Site- and Structure-Specific Characterization of Glycoproteins of H11: Potent Vaccine Candidates against Parasitic Worm Haemonchus

Abstract

Parasitic worms (helminths) infections pose significant threats to global health and livestock economies. While mass spectrometry (MS)-based glycomics have revealed that helminths express complex, immunomodulatory N-glycans, site- and structure-specific characterization of intact glycopeptides remain challenging. Here we employed advanced MS-based intact glycoproteomics to explore the N-glycosylation profile of H11 antigen - an important vaccine antigen from pathogenic parasite Haemonchus contortus. We successfully identified seven glycosylated aminopeptidases carrying 19 N-glycosylation sites with 31 distinct N-glycan structures. Notably, 13 N-glycopeptides were significantly enriched by H11-induced protective IgG antibodies. Our findings revealed a high degree of structural heterogeneity and abundant core fucosylation among the identified N-glycopeptides. Additionally, molecular docking studies demonstrated those IgG-recognized N-glycopeptides are situated on the protein surface or adjacent to the substrate-access channels, strongly indicating their potential as antigenic epitopes. Overall, our work represents the first comprehensive glycoproteome of an economically important parasitic worm. These results hold important implications for the rational design of vaccines against H. contortus and other related metazoan parasites.