Occurrence of a conserved domain in ATP diphosphohydrolases from pathogenic organisms associated to antigenicity in human parasitic diseases

A polypeptide (r78–117) belonging to the potato apyrase was identified as a conserved domain shared with apyrase-like proteins from distinct pathogenic organisms, and was obtained as a 6xHis tag polypeptide (r-Domain B). By ELISA, high IgG, and IgG1 and IgG2a subtypes levels were detected in BALB/c mice pre-inoculated with r-Domain B. In Schistosoma mansoni adult worm or Leishmania (V.) braziliensis promastigote preparation, anti-r-Domain B antibodies inhibit 22–72% of the phosphohydrolytic activities and when immobilized on Protein A-Sepharose immunoprecipitate 42–91% of them. Western blots of the immunoprecipitated resin–antibody–antigen complexes identified bands of mw similar to those predicted for parasite proteins. Total IgG and subclasses of patients with leishmaniasis or schistosomiasis exhibited cross-immunoreactivity with r-Domain B. Therefore, the domain B within both S. mansoni SmATPDase 2 (r156–195) and L. (V.) braziliensis NDPase (r83–122) are potentially involved in the host immune response, and also seem to be conserved during host and parasites co-evolution.