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The nitric oxide (NO) formation and intrinsic nitrosation may be involved in the possible mechanisms of liver fluke-associated carcinogenesis. We still do not know much about the responses of inducible NO synthase (iNOS) induced by Clonorchis sinensis infection. This study was conducted to explore the pathological lesions and iNOS expressions in the liver of mice with different infection intensity levels of C. sinensis. Extensive periductal inflammatory cell infiltration, bile duct hyperplasia, and fibrosis were commonly observed during the infection. The different pathological responses in liver tissues strongly correlated with the infection intensity of C. sinensis. Massive acute spotty necrosis occurred in the liver parenchyma after a severe infection. The iNOS activity in liver tissues increased, and iNOS-expressing cells with morphological differences were observed after a moderate or severe infection. The iNOS-expressing cells in liver tissues had multiple origins.

Background: Approximately 35 million people are infected with Clonorchis sinensis (C. sinensis) globally, of whom 15 million are in China. Glycolytic enzymes are recognized as crucial molecules for trematode survival and have been targeted for vaccine and drug development. Hexokinase of C. sinensis (CsHK), as the first key regulatory enzyme of the glycolytic pathway, was investigated in the current study., Principal Findings: There were differences in spatial structure and affinities for hexoses and phosphate donors between CsHK and HKs from humans or rats, the definitive hosts of C. sinensis. Effectors (AMP, PEP, and citrate) and a small molecular inhibitor regulated the enzymatic activity of rCsHK, and various allosteric systems were detected. CsHK was distributed in the worm extensively as well as in liver tissue and serum from C. sinensis infected rats. Furthermore, high-level specific IgG1 and IgG2a were induced in rats by immunization with rCsHK. The enzymatic activity of CsHK was suppressed by the antibody in vitro. Additionally, the survival of C. sinensis was inhibited by the antibody in vivo and in vitro., Conclusions/significance: Due to differences in putative spatial structure and enzymology between CsHK and HK from the host, its extensive distribution in adult worms, and its expression profile as a component of excretory/secretory products, together with its good immunogenicity and immunoreactivity, as a key glycolytic enzyme, CsHK shows potential as a vaccine and as a promising drug target for Clonorchiasis.

Globally, 15-20 million people are infected with Clonorchis sinensis (C. sinensis) which results in clonorchiasis. In China, clonorchiasis is considered to be one of the fastest-growing food-borne parasitic diseases. That more key molecules of C. sinensis are characterized will be helpful to understand biology and pathogenesis of the carcinogenic liver fluke. Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenases (GAPDHs) from many species have functions other than their catalytic role in glycolysis. In the present study, we analyzed the sequence and structure of GAPDH from C. sinensis (CsGAPDH) by using bioinformatics tools and obtained its recombinant protein by prokaryotic expression system, to learn its expression profiles and molecular property. CsGAPDH could bind to human intrahepatic biliary epithelial cell in vivo and in vitro by the method of immunofluorescence assays. CsGAPDH also disturbed in lumen of biliary tract near to the parasite in the liver of infected rat. Western blotting analysis together with immunofluorescence assay indicated that CsGAPDH was a component of excretory/secretory proteins (CsESPs) and a surface-localized protein of C. sinensis. Quantitative real-time PCR (Q-PCR) and Western blotting demonstrated that CsGAPDHs are expressed at the life stages of adult worm, metacercaria, and egg, but the expression levels were different from each other. Recombinant CsGAPDH (rCsGAPDH) was confirmed to have the capacity to catalyze the conversion of glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate to D-glycerate 1,3-bisphosphate which was inhibited by AMP in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, rCsGAPDH was able to interact with human plasminogen in a dose-dependent manner by ELISA. The interaction could be inhibited by lysine. The plasminogen binding capacity of rCsGAPDH along with the distribution of CsGAPDH in vivo and in the liver of C. sinensis-infected rat hinted that surface-localized CsGAPDH might play an important role in host invasion of the worm besides its glycolytic activity. Our work will be a cornerstone for getting more messages about CsGAPDH and its role in biology and parasitism of C. sinensis.

Fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase (FBPase), a key regulatory enzyme of gluconeogenesis, plays an essential role in metabolism and development of most organisms. To the wealth of available knowledge about FBPase from Clonorchis sinensis (CsFBPase), in this study, the characteristics of CsFBPase and its potential role in pathogenesis of clonorchiasis were investigated. The Km value of CsFBPase was calculated to be 41.9 uM. The optimal temperature and pH of CsFBPase were 37 °C and pH 7.5-8.0, respectively. In addition, Mg(2+) or K(+) played a regulatory role in enzyme activity of CsFBPase. Both transcriptional and translational level of CsFBPase were higher in metacercariae (one of larva stages) than those in adult worm (P < 0.05). CsFBPase were observed to extensively express in the intestine, vitellaria and tegument of adult worms and ubiquitously in metacercariae. Moreover, CsFBPase was confirmed as a component of excretory/secretory products. Consequently, the translocation of CsFBPase could be detected on epithelial cells of bile duct in liver of C. sinensis infected rat. Recombinant CsFBPase can specifically bind to the membrane of human hepatic stellate cell line LX-2 by immunofluorescence analysis and stimulated proliferation and activation of LX-2 which demonstrated by Cell Counting Kit-8 and upregulation of key fibrosis-related factors, such as α-smooth muscle actin, collagen I and collagen III using qRT-PCR. Thus, we predicated that CsFBPase might be a multifunctional enzyme which played as both regulatory enzyme and virulence factor in pathogenesis of C. sinensis infection.

A gene encoding cysteine proteinase from Clonorchis sinensis has been cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. The cysteine proteinase cDNA fragment was amplified by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction using degenerate oligonucleotide primers derived from conserved active site of cysteine proteinases. The 5' and 3' regions of the gene were amplified using rapid amplification of cDNA ends. The cloned gene has an open reading frame of 696 bp and deduced amino acid sequence of 232. Sequence analysis and alignment showed significant homologies with the eukaryotic cysteine proteinases and conservation of the Cys, His, and Asp residues that form the catalytic triad. Analysis of the expressed protein on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis showed that the molecular weight of the protein was approximately 28.5 kDa. Proteolytic activity of the expressed protein was inhibited by cysteine proteinase inhibitors such as L-trans-epoxysuccinyl-leucylamide-(4-guanidino)-butane, iodoacetic acid, and leupeptin. The expressed protein showed biochemical properties similar to those of cysteine proteinases of other parasites. The expressed protein strongly reacted with the sera from patients with clonorchiasis but not with the sera from patients with paragonimiasis, fascioliasis, cysticercosis, and sparganosis, or with sera from normal human controls. These results suggest that the expressed protein may be valuable as a specific diagnostic material for the immunodiagnosis of clonorchiasis.