Cloning and characterization of T-cell-reactive protein antigens from Listeria monocytogenes

作者：I A Beattie, B. Swaminathan, Heike Ziegler · 发表于：Infection and Immunity · 年份：1990 · DOI：10.1128/iai.58.9.2792-2803.1990 · 被引用次数：25 · 研究领域：Listeria monocytogenes in Food Safety、Viral Infectious Diseases and Gene Expression in Insects、Salmonella and Campylobacter epidemiology

To explore the molecular basis of the T-cell-mediated immune response to Listeria monocytogenes, we cloned and expressed listerial antigens in Escherichia coli using the lambda-ZAP bacteriophage and Bluescript plasmid vectors. A two-stage screening strategy was implemented to identify T-cell-reactive antigens; the first stage involved antibodies or oligonucleotide probes and the second stage was based on assays for T-cell activation. A library of genomic DNA from L. monocytogenes was generated in lambda-ZAP, and then antigens, were detected in infected cells with a polyclonal rabbit anti-L. monocytogenes antiserum and an L. monocytogenes-specific monoclonal antibody. Also, synthetic oligonucleotide probes corresponding to the structural gene for listeriolysin O (LLO) were used to screen the recombinant DNA library. In each case, positive isolates were evaluated for T-cell antigenicity by measuring antigen-induced interleukin-2 production by polyclonal T cells taken from L. monocytogenes-immune mice. Phage clones were subcloned and expressed in the Bluescript plasmid and tested further for antigenic activity and LLO expression. Using this screening strategy, we successfully identified bacterial clones producing recombinant listerial antigens which activate L. monocytogenes-immune T cells in vitro. Antigens operative in the T-cell response during infection with L. monocytogenes include LLO, 62- and 39-kilodalton proteins, and other poorly defined bacterial surface components. W...