title: Protective activity of glycolipid antigen against infection by Leptospira interrogans serovar canicola.
abstract: A protective glycolipid antigen (PAg) was extracted from Leptospira interrogans serovar canicola with chloroform/methanol/water (1:2:0.8, by vol.) and partially purified by silica gel column chromatography. The PAg elicited a protective response in hamsters and in cyclophosphamide-treated mice subsequently challenged with homologous Leptospira. The PAg band was detected as a single smear-like band, corresponding to a protein of 23-30 kDa, by silver-staining in SDS-PAGE. In immunoblots, this band reacted with a monoclonal antibody, A5, which agglutinated serovar canicola and recognized a serovar-specific antigen. Furthermore, the PAg did not migrate on silica gel TLC, but was detected at the origin as a ninhydrin- and naphthol-positive spot. This suggests that PAg is a hydrophilic molecule with a carbohydrate chain that contains amino groups, possibly as amino sugars.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Shizuoka, Japan.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Masuzawa
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Matsumoto
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Nakamura
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shimizu
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yanagihara
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D002855:Chromatography, Thin Layer; D006224:Cricetinae; D003520:Cyclophosphamide; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D006017:Glycolipids / Q000276:immunology* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D041341:Leptospira interrogans serovar canicola / Q000276:immunology*; D007922:Leptospirosis / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008297:Male; D008647:Mesocricetus; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C
chemical_list: D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D006017:Glycolipids; D003520:Cyclophosphamide