Molecular and immunological analyses of the Mycobacterium avium homolog of the immunodominant Mycobacterium leprae 35-kilodalton protein.

ABSTRACT: The analysis of host immunity to mycobacteria and the development of discriminatory diagnostic reagents relies on the characterization of conserved and species-specific mycobacterial antigens. In this report, we have characterized the Mycobacterium avium homolog of the highly immunogenic M. leprae 35-kDa protein. The genes encoding these two proteins were well conserved, having 82% DNA identity and 90% identity at the amino acid level. Moreover both proteins, purified from the fast-growing host M. smegmatis, formed multimeric complexes of around 1000 kDa in size and were antigenically related as assessed through their recognition by antibodies and T cells from M. leprae-infected individuals. The 35-kDa protein exhibited significant sequence identity with proteins from Streptomyces griseus

SUBMITTER: Triccas JA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC108256 | biostudies-literature | 1998 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature