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Infect. Immun., Mar 1995, 954-960, Vol 63, No. 3
PW Hermans, F Abebe, VI Kuteyi, AH Kolk, JE Thole and M Harboe
Crossed immunoelectrophoresis (CIE) has been used to develop a reference
system for classifying mycobacterial antigens. The subsequent use of
specific antibodies allowed further determination of antigens by molecular
weight. The monoclonal antibody F126-2, originally raised against a 34-kDa
antigen of Mycobacterium kansasii, reacted with antigen 84 (Ag84) in the
CIE reference system for Mycobacterium bovis BCG and Mycobacterium
tuberculosis. To characterize Ag84, we screened a lambda gt11 gene library
from M. tuberculosis with antibody F126-2 and identified the encoding gene.
The corresponding Mycobacterium leprae Ag84 gene was subsequently selected
from a cosmid library, using the M. tuberculosis gene as a probe. Both
genes were expressed as 34-kDa proteins in Escherichia coli, and the
recombinant proteins indeed corresponded to Ag84 in the CIE reference
system. The derived amino acid sequences of the M. tuberculosis and M.
leprae proteins showed 85% identity, which indicates that Ag84 constitutes
a group of highly conserved mycobacterial antigens. Antibodies of almost
60% of lepromatous leprosy patients responded to Ag84, indicating that the
protein is highly immunogenic following infection in multibacillary
leprosy.
Copyright © 1995, American Society for Microbiology
Molecular and immunological characterization of the highly conserved antigen 84 from Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Mycobacterium leprae
Armauer Hansen Research Institute, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
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