Proteomic profile of Ortleppascaris sp.: A helminth parasite of Rhinella marina in the Amazonian region

• We have characterized somatic proteins of a helminth parasite of a synanthropic amphibian from Amazonian region.
• As37, an immunoreactive antigen considered a target for antihelminthic vaccines was found.
• We found virulence factors which are evolutionarily conserved and are potential factors for anti-parasitic interventions.
• This study brings a new approach for host–parasite research by using a amphibian as an animal model.

Ortleppascaris sp. is a helminth that, in its larval stage, infects the liver parenchyma of the amphibian Rhinella marina, resulting in severe physiological and pathological changes. This study used a proteomic approach to determine the overall profile of proteins expressed in a somatic extract from the nematodes to investigate the relationship between the parasite and its host. A total of 60 abundant proteins were selected from the two-dimensional electrophoresis, identified by peptide mass fingerprinting, and grouped based on their Gene Ontology by the biological processes in which they are potentially involved. Important helminthic derivatives, such as the immunoreactive As37 antigen, guanylyl cyclases, proteolytic enzymes, and other proteins conserved among different parasites, were identified through homology. This study represents a new approach to helminth-related proteomic studies using an amphibian animal model. Furthermore, this study identified protein markers that are important to the host–parasite relationship and the viability, development, infectivity, and virulence of helminths.

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