Genetic and antigenic diversities of major immunoreactive proteins in globally distributed Ehrlichia canis strains.

ABSTRACT: The extent of knowledge regarding the diversity of globally distributed Ehrlichia canis strains has been limited to information gained from a few evolutionarily conserved genes. In this study, E. canis strains from the United States (strain Jake [US]), Brazil (strain São Paulo [BR]), and Israel (strain 611 [IS] and Ranana [IS-R]) were used to examine the antigenic and genetic diversities of four well-characterized major immunoreactive protein genes/proteins. gp36 and gp200 were the most divergent genes, and nucleotide substitutions in the gp36 tandem repeat region of the IS strain, but not the IS-R strain, resulted in two amino acid differences (S-->P and P-->T) in each nine-amino-acid repeat (epitope-containing region). DNA sequences of gp19 and gp140 were completely conserved in the US a

SUBMITTER: Zhang X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2446643 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature