02679nas a2200445   4500000000100000008004100001260001300042653002400055653001200079653001500091653001500106653001800121653002300139653002300162653002000185653001100205653004100216653002100257653001600278653002800294653002500322653001300347653002100360653002500381653002300406653003400429100001400463700001400477700001400491700001500505700001700520700001600537700001900553700001500572245019500587300001100782490000700793520141900800022001402219       2008                            d  c2008 Aug10aAmino Acid Sequence10aAnimals10aAntibodies10aArmadillos10aBase Sequence10aCell Proliferation10aDNA, Complementary10aGene Expression10aHumans10aIndoleamine-Pyrrole 2,3,-Dioxygenase10aInterferon-gamma10aMacrophages10aMolecular Sequence Data10aMycobacterium leprae10aNitrites10aProtein Isoforms10aRecombinant Proteins10aSequence Alignment10aSequence Homology, Amino Acid1 aPeña M T1 aAdams J E1 aAdams L B1 aGillis T P1 aWilliams D L1 aSpencer J S1 aKrahenbuhl J L1 aTruman R W00aExpression and characterization of recombinant interferon gamma (IFN-gamma) from the nine-banded armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus) and its effect on Mycobacterium leprae-infected macrophages.  a124-310 v433 a<p>Armadillos (Dasypus novemcinctus) manifest the full histopathological spectrum of leprosy, and are hosts of choice for in vivo propagation of Mycobacterium leprae. Though potentially useful as a model of leprosy pathogenesis, few armadillo-specific reagents exist. We have identified a region of high homology to the interferon gamma (IFN-gamma) of other mammals within the recently published armadillo whole genomic sequence. cDNA was made from ConA-stimulated armadillo peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), amplified, and cloned into a pET expression vector for transformation and over-expression in Escherichia coli. The recombinant protein (rDnIFN-gamma) was characterized by western blot and its biological function confirmed with bioassays including intracellular killing of Toxoplasma gondii and induction of indoleamine 2, 3-dioxygenase activity. In using rIFN-gamma to activate macrophages from mice, humans or armadillos, similar to humans, rIFN-gamma-activated armadillo MPhi did not produce nitrite and or inhibit the viability of M. leprae in vitro. Conversely, murine rIFN-gamma-activated mouse MPhi produced high levels of nitrite and killed intracellular M. leprae in vitro. These data indicate that the response of armadillo MPhi to rDnIFN-gamma is similar to that which occurs in humans, and demonstrates a potentially important value of the armadillo as a model in leprosy research.</p>  a1096-0023