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Related Experiment Videos

Antigenic variation in Giardia lamblia.

T E Nash1, A Aggarwal, R D Adam

  • 1Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Bethesda, MD 20892.

Journal of Immunology (Baltimore, Md. : 1950)
|July 15, 1988
PubMed
Summary

Giardia lamblia surface antigens change when exposed to antibodies. Surviving parasites lost the original 170-kDa antigen and gained new ones, demonstrating antigen switching in Giardia.

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Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Parasitology
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Giardia lamblia is a significant human intestinal pathogen.
  • Surface antigens of Giardia lamblia are targets for immune responses and vaccine development.
  • Understanding antigen variation is crucial for controlling Giardia infections.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the changes in surface antigens of Giardia lamblia following exposure to cytotoxic monoclonal antibodies.
  • To characterize the novel antigens that emerge on antibody-resistant Giardia isolates.
  • To determine the dynamics of antigen loss and replacement in Giardia lamblia.

Main Methods:

  • Exposure of Giardia lamblia clones to cytotoxic monoclonal antibody (mAb) 6E7.
  • Isolation and characterization of surviving, antibody-resistant progeny.

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  • Surface radiolabeling, surface immunofluorescence, and Western blotting to analyze antigen expression.
  • Production of a new cytotoxic mAb (5C1) against a novel antigen and isolation of resistant Giardia.

    • Main Results:

    • Exposure to mAb 6E7 selected for Giardia progeny resistant to the antibody, occurring at a frequency of ~1 in 1000.
    • Resistant progeny lacked the 170-kDa surface antigen recognized by mAb 6E7.
    • Loss of the 170-kDa antigen was accompanied by the appearance of new surface antigens.
    • A subset of these new antigens (~64 kDa) was targeted by mAb 5C1, and resistant isolates also showed loss and replacement of these antigens.
    • These findings demonstrate sequential loss and replacement of distinct surface epitopes on Giardia.

    Conclusions:

    • Giardia lamblia exhibits dynamic surface antigen expression.
    • Antibody pressure can induce significant changes in Giardia surface antigen profiles, including loss and replacement of epitopes.
    • This antigen switching mechanism may be important for parasite survival and immune evasion.