• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.49-58
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• 1996

Characterization of a purified proteinase from T4chomoncs uoginalis was carried out using bacitracin-sepharose affinity chromatography. Trichomonos uqginolis KT-9 isolate was used as a source of eye study Proteinase activity was determined using Bz-Pro- Phe-Arg-Nan as the substrate. Optimum pH for the purified proteinase activity was 7.0 and 6.0, 9.0 with DTT. Optimum temperature was 37℃ and isoelectric point was 7.2 Activity of this proteinase was inhibited by E-64, antipain, leupeptin, Hg2+ and Zn2+ and activated by DTT and cysteine. Activity of the purified proteinase was visualized by gelatin SDS- PAGE. The gelatinolytic activity of the purified proteinase was inhibited by E-64, antipain, leupeptin, and IAA, but not by PMSF and EDTA. On SDS-PAGE, the molecular weight of the purified proteinase was 60,000 daltons. Sera of rabbits infected with T. vaginalis reacted specifically in immunoblots with this proteinase. These results indicate that 60 kDa of purified proteinase was cysteine proteinase with antigenicity.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.261-268
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• 1998

The present study was undertaken to investigate the role of cysteine proteinase of Trichomonas vaginalis in escaping from host defense mechanism. A cysteine proteinase of T. vaginalis was purified by affinity chromatography and gel filtration. Optimum pH for the purified proteinase activity was 6.0. The proteinase was inhibited by cysteine and serine proteinase inhibitors such as E-64, NEM, IAA, leupeptin. TPCK and TLCK, and also by $Hg^{2+}$, but not affected by serine-, metallo-, and aspartic proteinase inhibitors such as PMSF, EDTA and pepstatin A. However, it was activated by the cysteine proteinase activator, DTT. The molecular weight of a purified proteinase was 62 kDa on gel filtration and 60 kDa on SDS-PAGE. Interestingly, the purified proteinase was able to degrade serum IgA, secretory IgA, and serum IgG in time- and dose-dependent manners. In addition, the enzyme also degraded hemoglobin in a dose-dependent manner. These results suggest that the acidic cysteine proteinase of T. vaginalis may play a dual role for parasite survival in conferring escape from host humoral defense by degradation of immunoglobulins, and in supplying nutrients to parasites by degradation of hemoglobin.