Molecular characterization of the pL40 protein in Leptospira interrogans.
Leptospirosis is a widespread zoonotic disease caused by pathogenic leptospires. The identification of outer membrane proteins (OMPs) conserved among pathogenic leptospires, which are exposed on the leptospiral surface and expressed during mammalian infection, has become a major focus of leptospirosis research. pL40, a 40 kDa protein coded by the LA3744 gene in Leptospira interrogans, was found to be unique to Leptospira. Triton X-114 fractionation and flow cytometry analyses indicate that pL40 is a component of the leptospiral outer membrane. The conservation of pL40 among Leptospira strains prevalent in China was confirmed by both Western blotting and PCR screening. Furthermore, the pL40 antigen could be recognized by sera from guinea pigs and mice infected with low-passage L. interrogans. These findings indicate that pL40 may serve as a useful serodiagnostic antigen and vaccine candidate for L. interrogans.
Zhao
Wei
W
Department of Medical Microbiology and Parasitology, Institutes of Medical Sciences, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200025, China.
Chen
Chun-Yan
CY
Zhang
Xiang-Yan
XY
Lai
Wei-Qiang
WQ
Hu
Bao-Yu
BY
Zhao
Guo-Ping
GP
Qin
Jin-Hong
JH
Guo
Xiao-Kui
XK
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D007919:Leptospira / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D007921:Leptospira interrogans / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D007922:Leptospirosis / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D008970:Molecular Weight; D021381:Protein Transport; D016415:Sequence Alignment
D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins