Necator americanus, also known as the human hookworm, is a parasitic nematode that infects approximately 576-740 million people worldwide, causing diseases such as anemia and malnutrition. The hookworm attaches to the host’s intestinal walls and feeds on the host’s blood. Its ability to evade the host’s immune system and continue feeding for years makes it a formidable opponent.

One of the reasons the hookworm is able to evade the immune system is because of its surface-associated antigens, which are proteins that are expressed on the surface of the hookworm and are recognized by the host’s immune system. Some of the most important surface-associated antigens of the hookworm include:

Surface-associated antigen 1 (SAA1)
Surface-associated antigen 2 (SAA2)
Secreted protein ASP-2

SAA1 and SAA2 are important for the hookworm’s ability to attach to the host’s intestinal walls and feed on the host’s blood. These proteins have been shown to induce a strong immune response in the host, but the hookworm is able to modify its surface antigens to evade the immune system and continue feeding.

ASP-2 is a secreted protein that is also expressed on the hookworm’s surface. It has been shown to be important for the hookworm’s ability to evade the host’s immune system by modulating the host’s immune response.

Understanding the surface-associated antigens of the hookworm is important for developing new treatments and vaccines for hookworm infections. Researchers are currently working on developing a vaccine that targets these surface antigens to prevent hookworm infections.

The cDNA of N. americanus has been used to create a diagnostic tool known as a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay. This assay can be used to rapidly detect the presence of the N. americanus infection in a sample. In addition, the cDNA has been used to develop a vaccine candidate for the prevention of Necatoriasis. The vaccine candidate has been tested in animal models and has been found to be effective in providing protection against infection.

The recombinant antigens from N. americanus have been used to develop an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the rapid diagnosis of Necatoriasis. ELISA assays are commonly used in diagnostics and allow for the specific identification of target antigens. This assay is a cost-effective and rapid method for diagnosing Necatoriasis.

The use of recombinant proteins/cDNA in academic research and therapeutic applications has skyrocketed. However, in heterologous expression systems, successful recombinant protein expression is dependent on a variety of factors, including codon preference, RNA secondary structure, and GC content. When compared to pre-optimization, more and more experimental results demonstrated that the expression level was dramatically increased, ranging from two to hundred times depending on the gene. Bioclone has created a proprietary technology platform that has resulted in the creation of over 6,000 artificially synthesized codon-optimized cDNA clones (cloned in E. coli expression Vector), which are ready for production of the recombinant proteins.