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Vaccination with‘concealed’antigens: myth or reality?
Author(s) -
WILLADSEN P.,
McKENNA R.V.
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
parasite immunology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.795
H-Index - 75
eISSN - 1365-3024
pISSN - 0141-9838
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-3024.1991.tb00556.x
Subject(s) - glycoprotein , antigen , biology , antibody , tick , virology , antiserum , immune system , vaccination , tick infestation , immunology , membrane glycoproteins , recombinant dna , biochemistry , gene
Summary Cattle infested with the tick Boophitus microplus produce antibodies lo intrinsic membrane glycoproteins of the lick, as well as to Bm86. a well characterized antigen from the tick gut. Several factors explain how cattle could produce antibody to such antigens, which one would expect to be ‐concealed from the host's immune system, during natural infestation. Il has been shown that the carbohydrate determinants on many tick glycoproteins are cross‐reactive immunologically and that the reaction of bovine antibodies with intrinsic membrane glycoprotein is at least partially blocked by low molecular weight carbohydrate. Further, antisera from cattle exposed to licks read with a glycosylated, native Bm86 but not with a non‐glycosylated, recombinant Bm86. Thus the reaction of concealed antigens with antibodies produced as a result of lick infestation appears to be due lo a relatively non‐specific reaction with carbohydrate determinants on tick glycoprotein. Evidence is also presented that antibodies directed against carbohydrate determinants of Bm86 arc not protective. Care must therefore be exercised in interpreting the results of antibody reaction with glycoproteins in such complex organisms.