Comparative Protein Expression Profiles Between Eimeria bovis and Eimeria alabamensis Sporozoites Analyzed by Two-Dimensional Gel Electrophoresis

To seek unknown molecules and pathways that might be responsible for the pathogenicity of ruminant coccidiosis, the protein expression profiles of Eimeria bovis and Eimeria alabamensis were compared by 2-dimensional gel electrophoresis. The average gel of E. bovis contained 938 +/- 132 protein spots having an experimental isoelectric point (pI) range of 4.58 to 7.95 and a mass range of 19.1 to 138.2 kDa. A total of 692 +/- 129 protein spots with pis ranging from 4.39 to 7.84 and masses between 17.6 and 127.8 kDa were included in the average gel of E. alabamensis. Our results provide a valuable starting point to detect differences in protein expression distribution between 2 Eimeria species that cause cattle coccidiosis and may also serve as a useful tool for further investigation of the basis accounting for their sharp difference in virulence.