Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Infection and Immunity logoLink to Infection and Immunity
. 1992 May;60(5):1919–1926. doi: 10.1128/iai.60.5.1919-1926.1992

Identification and characterization of B-cell epitopes of IpaC, an invasion-associated protein of Shigella flexneri.

A Phalipon 1, J Arondel 1, F Nato 1, S Rouyre 1, J C Mazie 1, P J Sansonetti 1
PMCID: PMC257095  PMID: 1373401

Abstract

Invasion plasmid antigen C (IpaC) is a 43-kDa plasmid-encoded protein associated with the ability of shigellae to invade epithelial cells. This protein is consistently strongly recognized by sera from convalescent patients and monkeys experimentally infected with shigellae. The strong immunogenicity of IpaC in the course of natural infection makes it a good candidate as a potentially protective antigen. To map the B-cell epitopes of this protein, the gene encoding IpaC was cloned and expressed at a high level in Escherichia coli. The partially purified recombinant protein was used to raise rabbit polyclonal antisera and murine monoclonal antibodies. A lambda gt11 ipaC gene library was screened with the antisera and antibodies. Recombinant DNA clones producing specific antigenic determinants were isolated, and the sequence of their DNA inserts was determined. The amino acid sequence of each determinant was deduced from the minimal overlap of DNA inserts of multiple antibody-positive DNA clones. Two distinct epitopes, located between amino acid residues 25 and 33 and 90 and 97, were identified. Two additional B-cell epitopes which were located between residues 297 and 349, near the carboxy-terminal end of the protein, were characterized. Each of these epitopes was also recognized by sera from convalescent humans and monkeys. Therefore, it seems likely that these epitopes are relevant to the humoral response against IpaC during natural infection.

