01737nas a2200337   4500000000100000008004100001260001700042653002700059653002400086653001800110653002300128653002100151653001000172653002100182653001100203653002300214653001200237653002500249100001400274700001200288700001500300700001500315700002000330700001400350700001400364245008700378300001000465490000800475520090200483022001401385       1985                            d  c1985 Aug 1-710aAntibodies, Monoclonal10aAntigens, Bacterial10aBase Sequence10aCloning, Molecular10aDNA, Recombinant10aGenes10aGenes, Bacterial10aHumans10aImmunity, Cellular10aleprosy10aMycobacterium leprae1 aYoung R A1 aMehra V1 aSweetser D1 aBuchanan T1 aClark-Curtiss J1 aDavis R W1 aBloom B R00aGenes for the major protein antigens of the leprosy parasite Mycobacterium leprae.  a450-20 v3163 a<p>Leprosy, a chronic infectious disease afflicting between 10 and 15 million people, is caused by the obligate intracellular parasite Mycobacterium leprae. Although M. leprae was the first identified bacterial pathogen of man, basic biochemical, immunological, diagnostic and therapeutic investigations have been severely limited because it remains one of the few human pathogens that have not been cultured in vitro. An M. leprae recombinant DNA expression library was constructed to provide a source of genes encoding proteins relevant for such studies. Monoclonal antibodies directed against M. leprae specific antigens have been used to isolate the genes encoding the five most immunogenic protein antigens of the leprosy bacillus. We report here that M. leprae specific epitopes recognized by all of 13 monoclonal antibodies tested were produced by recombinant phage in Escherichia coli.</p>  a0028-0836