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Molecular characterization of SjBIRP, another apoptosis inhibitor, from Schistosoma japonicum

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Abstract

Inhibitor of apoptosis proteins (IAP) play an important role in the regulation of apoptotic processes and are defined by the presence of baculoviral IAP repeat (BIR) domains. Here, we characterized a cDNA fragment (SjBIRP) synthesized from the RNA of Schistosoma japonicum, which was found to contain the BIR domain, suggesting that it could encode a potential IAP. Real-time PCR analyses indicated that SjBIRP transcription was detected at several stages of the schistosome’s lifecycle, with increased levels present in schistosomula (7 days). In addition, the SjBIRP was highly expressed in adult females as compared to adult males. A functional assay showed that SjBIRP could inhibit caspase3/7 activity in both HeLa cells and schistosome lysates. Furthermore, SjBIRP expression profiles varied between different hosts of S. japonicum. Taken together, our preliminary studies suggest that SjBIRP may play a functional role in the regulation of apoptosis in schistosomes, and that it could be a potential drug target for schistosomiasis control.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported, in part or in whole, by National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 30901068), Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality of China (Grant No.10410703400 and 10PJ1412300), and Shanghai Talent Developing Foundation of China (Grant No.2009032).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Shanghai Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Animal Parasitology, Ministry of Agriculture, 518 Ziyue Road, 200241, Shanghai, China

    Jinwei Dao, Lihui Zhu, Rong Luo, Chao Hu, Yuqing Wang, Hao Li, Ke Lu, Jinming Liu, Jiaojiao Lin & Guofeng Cheng

  2. Jiangsu Co-innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Disease and Zoonoses, Yang zhou, 225009, China

    Jinwei Dao & Guofeng Cheng

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  1. Jinwei Dao
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  2. Lihui Zhu
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  3. Rong Luo
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  4. Chao Hu
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  5. Yuqing Wang
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  6. Hao Li
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  7. Ke Lu
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  8. Jinming Liu
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  9. Jiaojiao Lin
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  10. Guofeng Cheng
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Correspondence to Guofeng Cheng.

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Dao, J., Zhu, L., Luo, R. et al. Molecular characterization of SjBIRP, another apoptosis inhibitor, from Schistosoma japonicum . Parasitol Res 113, 4065–4071 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-014-4075-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-014-4075-6

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