@article{10481,
  keywords = {Adult, Amino Acids, Bacterial Proteins, Bacterial Vaccines, Carbohydrates, Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid, Cross Reactions, Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay, Glycoconjugates, Humans, Immunodiffusion, Isoelectric Focusing, Lepromin, Lipids, Male, Mycobacterium avium, Mycobacterium leprae, Skin Tests},
  author = {Chirmule N B and Chaturvedi R M and Deo M G},
  title = {Immunogenic "subunit" of the ICRC antileprosy vaccine.},
  abstract = {<p>The administration of a vaccine containing ICRC bacilli, which is currently undergoing clinical trials in India, induces persistent lepromin conversion in lepromatous leprosy (LL) patients and lepromin-negative healthy subjects, with "upgrading" of tissue response in the former. A sonicate of ICRC bacilli, when subjected to gel-filtration chromatography using high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC), yields a high molecular weight glycolipoprotein (PP-I) with an apparent molecular weight of 10(6) daltons. PP-I, which brings about lepromin conversion in lepromin-negative healthy subjects, is a major immunogen of the organism, and carries epitopes for both B and T cells. A similar high molecular weight glycolipoprotein (PP-I Mycobacterium leprae) has been isolated from the sonicate of M. leprae. The two PP-I fractions exhibit a close antigenic relatedness at both B- and T-cell levels. However, they differ in their chemical composition and carry different charges. PP-I of ICRC is not only a good immunogen. Its high lipid content provides the necessary built-in adjuvant that would make it a good candidate for a "subunit" antileprosy vaccine. Also, since it carries epitopes for both B and T cells, PP-I ICRC could be used for "molecular engineering" to obtain molecules which selectively stimulate T-cell immunity which is the dominant host defense against M. leprae.</p>},
  year = {1988},
  journal = {International journal of leprosy and other mycobacterial diseases : official organ of the International Leprosy Association},
  volume = {56},
  pages = {27-35},
  month = {1988 Mar},
  issn = {0148-916X},
  language = {eng},
}