title: Trypanosoma brucei: anti-tubulin antibodies specifically inhibit trypanosome growth in culture.
abstract: We previously observed that trypanosome tubulin immunizes mice against infection by this parasite. Here we describe the direct effect of anti-tubulin antibodies on trypanosomes, using rabbit antibodies to renatured (nTbTub) or SDS-PAGE denatured (dTbTub) Trypanosoma brucei tubulin. We also evaluate antibodies to synthetic tubulin peptides (STP) and rat brain tubulin (RbTub). The anti-nTbTub serum strongly inhibited trypanosome proliferation in culture, and immunoagglutinated trypanosomes even after heat inactivation of complement. The anti-dTbTub and the anti-STP sera also inhibited trypanosome growth and immunoagglutinated trypanosomes, but to a lesser extent than the anti-nTbTub, whereas the anti-RbTub serum had no effect. In Western blots these antibodies were species specific. Immunofluorescence showed that the surface of intact trypanosomes was not uniformly stained by any of these antibodies, but cells that had been permeabilised were labeled throughout the cytoplasm. This suggests that the variant surface glycoproteins (VSG) played no part in the generation of these inhibitory antibodies.
authors.affiliation: Molecular Biology Laboratory, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Makerere University, P.O. Box 7062, Kampala, Uganda. glubega@imul.com
authors.forename: George W
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: Lubega
authors.forename: Donosian O K
authors.initials: DO
authors.lastname: Ochola
authors.forename: Roger K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Prichard
mesh_terms: D000372:Agglutination Tests; D000818:Animals; D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan / Q000276:immunology*; D000918:Antibody Specificity; D015153:Blotting, Western; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D007106:Immune Sera / Q000276:immunology; D007114:Immunization / Q000379:methods; D051379:Mice; D011817:Rabbits; D051381:Rats; D014346:Trypanosoma brucei brucei / Q000254:growth & development / Q000276:immunology*; D014404:Tubulin / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology* / Q000302:isolation & purification
chemical_list: D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan; D007106:Immune Sera; D014404:Tubulin