Epitopes on the outer surface protein A of Borrelia burgdorferi recognized by antibodies and T cells of patients with Lyme disease.
We have characterized immunogenic epitopes of the 31-kDa outer surface protein A (OspA) protein of Borrelia burgdorferi, which is a major surface Ag of the spirochete causing Lyme disease. Full length and truncated forms of rOspA proteins were expressed in Escherichia coli, and their reactivities with antibodies and human T cell clones isolated from patients with Lyme disease were determined. The epitopes recognized by three of four OspA-reactive T cell clones are contained within the 60 COOH-terminal amino acids. Each of the four OspA-reactive T cell clones has a different HLA class II molecule involved in Ag recognition and recognizes a distinct epitope. One T cell clone promiscuously recognized an epitope in the context of different HLA-DQ molecules. In addition, the binding of a murine monoclonal anti-OspA antibody, as well as antibodies in sera of three of five patients with Lyme disease, was dependent upon the amino acids in the carboxy-terminal protion of this protein. Taken together, our results indicate that the 60 COOH-terminal amino acids of OspA contain epitopes recognized by human antibodies and T cells.
Shanafelt
M C
MC
Department of Inflammation Biology, Syntex Research, Palo Alto, CA 94303.
Anzola
J
J
Soderberg
C
C
Yssel
H
H
Turck
C W
CW
Peltz
G
G
D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology*; D000938:Antigen-Presenting Cells / Q000276:immunology; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology*; D000954:Antigens, Surface / Q000276:immunology*; D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000276:immunology*; D001428:Bacterial Vaccines; D001483:Base Sequence; D015748:Borrelia burgdorferi Group / Q000276:immunology*; D002999:Clone Cells; D000939:Epitopes; D006681:HLA-D Antigens / Q000276:immunology; D008074:Lipoproteins; D008193:Lyme Disease / Q000276:immunology*; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009838:Oligodeoxyribonucleotides / Q000737:chemistry; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*
D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D000954:Antigens, Surface; D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D001428:Bacterial Vaccines; D000939:Epitopes; D006681:HLA-D Antigens; D008074:Lipoproteins; D009838:Oligodeoxyribonucleotides; C072045:OspA protein; D011994:Recombinant Proteins