title: Interstrain conservation of babesial RAP-1 surface-exposed B-cell epitopes despite rap-1 genomic polymorphism.
abstract: Members of the babesial rhoptry-associated protein 1 (RAP-1) family express surface-exposed B-cell epitopes and are candidate antigens for vaccine development. The relationship between rap-1 genomic polymorphism and surface-exposed B-cell epitope expression was analyzed by comparison of biological clones of Mexico strain Babesia bigemina and Babesia bovis with strains isolated in Argentina. Despite genomic polymorphism between strains, including sequences located within the open reading frame, defined RAP-1 B-cell surface epitopes and RAP-1 molecular size were conserved in both B. bovis and B. bigemina.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Pathology, Washington State University, Pullman 99164-7040.
authors.forename: C E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Suarez
authors.forename: T F
authors.initials: TF
authors.lastname: McElwain
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Echaide
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Torioni de Echaide
authors.forename: G H
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Palmer
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000953:Antigens, Protozoan / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D001403:Babesia / Q000235:genetics*; D000939:Epitopes; D017125:Genes, Protozoan; D006801:Humans; D016366:Open Reading Frames; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D015800:Protozoan Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000953:Antigens, Protozoan; D000939:Epitopes; D015800:Protozoan Proteins; C065352:rhoptry associated protein, Plasmodium