Trichinella spp.: Differential expression of two genes in the muscle larvaof encapsulating and nonencapsulating species

The expression of the two genes tsmyd-1 and tsJ5 was studied in the muscle stage larva of three different species of Trichinella. T. spiralis and T. b ritovi are both encapsulating species, while T. pseudospiralis is a nonenca psulating species. Expression of tsJ5 is developmentally regulated in T. sp iralis and has been shown in this study to be down-regulated in the T. pseu dospiralis muscle larva compared with the other two species. Immunoblot ana lysis has also revealed that the relative abundance of the protein product of this gene, TSJ5, is lower in T. pseudospiralis muscle larvae. It has pre viously been shown that expression of tsmyd-1 is not developmentally regula ted in T. spiralis (Connolly et al. 1996). In contrast, expression of this gene is slightly increased in the muscle larvae of T. pseudospiralis. South ern analysis of genomic DNA from the three Trichinella species shows that b oth genes are highly conserved. (C) 1999 Academic Press.