Heat shock and stress response of Taenia solium and T-crassiceps (Cestoda)

Heat shock and stress responses are documented for the first time in larval stages of the cestodes Taenia solium and Taenia crassiceps. Radioactive me tabolic labelling after in vitro incubation of cysts at 43 degreesC, reveal ed the induction of heat shock proteins. In T. crassiceps, the major heat s hock proteins were 80, 70 and 60 kDa. After prolonged incubation, a set of low molecular weight heat shock proteins (27, 31, 33 and 38 kDa), were also induced. In vitro incubation of c) sts at 4 degreesC, induced the synthesi s of stress proteins ranging from 31 to 80 kDa, indicating the parasite is also able to respond to cold shock. T. solium cysts exposure to temperature stress also resulted in an increased synthesis of 2 major heat shock prote ins of 80 and 70 kDa. Western blots using the excretory-secretory. products of T. solium showed that 2 heat shock proteins were recognized by antibodi es in the sera of cysticercotic patients: one of 66 kDa and another migrati ng close to the run front. The T. solium 66 kDa protein was also recognized by specific antibodies directed to a 60 kDa bacterial heat shock protein, suggesting that it belongs to this family of proteins.