Protection of guinea-pigs from experimental Rocky Mountain spotted fever by immunization with baculovirus-expressed Rickettsia rickettsii rOmpA protein.
Baculovirus recombinants that express the Rickettsia rickettsii rOmpA protein were constructed. Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against the rOmpA protein reacted with recombinant-infected Spodoptera frugiperda (Sf9) cells in indirect immunofluorescence assays. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and immunoblotting of infected Sf9 cell lysates with a mAb against rOmpA showed that the recombinant-expressed rOmpA protein migrated slightly below rOmpA extracted from R. rickettsii. Guinea-pigs immunized with lysates of recombinant-infected Sf9 cells developed antibodies reactive with R. rickettsii and were protected against challenge, indicating that the baculovirus-expressed rOmpA protein could be useful in subunit vaccines and for studies of the immune response to R. rickettsii infection.
Sumner
J W
JW
Rickettsial Zoonoses Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30333, USA.
Sims
K G
KG
Jones
D C
DC
Anderson
B E
BE
D000818:Animals; D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*; D001428:Bacterial Vaccines / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016367:Baculoviridae / Q000235:genetics*; D001483:Base Sequence; D005822:Genetic Vectors; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D012284:Rickettsia rickettsii / Q000276:immunology*; D012373:Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D018411:Spodoptera / Q000378:metabolism
D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins; D001428:Bacterial Vaccines; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; C080205:rOmpA, Rickettsia