Immunological screening of a genomic M. bovis BCG library expressed in M. smegmatis and identification of the M. bovis BCG analog of ClpB

M. Bona, R. Nayak, M. Wu, M. Mincek, J. J. Ellner

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

This work describes the screening of a M. bovis BCG cosmid library in M. smegmatis with a hyperimmune rabbit anti-BCG serum. Cross-reactive antibodies interfere with the detection of BCG specific antigens in M. smegmatis culture filtrates. We, therefore, screened parallel western blots with serum adsorbed with a M. smegmatis cell lysate and unadsorbed serum. Comparison of the western blots allowed distinction between BCG specific and cross-reactive M. smegmatis antigens. Thirty-one cosmids expressed BCG specific antigens. One of them, a hitherto undescribed 100 kDa antigen was subcloned, sequenced and expressed in E. coli. It shows a high degree of homology to ClpB, a member of the Clp family of proteases and was immunologically reactive with the rabbit hyperimmune serum against M. bovis BCG. A positive signal was also obtained with sera of patients with tuberculosis. This antigen is a previously unrecognized target of the human immune response to mycobacteria.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)133-141
Number of pages9
JournalTubercle and Lung Disease
Volume78
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - 1997
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Pulmonary and Respiratory Medicine
  • Immunology
  • Microbiology

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