title: Species-specific B-cell epitope on the C-terminal region of the alpha antigen from Mycobacterium scrofulaceum.
abstract: In the amino acid (AA) sequences of alpha antigen from mycobacteria, C-terminal regions were variable among a variety of mycobacterial species though the N-terminal regions were relatively conserved. These regions may possess some species-specific antigenic determinants of the alpha antigen from Mycobacterium scrofulaceum (S-alpha). AAs288-300 of S-alpha fused to beta-galactosidase was reactive with the antisera raised against S-alpha. The same fused peptide did not react with the antisera raised against the alpha antigen from Mycobacterium avium (A-alpha) and Mycobacterium bovis BCG (B-alpha). B-cell epitope mapping then was performed focusing on the C-terminal region of S-alpha using the synthetic peptides. Their reactivities with antisera raised against the alpha antigens of three different mycobacterial species were assessed by ELISA. AAs279-286 were a cross-reactive common immunodominant region among three mycobacterial species. This region may be one of the cross-reactive common epitopes in mycobacterial species. And AAs291-300 were reactive only with the antisera raised against S-alpha. This region may possess a species-specific epitope.
authors.affiliation: School of Dentistry, Nagasaki University, 1-7-1 Sakamoto, Nagasaki, 852, Japan.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Takano
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ohara
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Naito
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Matsumoto
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Matsuo
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Shirai
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mizuno
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yamada
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology*; D018985:Epitopes, B-Lymphocyte / Q000276:immunology*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D015359:Mycobacterium scrofulaceum / Q000276:immunology*; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D018985:Epitopes, B-Lymphocyte; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; C052242:alpha antigens, Mycobacterium