Passive immunity to infection with Yersinia spp. mediated by anti-recombinant V antigen is dependent on polymorphism of V antigen.
The V antigen is a 37-kDa secreted polypeptide encoded on the 70-kb virulence plasmid of pathogenic Yersinia spp. Besides having regulatory functions, it is known to be a virulence factor and a protective antigen. DNA sequencing of the most common serotypes of human pathogenic Yersinia enterocolitica and Y. pseudotuberculosis revealed that two evolutionary distinct types of V antigen exist in Yersinia spp. One type is represented by Y. enterocolitica serotype 08 strains WA, WA-314, and NCTC 10938 (designated LcrV-YenO8); the other type comprises Y. pestis, Y. pseudotuberculosis, and Y. enterocolitica serotypes O3, O9, and O5,27 (LcrV-Yps). A hypervariable region between amino acids 225 and 232 represents the main difference between the two types. By raising monospecific antisera against both types of V antigen (anti-rVO8 and anti-rVO3), we were able to demonstrate that, in general, passive immunization of mice against a challenge with yersiniae was possible with both anti-Y. enterocolitica V antigen sera. However, anti-V antigen serum was protective only if the immunizing V antigen was the same type as the V antigen produced by the infective strain. The failure of the American V antigen type represented by Y. enterocolitica serotype O8 to protect against Yersinia spp. carrying the other V antigen type (LcrV-Yps) could be an explanation for the presence of plague foci in American countries.
Roggenkamp
A
A
Max von Pettenkofer Institute for Hygiene and Microbiology, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Germany.
Geiger
A M
AM
Leitritz
L
L
Kessler
A
A
Heesemann
J
J
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000918:Antibody Specificity; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology*; D001483:Base Sequence; D005260:Female; D007106:Immune Sera / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000032:analysis; D007116:Immunization, Passive; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic / Q000276:immunology*; D052899:Pore Forming Cytotoxic Proteins; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000276:immunology* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D012703:Serotyping; D015009:Yersinia Infections / Q000276:immunology; D015008:Yersinia enterocolitica / Q000145:classification / Q000276:immunology*; D015011:Yersinia pseudotuberculosis / Q000145:classification / Q000276:immunology*; D015012:Yersinia pseudotuberculosis Infections / Q000276:immunology
D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D007106:Immune Sera; C043908:LcrV protein, Yersinia; D052899:Pore Forming Cytotoxic Proteins; D011994:Recombinant Proteins