Identification of T-cell reactive antigens in Nippostrongylus brasiliensis using a cell immunoblotting technique

Antigens of the nematode Nippostrongylus brasiliensis were fractionated by SDS-PAGE under reducing conditions, transferred electrophoretically onto nitrocellulose and converted to antigen-bound nitrocellulose particles for use in in vitro proliferation assays. Mesenteric lymph node cells from infected rats were analyzed for reactivity against the fractionated antigens, revealing a range of different molecular weight antigens. In addition, when supernatants from these cultures were assayed for IL3, further reactive antigens were detected. The results demonstrated that these approaches are useful for the identification of T-cell reactive components of a complex mixture of parasite antigens in helminth infections, where the cellular nature of protection is not well defined.