The mechanism of Fc-mediated interaction of eosinophils with immobilized immune complexes. II. Identification of two membrane proteins, modified by the interaction

Isolation and antigen analysis of surface tegument membranes from schistosomula of Schistosoma mansoni

The outer tegument membranes of Schistosoma mansoni schistosomula have been removed by mechanical disruption in a hypotonic salt solution and partially purified by differential and sucrose density gradient centrifugation. Fractionation was monitored by measuring increase in specific activity of bound [125I]wheat-germ agglutinin (WGA), alkaline phosphatase and calcium-stimulated ATPase. Two-dimensional IEF/SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis was used to analyse the peptide composition of the isolated membranes and to compare and contrast with lactoperoxidase/glucose oxidase surface labelled peptides. At least 35 surface-labelled peptides were resolved on the two-dimensional maps: all were also present in the membrane material recovered from the sucrose gradient. Western blot analysis demonstrated a marked heterogeneity in the antibody response of infected human patients to individual membrane antigens. The antigenic profile of membranes isolated from cercariae, 18 and 96 h schistosomula were compared using Western blots: some minor differences were observed between the three preparations.