title: Antibody-Mediated Neutralization of the Exotoxin Mycolactone, the Main Virulence Factor Produced by Mycobacterium ulcerans.
abstract: Mycolactone, the macrolide exotoxin produced by Mycobacterium ulcerans, causes extensive tissue destruction by inducing apoptosis of host cells. In this study, we aimed at the production of antibodies that could neutralize the cytotoxic activities of mycolactone.
  
  
  
  Using the B cell hybridoma technology, we generated a series of monoclonal antibodies with specificity for mycolactone from spleen cells of mice immunized with the protein conjugate of a truncated synthetic mycolactone derivative. L929 fibroblasts were used as a model system to investigate whether these antibodies can inhibit the biological effects of mycolactone. By measuring the metabolic activity of the fibroblasts, we found that anti-mycolactone mAbs can completely neutralize the cytotoxic activity of mycolactone.
  
  
  
  The toxin neutralizing capacity of anti-mycolactone mAbs supports the concept of evaluating the macrolide toxin as vaccine target.
authors.affiliation: Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland.|University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Jean-Pierre
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Dangy
authors.affiliation: Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland.|University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Scherr
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Philipp
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gersbach
authors.affiliation: Roche Innovation Center, Chemical Biology, Basel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Melanie N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Hug
authors.affiliation: Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland.|University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Raphael
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bieri
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Claudio
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bomio
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Roche Innovation Center, Chemical Biology, Basel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Sylwia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Huber
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Karl-Heinz
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Altmann
authors.affiliation: Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland.|University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Gerd
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pluschke
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000276:immunology*; D005098:Exotoxins / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D018942:Macrolides / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D015394:Molecular Structure; D019911:Mycobacterium ulcerans / Q000378:metabolism*; D037521:Virulence Factors / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D005098:Exotoxins; D018942:Macrolides; D037521:Virulence Factors; C117218:mycolactone