Identification of Bacillus anthracis spore component antigens conserved across diverse Bacillus cereus sensu lato strains.

ABSTRACT: We sought to identify proteins in the Bacillus anthracis spore, conserved in other strains of the closely related Bacillus cereus group, that elicit an immune response in mammals. Two high throughput approaches were used. First, an in silico screening identified 200 conserved putative B. anthracis spore components. A total of 192 of those candidate genes were expressed and purified in vitro, 75 of which reacted with the rabbit immune sera generated against B. anthracis spores. The second approach was to screen for cross-reacting antigens in the spore proteome of 10 diverse B. cereus group strains. Two-dimensional electrophoresis resolved more than 200 protein spots in each spore preparation. About 72% of the protein spots were found in all the strains. 18 of these conserved proteins reacte

SUBMITTER: Mukhopadhyay S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2690476 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature