In: PLOS Pathogens, 2018, vol. 14, no. 10, p. e1007300
Despite causing considerable damage to host tissue at the onset of parasitism, invasive helminths establish remarkably persistent infections in both animals and plants. Secretions released by these obligate parasites during host invasion are thought to be crucial for their persistence in infection. Helminth secretions are complex mixtures of molecules, most of which have unknown molecular...
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In: International Journal for Parasitology, 2018, vol. 48, no. 5, p. 359–369
Heligmosomoides polygyrus bakeri is a model parasitic hookworm used to study animal and human helminth diseases. During infection, the parasite releases excretory/secretory products that modulate the immune system of the host. The most abundant protein family in excretory/secretory products comprises the venom allergen-like proteins (VALs), which are members of the SCP/TAPS (sperm-coating ...
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In: International Journal for Parasitology, 2018, vol. 48, no. 5, p. 371–378
Brugia malayi is a causative agent of lymphatic filariasis, a major tropical disease. The infective L3 parasite stage releases immunomodulatory proteins including the venom allergen-like proteins (VALs), which are members of the SCP/TAPS (Sperm-coating protein/Tpx/antigen 5/pathogenesis related-1/Sc7) superfamily. BmVAL-1 is a major target of host immunity with >90% of infected B. malayi...
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In: Scientific Reports, 2017, vol. 7, no. 1, p. 15310
Tick-borne relapsing fever (RF) borreliosis is a neglected disease that is often misdiagnosed. RF species circulating in the United States include Borrelia turicatae, which is transmitted by argasid ticks. Environmental adaptation by RF Borrelia is poorly understood, however our previous studies indicated differential regulation of B. turicatae genes localized on the 150 kb linear...
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In: Scientific Reports, 2017, vol. 7, no. 1, p. 7818
The pathogenic fungi Moniliophthora perniciosa causes Witches’ Broom Disease (WBD) of cacao. The structure of MpPR-1i, a protein expressed by M. perniciosa when it infects cacao, are presented. This is the first reported de novo structure determined by single-wavelength anomalous dispersion phasing upon soaking with selenourea. Each monomer has flexible loop regions linking the core...
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In: Journal of Biological Chemistry, 2017, p. -
Members of the CAP superfamily (cysteine-rich secretory proteins, antigen 5, and pathogenesis related 1 proteins), also known as SCP superfamily (sperm-coating proteins), have been implicated in many physiological processes, including immune defenses, venom toxicity, and sperm maturation. Their mode of action, however, remains poorly understood. Three proteins of the CAP superfamily, Pry1, 2, and...
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In: Scientific Reports, 2016, vol. 6, p. 28838
The production, crystal structure, and functional characterization of the C-terminal cysteine-rich secretory protein/antigen 5/pathogenesis related-1 (CAP) domain of pathogen-related yeast protein-1 (Pry1) from Saccharomyces cerevisiae is presented. The CAP domain of Pry1 (Pry1CAP) is functional in vivo as its expression restores cholesterol export to yeast mutants lacking endogenous Pry1 and...
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In: Acta Crystallographica Section D Biological Crystallography, 2014, vol. 70, no. 8, p. 2186–2196
Schistosomiasis is a parasitic disease that affects over 200 million people. Vaccine candidates have been identified, including Schistosoma mansoni venom allergen- like proteins (SmVALs) from the SCP/TAPS (sperm-coating protein/Tpx/antigen 5/pathogenesis related-1/Sc7) superfamily. The first SmVAL structure, SmVAL4, was refined to a resolution limit of 2.16 Å. SmVAL4 has a unique...
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