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Extracellular Amastigote‐Like Forms of Leishmania panamensis and L. braziliensis . II. Stage‐ and Species‐Specific Monoclonal Antibodies
Author(s) -
EPERON SIMONE,
McMAHONPRATT DIANE
Publication year - 1989
Publication title -
the journal of protozoology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.067
H-Index - 77
eISSN - 1550-7408
pISSN - 0022-3921
DOI - 10.1111/j.1550-7408.1989.tb01087.x
Subject(s) - amastigote , monoclonal antibody , biology , leishmania , leishmania braziliensis , antibody , antigen , western blot , microbiology and biotechnology , leishmaniasis , cutaneous leishmaniasis , biochemistry , immunology , parasite hosting , world wide web , computer science , gene
Immunochemical evidence, employing monoclonal antibodies, shows that the forms of L. braziliensis complex axenically grown at elevated temperature are amastigote‐like. The monoclonal antibodies were raised against membrane proteins of amastigote‐like forms, strains of both L. panamensis (WR442) and L. braziliensis (M5052), which were grown axenically. The specificities of these antibodies were examined by indirect radioimmune binding assay, indirect immunofluorescent assay and Western blot analyses. Two distinct groups of monoclonal antibodies were obtained and their specificities were consistent with the 3 methods used. Four antibodies are specific for the species L. panamensis and react with both developmental stages. Six antibodies specifically recognize amastigote‐like forms grown at elevated temperature and intracellular amastigotes of both L. panamensis (WR442) and L. braziliensis (M5052). These monoclonal antibodies do not bind to promastigotes of these species, nor to promastigotes of any other species of Leishmania . Therefore these antibodies are specific for amastigotes of L. panamensis (WR442) and L. braziliensis (M5052), and suggest that immunochemically both amastigote forms (culture and macrophage) are developmentally very close, if not identical. The molecules associated with the amastigote‐specific antigenic determinants consist of a Mr 12‐kD component and a heterogeneous component (Mr from 50 kD to >200 kD); these molecules appear to be identical for both amastigote‐like forms and amastigotes isolated from macrophages.