Elastase-1 is one member of serine protease family, distributes in organisms widely and plays a crucial role in the invasion and development of Trichinella spiralis. In order to identify the binding of T. spiralis elastase-1 (TsEla) with host's intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) and its role in Trichinella larval intrusion, TsEla gene was cloned and expressed in our previous study. The recombinant TsEla (rTsEla) has the enzymatic activity to degrade specific peptide substrate. A specific binding between rTsEla and IECs was detected by Far Western blot and ELISA. In an in vitro invasion assay, rTsEla promoted the larval intrusion, whereas anti-rTsEla serum inhibited the larval penetration. The larval intrusion was also suppressed after the silencing of TsEla by siRNA. Silencing of TsEla gene by siRNA-291 meditated RNA interference suppressed TsEla protein expression, reduced the worm infectivity, development and reproductive capacity. These results indicated that TsEla plays an important role in the T. spiralis intrusion of host's intestinal epithelia, and it could be a prospective vaccine molecular target against T. spiralis infection.

Elastase-1是丝氨酸蛋白酶家族的一员，广泛分布于生物体内，在旋毛虫的侵袭和发展中起着至关重要的作用。为了鉴定螺旋体弹性蛋白酶-1（TsEla）与宿主肠上皮细胞（IEC）的结合及其在旋毛虫幼虫侵袭中的作用，在我们先前的研究中克隆了TsEla基因并进行了表达。重组TsEla（rTsEla）具有降解特定肽底物的酶活性。通过Far Western印迹和ELISA检测到rTsEla和IEC之间的特异性结合。在体外入侵试验中，rTsEla促进了幼虫的入侵，而抗rTsEla血清则抑制了幼虫的渗透。siRNA使TsEla沉默后，幼虫的入侵也受到抑制。siRNA-291介导的RNA干扰沉默TsEla基因可抑制TsEla蛋白表达，降低蠕虫的感染性，发育和繁殖能力。这些结果表明，TsEla在螺旋体侵入宿主的肠上皮细胞中起重要作用，并且可能是对抗螺旋体感染的潜在疫苗分子靶标。