165
eISSN - 1097-4644
pISSN - 0730-2312
DOI - 10.1002/jcb.21108
Subject(s) - echinococcus granulosus , biology , parasite hosting , dna fragmentation , apoptosis , infertility , cyst , tunel assay , cestoda , pathology , programmed cell death , helminths , immunology , medicine , pregnancy , zoology , biochemistry , genetics , world wide web , computer science
Echinococcus granulosus is a parasitic cestode causing hydatidosis in intermediate hosts (human and herbivorous). Most symptoms of the disease occur by the pressure exerted on viscera by cysts that are formed upon ingestion of the parasite eggs excreted by definitive hosts (canines). Protoscoleces, the developmental form of the parasite infective to definitive hosts, are formed in the germinal nucleated layer of fertile hydatid cysts. For unknown reasons, some cysts are unable to produce protoscoleces (infertile hydatid cysts). In this study, analysis of DNA fragmentation using TUNEL and agarose gel electrophoresis showed higher levels of apoptosis in infertile cysts as compared to fertile cysts. Additionally, caspase 3 was detected both in fertile and infertile cysts; the activity of this enzyme was found to be higher in infertile cysts. We conclude that apoptosis may be involved in hydatid cyst infertility. This is the first report on the presence of programmed cell death in E. granulosus . J. Cell. Biochem. 100: 1200–1209, 2007. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.