title: Evaluation of cross-reactive antigens as determinants of cross-bactericidal activity in pathogenic and commensal Neisseria.
abstract: Several antisera raised against outer membane vesicles obtained from invasive and carrier Neisseria meningitidis strains and commensal Neisseria and Moraxella catharralis species were assayed to test cross-bactericidal activity on Neisseria meningitidis strains. Results demonstrate that, despite the wide antigenic cross-reactivity previously shown by Western-blotting for the major outer membrane antigenic proteins of all Neisseria species, complement mediated killing shows very variable patterns that can not be predicted on the basis of antigenic cross-reactivity. Results of antibody tritations on homologous and heterologous strains, isotyping, and bactericidal activity of sera raised against denatured purified outer-membrane vesicle proteins, suggest that the responsibility for most of the bactericidal activity of the sera must be conformational and/or shared epitopes not detectable by Western-blotting.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Microbiología, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, 15706, Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sánchez
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Troncoso
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Ferreirós
authors.forename: M T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Criado
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000097:blood; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D001428:Bacterial Vaccines / Q000494:pharmacology; D001770:Blood Bactericidal Activity; D015153:Blotting, Western; D003165:Complement System Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D003429:Cross Reactions; D000939:Epitopes; D006801:Humans; D007132:Immunoglobulin Isotypes / Q000097:blood; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D001936:Moraxella catarrhalis / Q000276:immunology / Q000472:pathogenicity; D009343:Neisseria / Q000276:immunology* / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D009345:Neisseria meningitidis / Q000276:immunology / Q000472:pathogenicity; D014774:Virulence
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins; D001428:Bacterial Vaccines; D000939:Epitopes; D007132:Immunoglobulin Isotypes; D003165:Complement System Proteins