title: Analysis of the humoral response elicited in mice by a chimeric peptide representing variable segments I and IV of the major outer membrane protein of Chlamydia trachomatis.
abstract: A synthetic chimeric peptide representing the variable segments I (VS I) and IV of the major outer membrane protein (MOMP) of Chlamydia trachomatis, serovars C and E respectively, was studied to determine its ability to elicit a neutralizing humoral response in mice. Antibody responses varied to the peptide in the five inbred strains of mice, A/J(H-2a), DBA/1(H-2q), C57BL/10(H-2b), CBA/J(H-2k), Balb/c(H-2d), that were immunized. There was a spectrum of antibody responses which ranged from high ELISA and IFA titres by the C57BL/10 mice to little or no response by Balb/c mice. Antisera from C57BL/10 mice recognized all 15 serovars of C. trachomatis in a dot blot assay. A pepscan of the antisera from C57BL/10 mice showed strong reactivity to both neutralizing epitopes VAGLQNDPT in VS I of serovar C and the species-conserved peptide, TLNPTIA, in the VS IV. This antiserum neutralized, in vitro, the infectivity of serovars representing the B complex (B, D and E), C complex (C and J), B-related (F) and C-related (L3) complexes. In an attempt to elicit a stronger response to the peptide in the weakly reactive Balb/c and the DBA/1 strains, the peptide was conjugated to the carrier, keyhole limpet haemocyanin (KLH). All mice immunized with the KLH-peptide produced high-titred antisera that recognized neutralizing epitopes in VS I and VS IV and strongly neutralized the infectivity of both serovars C and E.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University of California at Irvine 92717-4800.
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Qu
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: L M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: de la Maza
authors.forename: E M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Peterson
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000097:blood*; D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins / Q000276:immunology*; D002692:Chlamydia trachomatis / Q000276:immunology*; D000939:Epitopes; D005260:Female; D006433:Hemocyanins / Q000276:immunology; D007106:Immune Sera / Q000276:immunology; D007114:Immunization; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008808:Mice, Inbred CBA; D008811:Mice, Inbred DBA; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D018272:Porins; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000276:immunology*; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins; D000939:Epitopes; D007106:Immune Sera; D018272:Porins; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; C071677:omp1 protein, Chlamydia trachomatis; D006433:Hemocyanins; C032808:keyhole-limpet hemocyanin