title: Expression and functional characterisation of the clpC gene of Mycobacterium leprae: ClpC protein elicits human antibody response.
abstract: This paper reports the expression of a previously described gene [Nath and Laal, Nucleic Acids Res. 18 (1990) 4935], currently identified as the clpC gene of Mycobacterium leprae, using an in vitro rabbit reticulocyte lysate-coupled transcription/translation system. The produced protein moved as a 95-kDa band on SDS-PAGE. An additional band of 79 kDa was seen which may have resulted from a GTG codon downstream to the initiating ATG in the clpC sequence. A threefold increase in synthesis of the 95-kDa protein was achieved by altering the translation codon context sequence of the ATG start codon. The ClpC (caseinolytic protease C) amino acid sequence, which contained two nucleotide-binding sites, exhibited in vitro ATP binding. Of functional significance was its immunoreactivity in human subjects with mycobacterial infection. Leprosy and tuberculosis patients with active disease had antibodies which recognised ClpC in dot ELISA.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Misra
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Habib
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ranjan
authors.forename: S E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Hasnain
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Nath
mesh_terms: D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate / Q000378:metabolism; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D001483:Base Sequence; D017931:DNA Primers; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005822:Genetic Vectors; D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009166:Mycobacterium leprae / Q000235:genetics*; D011485:Protein Binding
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; C087481:ClpC protein, Bacteria; D017931:DNA Primers; D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins; D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate