Evaluation of cross-reactive antigens as determinants of cross-bactericidal activity in pathogenic and commensal Neisseria.
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.
Sánchez
S
S
Departamento de Microbiología, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, 15706, Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
Troncoso
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G
Ferreirós
C M
CM
Criado
M T
MT
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
D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins; D001428:Bacterial Vaccines; D000939:Epitopes; D007132:Immunoglobulin Isotypes; D003165:Complement System Proteins