A preliminary analysis of the membrane proteins of arthritis-causing Yersinia.
The outer membrane proteins (OMP) of fifteen strains of Yersinia were separated from the inner membrane (IMP) and intracytoplasmic (ICP) proteins. The molecular composition of these fractions was then analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The OMP of all fifteen strains exhibited a uniform pattern markedly distinct from the IMP and ICP. There was, however, heterogeneity in the OMP among the various bacteria, based on the apparent molecular weights of several of the major proteins. The two most prominent major proteins are easily distinguished because their apparent molecular weights varied substantially depending on the temperature at which the membranes were solubilized. Using the apparent molecular weights of these two proteins as a basis for comparison, the Yersinia organisms of serotype 3 presented a unique electrophoretic pattern, different from those of non-serotype 3 Yersinia organisms. Four of the nine serotype 3 organisms analyzed here were isolated from patients who developed arthritis subsequent to infection. However, no obviously unique features could be distinguished. A major focus of research effort is currently being devoted to the examination of the immune response generated against the Yersinia organisms by patients with Yersinia-induced arthritis. Most of the studies, so far, have utilized whole bacteria as the antigens. The data presented in this paper provide the basis of future analysis of such immune responses to individual molecules of Yersinia.
D001168:Arthritis / Q000209:etiology; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D005591:Chemical Fractionation; D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000032:analysis; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D006801:Humans; D007425:Intracellular Membranes / Q000032:analysis; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000032:analysis*; D011506:Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D015007:Yersinia / Q000032:analysis*; D015009:Yersinia Infections / Q000150:complications; D015008:Yersinia enterocolitica
D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D011506:Proteins