TY - JOUR

T1 - Molecular and immunological characterisation of the glucose regulated protein 78 of Leishmania donovani

AU - Jensen, A T

AU - Curtis, J

AU - Montgomery, J

AU - Handman, E

AU - Theander, T G

N1 - Keywords: Amino Acid Sequence; Animals; Antigens, Protozoan; Base Sequence; Blotting, Northern; Cloning, Molecular; Disease Models, Animal; Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field; Gene Library; Genes, Protozoan; Heat-Shock Proteins; Humans; Leishmania donovani; Leishmaniasis; Mice; Mice, Inbred C3H; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Microscopy, Confocal; Molecular Sequence Data; Protozoan Proteins; Protozoan Vaccines; Vaccination; Vaccines, DNA

PY - 2001

Y1 - 2001

N2 - To identify novel potential Leishmania vaccine antigens, antibodies from patients with visceral leishmaniasis (VL) were used to isolate clones from a cDNA expression library of L. donovani amastigotes. Glucose Regulated Protein (GRP78), a member of the 70 kDa heat-shock protein family was identified and characterised. The GRP78 gene was localised to chromosome 15 in L. donovani, L. major, and L. mexicana by pulse-field gel electrophoresis. The Leishmania GRP78 protein contain a carboxy-terminal endoplasmic reticulum retention signal sequence (MDDL) as does the Trypanosoma cruzi GRP78. Immunofluorescence using antibodies to the recombinant DNA-derived GRP78 protein showed staining localised to reticular material throughout the cytoplasm and in the perinuclear region of promastigotes, suggesting that the protein is localised in the endoplasmic reticulum. The protective efficacy of GRP78 was assessed in mice vaccine experiments. A GRP78 DNA vaccine primed for an immune response that protected C57Bl/6 and C3H/He mice against infection with L. major. Similarly vaccination with a recombinant form of GRP78 purified from Escherichia coli and administered with Freund's as adjuvant induced protective immunity in C57Bl/6 mice.

AB - To identify novel potential Leishmania vaccine antigens, antibodies from patients with visceral leishmaniasis (VL) were used to isolate clones from a cDNA expression library of L. donovani amastigotes. Glucose Regulated Protein (GRP78), a member of the 70 kDa heat-shock protein family was identified and characterised. The GRP78 gene was localised to chromosome 15 in L. donovani, L. major, and L. mexicana by pulse-field gel electrophoresis. The Leishmania GRP78 protein contain a carboxy-terminal endoplasmic reticulum retention signal sequence (MDDL) as does the Trypanosoma cruzi GRP78. Immunofluorescence using antibodies to the recombinant DNA-derived GRP78 protein showed staining localised to reticular material throughout the cytoplasm and in the perinuclear region of promastigotes, suggesting that the protein is localised in the endoplasmic reticulum. The protective efficacy of GRP78 was assessed in mice vaccine experiments. A GRP78 DNA vaccine primed for an immune response that protected C57Bl/6 and C3H/He mice against infection with L. major. Similarly vaccination with a recombinant form of GRP78 purified from Escherichia coli and administered with Freund's as adjuvant induced protective immunity in C57Bl/6 mice.

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 11566370

VL - 1549

SP - 73

EP - 87

JO - B B A - General Subjects

JF - B B A - General Subjects

SN - 0304-4165

IS - 1

ER -