Abstract:
This study aims to extract and purify serine protease from
Schistosoma japonicum eggs via lon-exchange chromatography and to test
the ability of the extracted enzyme to elicit antibody production in
sensitized rabbits. Eggs obtained {rom the liver of an infected rabbit were
osterized, digested, centrifuged and homogenized using a sonicator. The
resulting crude egg extract was subjected to GS-PAGE and fractions
exhibiting gelatinolytic activity were subjected to Gel-Filtration and lonexchange
chromatography for protein purification. GS-PAGE of lonexchange
fractions yielded thick white bands indicating high gelatinolytic
activity while Gel-Filtration fractions yielded only faint white bands. After
lon-exchange, the egg extract was subjected to GS-PAGE to detect its
proteolytic activity. This procedure detected the presence of serine
protcase in the extract. A dose of 0.5 pL of the partially purified enzyme
was then injected into the rabbits. Two weeks after sensitization, sera was
taken from the test animals and was subjected to Western blotting. Results
of the Western blot indicate that the enzyme dosage given is not enough to
elicit antibody production.
