Synthetic peptides representing two protective, linear B-cell epitopes of outer membrane protein F of Pseudomonas aeruginosa elicit whole-cell-reactive antibodies that are functionally pseudomonad specific.
Peptide 9 (TDAYNQKLSERRAN) and peptide 10 (NATAEGRAINRRVE) represent surface-exposed epitopes of outer membrane protein F of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Rats immunized with four intramuscular inoculations on days 0, 14, 28, and 42 with either peptide 9 or peptide 10 conjugated to keyhole limpet hemocyanin were afforded protection against pulmonary lesions when examined 7 days subsequent to challenge (day 56) via intratracheal inoculation of P. aeruginosa-containing agar beads. Peptide 9 shares considerable homology with other OmpA-related outer membrane proteins in various bacteria, whereas peptide 10 displays little homology with these other proteins. Antisera directed to peptide 9 reacted weakly with cell envelope proteins from the various other OmpA-associated bacteria upon immunoblot analysis. However, antisera directed to peptide 10 reacted only with Neisseria gonorrhoeae cell envelope proteins upon immunoblot analysis. Antisera to both peptides 9 and 10 reacted at minimal titers with whole cells of the various other bacteria in a whole-cell enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) but antisera to each of the peptides reacted at high titers when various strains of P. aeruginosa were used as the ELISA antigen. Antibodies to peptides 9 and 10 were protective, reactive to all strain of P. aeruginosa tested except for a protein F-deficient mutant, and functionally specific against pseudomonads.
Gilleland
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Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Louisiana State University Medical Center, School of Medicine in Shreveport 71130-3932, USA.
Gilleland
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D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology*; D000918:Antibody Specificity; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins / Q000276:immunology*; D003429:Cross Reactions; D000939:Epitopes; D005260:Female; D007106:Immune Sera / Q000276:immunology; D051379:Mice; D008813:Mice, Inbred ICR; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011550:Pseudomonas aeruginosa / Q000276:immunology*; D051381:Rats
D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins; D000939:Epitopes; D007106:Immune Sera