Immunological characterization of alpha antigen of Mycobacterium kansasii: B-cell epitope mapping.
Mapping of B-cell epitopes on alpha antigen of Mycobacterium kansasii (K-alpha) was carried out by using recombinant truncated K-alpha fusion peptides. We observed that two immunodominant B-cell epitopes (amino acids 222-268 and 267-306) and one minor epitope (amino acid 249-286) were located in the C-terminal region of K-alpha. The other three minor B-cell epitopes were mapped in N-terminal (amino acids 80-98 and 99-166) and central (amino acid 174-204) regions of K-alpha. All defined epitopes were common to Mycobacterium tuberculosis and M. kansasii. Besides these common epitopes, a region in K-alpha (amino acid 290-319) revealed different reactivities between antibodies against K-alpha and alpha antigen of M. tuberculosis. These findings may provide a basis for development of serodiagnosis that can distinguish between M. kansasii and M. tuberculosis infections.
Naito
M
M
Department of Oral Bacteriology, Nagasaki University School of Dentistry, Japan.
Ohara
N
N
Matsumoto
S
S
Yamada
T
T
D000818:Animals; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology*; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D018604:Epitope Mapping; D018985:Epitopes, B-Lymphocyte / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008809:Mice, Inbred C3H; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D019909:Mycobacterium kansasii / Q000276:immunology*; D010455:Peptides / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000276:immunology; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000276:immunology
D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D018985:Epitopes, B-Lymphocyte; D010455:Peptides; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; C052242:alpha antigens, Mycobacterium