Proteomic and Phosphoproteomic Analysis of Adult Taenia saginata Revealed the Potential Importance of Cytoskeleton-Related Proteins

The adult Taenia saginata (T. saginata), a large tapeworm species,
exclusively
inhabits the human small intestine as its definitive host. Humans
are infected by consuming undercooked beef contaminated with cysticerci
of T. saginata, leading to taeniasis,
a globally distributed zoonotic parasitic disease. The transmission
of T. saginata significantly impacts
public health and the livestock economy. Understanding its biological
characteristics and developing novel control strategies are the focuses
of research. In this study, proteomic and phosphoproteomic analyses
were conducted on the scolex, immature proglottids, mature proglottids,
and gravid proglottids of T. saginata adults. A total of 5803 proteins were identified, most of which
were localized in the cytoplasm and membranes. Functional annotation
analysis revealed significant enrichment in ribosome-related pathways,
cell-activity-related pathways, and cytoskeleton protein pathways.
The mature and gravid proglottids revealed substantial changes in
cytoskeleton-related proteins and glycolysis pathways compared with
other segments. Phosphoproteomic analysis also showed significant
modifications in both pathways. Parallel Reaction Monitoring (PRM)
validation confirmed that most proteins exhibited consistent quantitative
trends with previous omics identification including some cytoskeleton
proteins. Overall, our findings not only enhance the understanding
of T. saginata biology and pathogenesis
but also aid in the development of diagnostic and vaccine candidate
molecules.