Full text

PDF
1919

Images in this article

1921Image
on p.1921

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Baudry B., Kaczorek M., Sansonetti P. J. Nucleotide sequence of the invasion plasmid antigen B and C genes (ipaB and ipaC) of Shigella flexneri. Microb Pathog. 1988 May;4(5):345–357. doi: 10.1016/0882-4010(88)90062-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Burnette W. N. "Western blotting": electrophoretic transfer of proteins from sodium dodecyl sulfate--polyacrylamide gels to unmodified nitrocellulose and radiographic detection with antibody and radioiodinated protein A. Anal Biochem. 1981 Apr;112(2):195–203. doi: 10.1016/0003-2697(81)90281-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Chang A. C., Cohen S. N. Construction and characterization of amplifiable multicopy DNA cloning vehicles derived from the P15A cryptic miniplasmid. J Bacteriol. 1978 Jun;134(3):1141–1156. doi: 10.1128/jb.134.3.1141-1156.1978. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Clerc P. L., Ryter A., Mounier J., Sansonetti P. J. Plasmid-mediated early killing of eucaryotic cells by Shigella flexneri as studied by infection of J774 macrophages. Infect Immun. 1987 Mar;55(3):521–527. doi: 10.1128/iai.55.3.521-527.1987. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Dinari G., Hale T. L., Austin S. W., Formal S. B. Local and systemic antibody responses to Shigella infection in rhesus monkeys. J Infect Dis. 1987 May;155(5):1065–1069. doi: 10.1093/infdis/155.5.1065. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Geysen H. M., Rodda S. J., Mason T. J., Tribbick G., Schoofs P. G. Strategies for epitope analysis using peptide synthesis. J Immunol Methods. 1987 Sep 24;102(2):259–274. doi: 10.1016/0022-1759(87)90085-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Hale T. L. Genetic basis of virulence in Shigella species. Microbiol Rev. 1991 Jun;55(2):206–224. doi: 10.1128/mr.55.2.206-224.1991. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Hale T. L., Oaks E. V., Formal S. B. Identification and antigenic characterization of virulence-associated, plasmid-coded proteins of Shigella spp. and enteroinvasive Escherichia coli. Infect Immun. 1985 Dec;50(3):620–629. doi: 10.1128/iai.50.3.620-629.1985. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Kearney J. F., Radbruch A., Liesegang B., Rajewsky K. A new mouse myeloma cell line that has lost immunoglobulin expression but permits the construction of antibody-secreting hybrid cell lines. J Immunol. 1979 Oct;123(4):1548–1550. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Kyte J., Doolittle R. F. A simple method for displaying the hydropathic character of a protein. J Mol Biol. 1982 May 5;157(1):105–132. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(82)90515-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Köhler G., Milstein C. Continuous cultures of fused cells secreting antibody of predefined specificity. Nature. 1975 Aug 7;256(5517):495–497. doi: 10.1038/256495a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Laemmli U. K. Cleavage of structural proteins during the assembly of the head of bacteriophage T4. Nature. 1970 Aug 15;227(5259):680–685. doi: 10.1038/227680a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Maurelli A. T., Baudry B., d'Hauteville H., Hale T. L., Sansonetti P. J. Cloning of plasmid DNA sequences involved in invasion of HeLa cells by Shigella flexneri. Infect Immun. 1985 Jul;49(1):164–171. doi: 10.1128/iai.49.1.164-171.1985. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Mehra V., Sweetser D., Young R. A. Efficient mapping of protein antigenic determinants. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1986 Sep;83(18):7013–7017. doi: 10.1073/pnas.83.18.7013. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Meloen R. H., Briaire J. A study of the cross-reacting antigens on the intact foot-and-mouth disease virus and its 12S Subunits with antisera against the structural proteins. J Gen Virol. 1980 Nov;51(Pt 1):107–116. doi: 10.1099/0022-1317-51-1-107. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Mills J. A., Buysse J. M., Oaks E. V. Shigella flexneri invasion plasmid antigens B and C: epitope location and characterization with monoclonal antibodies. Infect Immun. 1988 Nov;56(11):2933–2941. doi: 10.1128/iai.56.11.2933-2941.1988. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Oaks E. V., Hale T. L., Formal S. B. Serum immune response to Shigella protein antigens in rhesus monkeys and humans infected with Shigella spp. Infect Immun. 1986 Jul;53(1):57–63. doi: 10.1128/iai.53.1.57-63.1986. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Oberhelman R. A., Kopecko D. J., Salazar-Lindo E., Gotuzzo E., Buysse J. M., Venkatesan M. M., Yi A., Fernandez-Prada C., Guzman M., León-Barúa R. Prospective study of systemic and mucosal immune responses in dysenteric patients to specific Shigella invasion plasmid antigens and lipopolysaccharides. Infect Immun. 1991 Jul;59(7):2341–2350. doi: 10.1128/iai.59.7.2341-2350.1991. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Sanger F., Coulson A. R. A rapid method for determining sequences in DNA by primed synthesis with DNA polymerase. J Mol Biol. 1975 May 25;94(3):441–448. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(75)90213-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Sansonetti P. J. Genetic and molecular basis of epithelial cell invasion by Shigella species. Rev Infect Dis. 1991 Mar-Apr;13 (Suppl 4):S285–S292. doi: 10.1093/clinids/13.supplement_4.s285. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Sansonetti P. J., Kopecko D. J., Formal S. B. Involvement of a plasmid in the invasive ability of Shigella flexneri. Infect Immun. 1982 Mar;35(3):852–860. doi: 10.1128/iai.35.3.852-860.1982. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Sansonetti P. J., Ryter A., Clerc P., Maurelli A. T., Mounier J. Multiplication of Shigella flexneri within HeLa cells: lysis of the phagocytic vacuole and plasmid-mediated contact hemolysis. Infect Immun. 1986 Feb;51(2):461–469. doi: 10.1128/iai.51.2.461-469.1986. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Van Regenmortel M. H. Structural and functional approaches to the study of protein antigenicity. Immunol Today. 1989 Aug;10(8):266–272. doi: 10.1016/0167-5699(89)90140-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Vasselon T., Mounier J., Prevost M. C., Hellio R., Sansonetti P. J. Stress fiber-based movement of Shigella flexneri within cells. Infect Immun. 1991 May;59(5):1723–1732. doi: 10.1128/iai.59.5.1723-1732.1991. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Infection and Immunity are provided here courtesy of American Society for Microbiology (ASM)

RESOURCES