The lipopolysaccharide of Porphyromonas gingivalis is not antigenically cross-reactive with that of other species.
Large numbers of Porphyromonas, Prevotella, and Bacteroides strains were screened by 3 monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) and 8 rabbit antisera raised against Porphyromonas gingivalis, in order to detect any possible recognition of non-P. gingivalis surface antigens by these immunoreagents. All three MAbs, which were LPS-specific, extensively recognized LPS from 10 P. gingivalis strains in immunoblotting, whereas they recognized none of the 34 non-P. gingivalis strains. Rabbit antisera were similarly specific for P. gingivalis cells in immunofluorescence and with LPS in grid-blotting, but several of them recognized LPS from one Prevotella melaninogenica and 5 Prevotella intermedia strains in Western blotting. Since several pre-immune sera and an irrelevant serum raised to a Streptococcus species recognized up to 5 of these preparations, we exclude that the reactions were due to antigens shared by P. gingivalis and Prevotella. Rather, we consider that they were false-positive reactions due to natural antibodies, stimulated in a non-specific manner upon immunization with P. gingivalis, in animals whose immune systems were sensitized to Prevotella species before immunization.
Ní Eidhin
D
D
Groupe de Recherche en Ecologie Buccale, Faculté de Médecine Dentaire, Université Laval, Québec, Canada.
Mouton
C
C
D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology*; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000918:Antibody Specificity; D001439:Bacteroides / Q000276:immunology*; D003429:Cross Reactions; D000939:Epitopes / Q000276:immunology; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D015151:Immunoblotting; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000276:immunology*; D016966:Porphyromonas gingivalis / Q000276:immunology* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D013045:Species Specificity
D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000939:Epitopes; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides