Identification of the major T-cell antigens present in the Brucella melitensis B115 protein preparation, Brucellergene OCB

• Published in: Journal of medical microbiology Vol. 46; no. 9; pp. 801 - 806
• Main Authors: DENOEL, P. A, VO, T. K.-O, WEYNANTS, V. E, TIBOR, A, GILSON, D, ZYGMUNT, M. S, LIMET, J. N, LETESSON, J.-J
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Reading Soc General Microbiol 01.09.1997; Society for General Microbiology
• Subjects: Allergens - immunology; Animals; Antigens, Bacterial - immunology; Bacterial Proteins; Bacteriology; Biological and medical sciences; Blotting, Western; Brucella melitensis - immunology; Brucellosis - immunology; Brucellosis, Bovine - immunology; Cattle; Cytochrome b Group - immunology; Ferritins - immunology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Guinea Pigs; Hypersensitivity, Delayed; Interferon-gamma - biosynthesis; Lymphocyte Activation; Microbiology; Pathogenicity, virulence, toxins, bacteriocins, pyrogens, host-bacteria relations, miscellaneous strains; T-Lymphocytes - immunology; Host agent relation; Cellular immunity; In vitro; Proteins; Specificity; Brucellaceae; Antigenicity; T-Lymphocyte; Bacteria; Commercial form; Veterinary; Brucella melitensis; Allergen
• ISSN: 0022-2615; 1473-5644
• DOI: 10.1099/00222615-46-9-801

Laboratoire de Microbiologie et d'Immunologie, UR Biologie Moléculaire, Facultés Universitaires Notre-Dame de la Paix, 61 rue de Bruxelles, B-5000 Namur, Belgium *Laboratoire de Pathologie Infectieuse et Immunologie, Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, 37380 Nouzilly, France Corresponding author: Dr P. A. Denoel. Received January 30, 1997 Accepted February 17, 1997 Brucellergene is a commercial allergen prepared from Brucella melitensis strain B115 and containing at least 20 cytoplasmic proteins. These proteins were separated by SDS-PAGE. The unstained gel was divided into 18 fractions and proteins were eluted from the gel fractions. The capacity of the separated proteins to elicit delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) in infected guinea-pigs or to induce the production of interferon- (IFN- ) by blood cells from infected cattle was evaluated. The biological activity of the corresponding protein fractions blotted on to nitrocellulose was measured in a lymphocyte blastogenesis assay. Among the 18 fractions tested, two - spanning the mol. wt ranges 17-22 (fraction 8) and 35-42-kDa (fraction 17) - showed the maximum biological activity in the three tests. These fractions contain two antigens, the Brucella bacterioferritin (BFR) and P39 proteins. Both proteins are good candidates for the detection of cellular immunity to Brucella .