Differential protein expression in Spirometra erinacei according to its development in its final host

This study was undertaken to identify genes involved in the growth and development of Spirometra erinacei larvae, an intestinal tapeworm of cats and dogs, within the final host. The differential protein expression at three different stages of S. erinacei, the plerocercoid larvae, 8-day-old juveniles, and adults, was compared using two-dimensional electrophoresis. Specifically or highly expressed proteins in juvenile worms were analyzed by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometer (MS)/MS. The proteome map of larvae showed fewer protein spots than juveniles or adults, whereas juveniles or adults revealed a similar protein expression profile. Eight juvenile-specific and five upregulated proteins of juveniles were identified and matched to proteins of known biological functions. These were grouped into several categories of functionally related proteins: DNA/RNA metabolism, cell trafficking, cytoskeleton, protein processing and degradation, energy metabolism, and oxidative stress. Our results give an overview of the growth and development mechanisms of cestodes within the final host and extend our understanding of parasite biology in the host-parasite relationship.