Host cell-specific protein expression in vitro in Ehrlichia ruminantium

Ehrlichia ruminantium, a tick-transmitted pathogen, is the causative agent of heartwater in ruminants. In this study, a proteomic approach was used to identify host cell-specific E. ruminantium proteins encoded by the map1 multigene family, expressed in vitro in bovine endothelial and tick cell cultures. Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis combined with mass spectrometry analysis was used to establish the identities of immunodominant proteins. Proteins extracted from E. ruminantium-infected endothelial cells were shown to be products of the map1 gene, whereas tick cell-derived E. ruminantium proteins were products of a different gene, map1-1. The expressed proteins were found to be glycosylated. Differential expression of MAP1 family proteins in vitro in mammalian and tick cell cultures indicates that the map1 multigene family might be involved in the adaptation of E. ruminantium to the mammalian host and vector tick.