Murine immune responses to a novel schistosome egg antigen, SmEP25

Pathology in schistosomiasis consists of granuloma formation around parasite eggs. There is considerable variation in the severity of disease in individuals with schistosomiasis, which may result from differential responses to egg antigens. The egg-induced immunopathology is mediated by CD4+ T helper cells sensitised to egg antigens. In this study, cellular responses to a 25-kDa fraction of egg proteins identified a novel T-cell antigen, SmEP25. The native SmEP25 elicited significant proliferative responses as well as gamma interferon (IFN-gamma), IL-2, IL-4, and IL-5 secretion in CD4+ cells from 8.5-week infected CBA and C57BL/6 mice. In C57BL/6 mice, proliferative responses to SmEP25 were relatively stronger than those directed against the major egg antigen Sm-p40, whereas in CBA mice the reverse was found. SmEP25 elicited stronger Th2 type response than Sm-p40 in both mouse strains. By comparison, recombinant SmEP25 elicited a smaller, Th1-polarised response, with significant IFN-gamma, low levels of IL-5 and essentially no IL-4. B-cell responses to SmEP25 coincided with the start of parasite egg production and SmEP25 protein was restricted to parasite eggs. The systematic identification of T-cell-sensitising egg components will lead to a better understanding of the processes involved in granuloma formation.