Evaluation of the role of galectins in parasite immunity
- Authors: Preston, Sarah , Dunphy, Jillian , Beddoe, Travis , Meeusen, Els , Young, Anna
- Date: 2014
- Type: Text , Book chapter
- Relation: Galectins: Methods and Protocols (Methods in Molecular Biology series) Chapter 25 p. 371-395
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Galectin-11 and galectin-14 are ruminant galectins involved in parasitic infections. Although their roles in parasite immunity are still being elucidated, its appears that their functions are parasite specific. In gastrointestinal infections with the nematode Haemonchus contortus, both galectin-11 and galectin-14 appear to be protective. However, in a chronic infection of liver fluke, Fasciola hepatica, these galectins may aid parasite survival. This chapter discusses the methods designed to study parasitic infections in sheep, which have provided us with insight into the functions of galectin-11 and galectin-14 during host–parasite interactions. These methods include parasite cultivation and infection, galectin staining of host and parasite tissue, surface staining of parasites with recombinant galectins and in vitro assays to monitor the effect of galectins on larval development. © Springer Science+Business Media New York 2015.
Galectin secretion and binding to adult Fasciola hepatica during chronic liver fluke infection of sheep
- Authors: Young, Anna , Barcham, Garry , McWilliam, Hamish , Piedrafita, David , Meeusen, Els
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Veterinary Immunology and Immunopathology Vol. 145, no. 1-2 (2012), p. 362-367
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Galectins are increasingly recognised as important mediators of immune homeostasis and disease regulation, but comparatively little is known about their role in parasite infection. This study investigates the interaction between two ovine galectins, galectin-11 and galectin-14, and the parasitic liver fluke, F. hepatica. Galectin-14 was found in eosinophils infiltrating the tissue surrounding infected bile ducts and secreted in the connective tissue, while galectin-11 was specifically induced in epithelial cells of bile ducts from infected sheep. Strong nuclear staining was observed for galectin-11. Both galectins were found to be secreted into the bile fluid of parasite infected sheep, and were also detected in the excretory/secretory products of adult flukes, following their removal from the ovine host. Recombinant galectin-14, but not recombinant galectin-11, was found to bind specifically to the surface tegument of adult flukes in a carbohydrate dependent manner. This study shows for the first time that both galectin-14 and galectin-11 are produced in liver tissue after chronic liver fluke infection and that they can directly interact with the parasite in the bile ducts. Galectin-11 may also be involved in epithelial cell turnover and cancerogenesis.
Identification of tumor antigens in ovarian cancers using local and circulating tumor‐specific antibodies
- Authors: Duarte, Jessica , Quigley, Luke , Young, Anna , Hayashi, Masaru , Meeusen, Els
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: International Journal of Molecular Sciences Vol. 22, no. 20 (2021), p.
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- Description: Ovarian cancers include several disease subtypes and patients often present with advanced metastatic disease and a poor prognosis. New biomarkers for early diagnosis and targeted therapy are, therefore, urgently required. This study uses antibodies produced locally in tumor-draining lymph nodes (ASC probes) of individual ovarian cancer patients to screen two separate protein microarray platforms and identify cognate tumor antigens. The resulting antigen profiles were unique for each individual cancer patient and were used to generate a 50‐antigen custom mi-croarray. Serum from a separate cohort of ovarian cancer patients encompassing four disease sub-types was screened on the custom array and we identified 28.8% of all ovarian cancers, with a higher sensitivity for mucinous (50.0%) and serous (40.0%) subtypes. Combining local and circulating antibodies with high‐density protein microarrays can identify novel, patient‐specific tumor‐associated antigens that may have diagnostic, prognostic or therapeutic uses in ovarian cancer. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. **Please note that there are multiple authors for this article therefore only the name of the first 5 including Federation University Australia affiliate “Els Meeusen” is provided in this record**