Histomonas meleagridis cell surface protein HP3.1 (HP3.1)

Histomonas meleagridis cell surface protein HP3.1 is an immunogenic protein localized to the outer membrane of the protozoan parasite Histomonas meleagridis, the etiological agent of histomonosis (blackhead disease) in poultry. This protein has been identified through comparative surfaceome and immunoproteome analyses as a key factor in host-parasite interactions, particularly in the colonization of the cecal mucosa and subsequent invasion of the liver. While related homologs like Hmp31 in other parabasalids primarily function as hydrogenosomal ADP/ATP carriers, they frequently exhibit moonlighting roles on the cell surface where they mediate adhesion to host tissues. HP3.1 is a primary candidate for the development of recombinant vaccines, as it elicites a significant humoral immune response in its main hosts, turkeys and chickens. The identification of such surface targets is increasingly important for the poultry industry following the international ban on effective but toxic chemotherapeutic agents like nitarsone and nitroimidazoles.

Other names

Hmp31Histomonas surface antigen HP3.1Hydrogenosomal membrane protein 31 homologHmP3.1