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Identification of Anaplasma centrale major surface protein-2 pseudogenes
T Molad1, B Leibovich, M Mazuz
1Division of Parasitology, Kimron Veterinary Institute, P. O. Box 12, Bet Dagan 50250, Israel. moladt@int.gov.il
Abstract:
The present study was aimed to identify msp2 pseudogenes and MSP2 variants in the vaccine Anaplama centrale strain. Five msp2 pseudogenes were identified in the A. centrale genome, and multiple MSP2 variants that emerged during both acute and persistent infection were detected. The pseudogene copies of msp2 were truncated; they contained a central hypervariable region flanked by short portions of the 5' and 3' conserved regions. Alignment of the hypervariable region sequence of the expression site of MSP2 variants with msp2 pseudogenes showed that MSP2 variants are generated by two mechanisms, previously described in Anaplasma marginale: (i) recombination of the whole pseudogene into the single msp2 expression site, and (ii) recombination of small segments of pseudogenes into the expression site by segmental gene conversion. The present study showed that the A. centrale MSP2 variants and the msp2 pseudogene repertoire were different from those reported for A. marginale. Unique MSP2 variants and pseudogenes identified in the vaccine strain allow the A. centrale-vaccinated cattle to be superinfected with the field strains of A. marginale. The knowledge gained in the present study on the mechanisms of antigenic variations in the vaccine strain of A. centrale is a further step in the development of a new generation vaccine against anaplasmosis.
Insights
This study identified unique MSP2 variants and pseudogenes in the Anaplasma centrale vaccine strain. These findings advance the development of novel vaccines against anaplasmosis by understanding antigenic variation mechanisms.
Area of Science:
- Veterinary Microbiology
- Molecular Biology
- Immunology
Background:
- Anaplasmosis is a tick-borne disease caused by Anaplasma species.
- Antigenic variation of MSP2 is crucial for Anaplasma survival and immune evasion.
- Understanding MSP2 variation in vaccine strains is key for improving anaplasmosis control.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify msp2 pseudogenes and MSP2 variants in the Anaplasma centrale vaccine strain.
- To elucidate the mechanisms of MSP2 variant generation in A. centrale.
- To compare the A. centrale MSP2 repertoire with that of Anaplasma marginale.
Main Methods:
- Bioinformatic identification of msp2 pseudogenes in the A. centrale genome.
- Sequence alignment to analyze MSP2 variants and pseudogene structures.
- Comparison of MSP2 variant generation mechanisms with Anaplasma marginale.
Main Results:
- Five truncated msp2 pseudogenes were identified in A. centrale.
- Multiple MSP2 variants were detected during acute and persistent infections.
- MSP2 variants are generated by whole pseudogene recombination and segmental gene conversion.
- The A. centrale MSP2 repertoire differs from A. marginale, with unique variants and pseudogenes.
Conclusions:
- The identified MSP2 variants and pseudogenes in A. centrale are distinct from A. marginale.
- Unique genetic elements in the vaccine strain may explain superinfection permissiveness.
- This research contributes to developing next-generation anaplasmosis vaccines.
