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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Ames, Iowa » National Animal Disease Center » Infectious Bacterial Diseases Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #146151
Title: LIPL21 IS A NOVEL SURFACE EXPOSED LIPOPROTEIN OF PATHOGENIC LEPTOSPIRA SPECIES

Author
item CULLEN, PAUL - MONASH UNIVERSITY
item HAAKE, DAVID - UCLA
item BULACH, DIETER - MONASH UNIVERSITY
item Zuerner, Richard
item ADLER, BEN - MONASH UNIVERSITY

Submitted to: Infection and Immunity
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/6/2003
Publication Date: 5/20/2003
Citation: Cullen, P., Haake, D., Bulach, D., Zuerner, R.L., Adler, B. 2003. Lipl21 is a novel surface exposed lipoprotein of pathogenic leptospira species. Infection and Immunity.

Interpretive Summary: Leptospirosis is a common cause of reproductive failure in livestock, leading to significant economic loss. Commercial vaccines provide some protection against some strains of Leptospira. Vaccinated animals tend to respond well to a lipid-sugar compound, but this response is of limited use in protecting against bovine leptospirosis. To improve vaccine effectiveness, we are searching for proteins that are common among disease causing strains that will be useful for vaccine development. In this study, we describe studies of one such protein. Future studies on this and other similar proteins should lead to the development of better vaccines for livestock.

Technical Abstract: A global analysis of leptospiral outer membrane proteins identified pL21, a new protein, as the second most abundant constituent of the L.interrogans serovar Lai outer membrane proteome. In this study, we identified the gene encoding pL21 and found it to encode a putative lipoprotein; accordingly the protein was renamed LipL21. Southern hybridization analysis revealed the presence of lipL21 in all the pathogenic, but none of the saprophytic species examined. Specific polyclonal antisera to recombinant LipL21 showed that LipL21 is co-extracted with other known OMPs using both Triton X-114 extraction and sucrose density gradient membrane fractionation, and is surface exposed. This protein is immunogenic during infection. These findings show that LipL21 is a surface exposed, abundant outer membrane lipoprotein that is expressed during infection and conserved amongst pathogenic Leptospira species.