Host-inducible immunogenic sphingomyelinase-like protein, Lk73.5, of Leptospira interrogans.

ABSTRACT: Leptospira interrogans causes a variety of clinical syndromes in animals and humans. Although much information has accumulated on the importance of leptospiral lipopolysaccharide in protective antibody responses, relatively little is known about proteins that participate in immune responses. Identification of those proteins induced only in the host is particularly difficult. Using a novel double-antibody screen designed to identify clones in a gene library of L. interrogans serovar Pomona expressing host-inducible proteins, we have characterized a gene (lk75.3) encoding a sphingomyelinase-like preprotein of 648 amino acids with cytotoxic activity for equine pulmonary endothelial cells and weak hemolytic activity for equine and rabbit erythrocytes. lk73.5 was found as a single gene copy in

SUBMITTER: Artiushin S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC321616 | biostudies-literature | 2004 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature