Novel 33-kilodalton lipoprotein from Mycobacterium leprae.
A novel Mycobacterium leprae lipoprotein LpK (accession no. ML0603) was identified from the genomic database. The 1,116-bp open reading frame encodes a 371-amino-acid precursor protein with an N-terminal signal sequence and a consensus motif for lipid conjugation. Expression of the protein, LpK, in Escherichia coli revealed a 33-kDa protein, and metabolic labeling experiments and globomycin treatment proved that the protein was lipidated. Fractionation of M. leprae demonstrated that this lipoprotein was a membrane protein of M. leprae. The purified lipoprotein was found to induce production of interleukin-12 in human peripheral blood monocytes. The studies imply that M. leprae LpK is involved in protective immunity against leprosy and may be a candidate for vaccine design.
Department of Microbiology, Leprosy Research Center, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Higashimurayama, Tokyo 189-0002, Japan. yumi@nih.go.jp
Yumi
Y
Maeda
Masahiko
M
Makino
Dean C
DC
Crick
Sebabrata
S
Mahapatra
Sopa
S
Srisungnam
Takemasa
T
Takii
Yoshiko
Y
Kashiwabara
Patrick J
PJ
Brennan
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004926:Escherichia coli; D015870:Gene Expression; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D006801:Humans; D018664:Interleukin-12 / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D008074:Lipoproteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D008970:Molecular Weight; D009000:Monocytes / Q000276:immunology; D009166:Mycobacterium leprae / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D011498:Protein Precursors / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D008074:Lipoproteins; C464640:LpK protein, Mycobacterium leprae; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D011498:Protein Precursors; D018664:Interleukin-12