Exploring the homolog of a novel proinflammatory microfilarial sheath protein (MfP) of Wuchereria bancrofti in the adult-stage bovine filarial parasite Setaria cervi.

A novel microfilarial sheath protein (MfP) of the human filarial parasite Wuchereria bancrofti and its proinflammatory activity on host macrophages were identified recently. MfP is a homolog of the nematode bestrophin-9 superfamily that acts as a ligand of macrophage Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) to induce inflammation through NF-κB activation. Therefore, the presence and functional implication of this novel protein in adult-stage parasites were open questions to answer. In this study, the bovine filarial parasite Setaria cervi was used to simulate adult W. bancrofti. We detected the presence of MfP in adult-stage S. cervi through clear immunological cross-reactivity and immunolocalization employing an anti-MfP antibody developed in mice. Therefore, our findings put forward S. cervi as a cost-effective source of immunodominant filarial antigen MfP to simulate its future utilization in the immunotherapeutic intervention of lymphatic filariasis.