02380nas a2200445   4500000000100000008004100001260001600042653002400058653002700082653002500109653002900134653002400163653002300187653001800210653001700228653001600245653001900261653001200280653002500292653002600317653002800343653002500371653003200396653002100428653002400449653001800473100001100491700001500502700001500517700001400532700001200546700001300558700001400571700001100585245014600596300001100742490000700753520116000760022001401920       1991                            d  c1991 Feb 0110aAmino Acid Sequence10aAntibodies, Monoclonal10aAntibody Specificity10aAntigen-Antibody Complex10aAntigens, Bacterial10aBacterial Proteins10aBase Sequence10aGene Library10aImmune Sera10aImmunoblotting10aleprosy10aLeprosy, lepromatous10aLymphocyte Activation10aMolecular Sequence Data10aMycobacterium leprae10aRecombinant Fusion Proteins10aReference Values10aRestriction Mapping10aT-Lymphocytes1 aLaal S1 aSharma Y D1 aPrasad H K1 aMurtaza A1 aSingh S1 aTangri S1 aMisra R S1 aNath I00aRecombinant fusion protein identified by lepromatous sera mimics native Mycobacterium leprae in T-cell responses across the leprosy spectrum.  a1054-80 v883 a<p>Pooled polyvalent sera from lepromatous leprosy patients were used to screen a lambda gt11 recombinant DNA expression library of Mycobacterium leprae in order to identify the relevant antigens recognized by the human immune response. Of the 300,000 phages screened, 4 clones were identified that coded for fusion proteins of the same molecular mass. The fusion protein from clone LSR2 was tested for immunoreactivity in assays using peripheral blood cells and sera from 11 laboratory personnel and 105 patients across the leprosy spectrum. LSR2 protein appears to be predominantly a T-cell antigen. It evokes similar lymphoproliferative responses as the native bacillus both at the individual level and in the leprosy spectrum as a whole. Though only 50% of patient sera with anti-M. leprae antibodies reacted with the fusion protein, the pattern of reactivity in the antibody responses was also similar for the various clinical types. The coding regions of clones LSR1 and LSR2 are identical. They show no homology with sequences stored in data banks and encode a protein of 89 amino acids with a calculated molecular mass of approximately 10 kDa.</p>  a0027-8424