Identification Of Recombinant Antigens Of Mycobacterium Leprae Which React With Antibodies From Lepromatous And Borderline Leprosy Patients

Recombinant antigens of Mycobacterium leprae were identified byrnscreening a lambda gt-11 M. leprae library with absorbedrnlepromatous (LL), borderline tuberculoid (BT) leprosy and a healthyrncontact sera in separate experiments. Six, three, and one clonesrnwere respectively isolated by successive screenings of the plaquesrnby immunodetection of antigens on nitrocellulose filters. Ofrnthese, a total of six lysogens were generated. Four were made fromrnthe clones isolated using LL serum and two were made fromclo~esrnisolated using BT serum. Analysis of the apparent molecular massrnof the recombinant proteins by either SDS-PAGE or Western blotting,rnshowed the fusion proteins to be in the range of 116 kD to 1.44 kD.rnThe reactivity of recombinant proteins with patients serarnthroughout the spectrum of the disease was found to be heterogenousrnregardless of the molecular sizes of the proteins. Therncharacterization of the clones with regard to DNA insert mass wasrnmade by amplification with Taq polymerase chain reaction. Thernanalysis on 1.5% agarose gel electrophoresis showed the range to bernfrom 0.3 Kb to 2.0 Kb. The proliferation of T-cell as a result ofrnstimulation by the recombinant proteins (antigens) looks promisingrnand further study for confirmation is in progress.

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