Fig. 3

Suppression of SmCA using RNAi. a Relative SmCA gene expression (mean ± SE) in adult parasites 2 days after electroporation with SmCA siRNA (black bar), control siRNA or no siRNA (grey bars, as indicated). Red symbols represent source data (i.e., mean values from 3–4 biological replicates). b SmCA protein expression analysis. SmCA protein detected in adult worm extracts obtained 7 days following treatment with the indicated siRNAs. Notably less SmCA is seen in extracts from parasites treated with SmCA siRNA (left lane, arrow) compared to the extracts of parasites treated with control siRNA (center) or with no siRNA (None, right panel). The lower panel shows a strip of the gel stained with an irrelevant antibody that yields strong staining in all lanes to illustrate roughly equivalent protein loadings in each. c SmCA enzyme activity (p-NPA cleavage, OD₄₀₅) in individual live adult male worms 7 days after treatment with either SmCA siRNA, irrelevant (Control) siRNA or no siRNA (None). The red lines indicate the mean values for each group. Mean surface SmCA activity for the SmCA-suppressed group is significantly lower than that of either control group (P < 0.05, n = 6–8)