TY - JOUR KW - Antibodies, Monoclonal KW - Antigens, Bacterial KW - Base Sequence KW - Cloning, Molecular KW - DNA, Recombinant KW - Genes KW - Genes, Bacterial KW - Humans KW - Immunity, Cellular KW - leprosy KW - Mycobacterium leprae AU - Young R A AU - Mehra V AU - Sweetser D AU - Buchanan T AU - Clark-Curtiss J AU - Davis R W AU - Bloom B R AB -

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.

BT - Nature C1 - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3894979?dopt=Abstract DA - 1985 Aug 1-7 DO - 10.1038/316450a0 IS - 6027 J2 - Nature LA - eng N2 -

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.

PY - 1985 SP - 450 EP - 2 T2 - Nature TI - Genes for the major protein antigens of the leprosy parasite Mycobacterium leprae. VL - 316 SN - 0028-0836 ER -