Conservation of Babesia bovis small heat shock protein (Hsp20) among strains and definition of T helper cell epitopes recognized by cattle with diverse major histocompatibility complex class II haplotypes.

ABSTRACT: Babesia bovis small heat shock protein (Hsp20) is recognized by CD4+ T lymphocytes from cattle that have recovered from infection and are immune to challenge. This candidate vaccine antigen is related to a protective antigen of Toxoplasma gondii, Hsp30/bag1, and both are members of the alpha-crystallin family of proteins that can serve as molecular chaperones. In the present study, immunofluorescence microscopy determined that Hsp20 is expressed intracellularly in all merozoites. Importantly, Hsp20 is also expressed by tick larval stages, including sporozoites, so that natural tick-transmitted infection could boost a vaccine-induced response. The predicted amino acid sequence of Hsp20 from merozoites is completely conserved among different B. bovis strains. To define the location of CD4+ T

SUBMITTER: Norimine J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC321645 | biostudies-literature | 2004 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature