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Validation of cell-free culture using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and gene expression studies
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Validation of cell-free culture using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and gene expression studies

R. Yang, Y Elankumaran, N. Hijjawi and U. Ryan
Experimental Parasitology, Vol.153, pp.55-62
2015
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Abstract

A cell-free culture system for Cryptosporidium parvum was analysed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to characterise life cycle stages and compare gene expression in cell-free culture and cell culture using HCT-8 cells. Cryptosporidium parvum samples were harvested at 2h, 8h, 14h, 26h, 50h, 74h, 98h, 122h and 170h, chemically fixed and specimens were observed using a Zeiss 1555 scanning electron microscope. The presence of sporozoites, trophozoites and type I merozoites were identified by SEM. Gene expression in cell culture and cell-free culture was studied using reverse transcriptase quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) of the sporozoite surface antigen protein (cp15), the glycoprotein 900 (gp900), the Cryptosporidium oocyst wall protein (COWP) and 18S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes in both cell free and conventional cell culture. In cell culture, cp15 expression peaked at 74h, gp900 expression peaked at 74h and 98h and COWP expression peaked at 50h. In cell-free culture, CP15 expression peaked at 98h, gp900 expression peaked at 74h and COWP expression peaked at 122h. The present study is the first to compare gene expression of C.parvum in cell culture and cell-free culture and to characterise life cycle stages of C.parvum in cell-free culture using SEM. Findings from this study showed that gene expression patterns in cell culture and cell-free culture were similar but in cell-free culture, gene expression was delayed for CP15 and COWP in cell free culture compared with the cell culture system and was lower. Although three life cycle stageswere conclusively identified, improvements in SEM methodology should lead to the detection of more life cycle stages.

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Collaboration types
Domestic collaboration
International collaboration
Citation topics
1 Clinical & Life Sciences
1.246 Diarrheal Diseases
1.246.985 Cryptosporidium
Web Of Science research areas
Parasitology
ESI research areas
Microbiology
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