title: Candidate Neisseria meningitidis NspA vaccine.
abstract: The highly conserved NspA protein has been found in the outer membrane of every Neisseria meningitidis strain tested so far. Two monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) directed against this protein were used to demonstrate that biologically important epitopes of the NspA protein are exposed at the surface of serologically distinct meningococcal strains. Analysis of sera collected from mice that survived a deadly meningococcal challenge following immunization with recombinant NspA protein (rNspA) revealed the presence of cross-reactive antibodies which efficiently attached to and killed the four serogroup B strains tested. These data are additional proof that the NspA protein is exposed at the surface of intact meningococcal cells, which is an important characteristic for a vaccine candidate.
authors.affiliation: Unite de Recherche en Vaccinologie, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Québec, Pavillon CHUL et Université Laval, Sainte-Foy, G1V 4G2, Québec, Canada. denis.martin@crchul.ulaval.ca
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.forename: B R
authors.initials: BR
authors.lastname: Brodeur
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hamel
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Couture
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: de Alwis
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Lian
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Andrews
authors.forename: R W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Ellis
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000276:immunology; D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology*; D001428:Bacterial Vaccines / Q000276:immunology*; D003429:Cross Reactions; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D000939:Epitopes / Q000276:immunology; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009345:Neisseria meningitidis / Q000276:immunology*; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins; D001428:Bacterial Vaccines; D000939:Epitopes; C105506:NspA protein, Neisseria; D011994:Recombinant Proteins