Messenger RNA extracted from Schistosoma mansoni larval forms codes for parasite antigens when translated in vitro.

Intact messenger RNA was extracted from three stages of development of the parasite Schistosoma mansoni, cercariae, 3 h (mechanically prepared) schistosomula and adults. Some of the in vitro translation products are precipitable with immune rat and human serum showing that these sera recognize protein determinants. Whereas the patterns of the total translation products show major proteins expressed at all three developmental stages, immunoprecipitation delineates patterns unique to each stage. Serum from chronically infected patients is likely to preferentially recognize proteins expressed by the adult parasite yet precipitates more products of translation of cercarial RNA than of adult RNA, suggesting that many of the same epitopes are already coded by cercarial messenger RNA. It seems, however, that antigens appear on lower molecular weight species in the adult. The experiments described here open the way to cloning the genes of antigens from S. mansoni.