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Structure of Major Surface Determinants and DNA Diagnosis of Pneumocystis carinii
Author(s) -
NAKAMURA YOSHIKAZU,
TANABE KIYOKATSU,
EGAWA KOHJI
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.tb05832.x
Subject(s) - pneumocystis carinii , pneumocystosis , biology , glycoprotein , isoelectric focusing , monoclonal antibody , dna , epitope , isoelectric point , genomic dna , antibody , glycosylation , immune system , virology , microbiology and biotechnology , immunology , biochemistry , enzyme , pneumocystis jirovecii , human immunodeficiency virus (hiv)
ABSTRACT Pneumocystis carinii is a pathogen which causes fatal pneumonia in patients with the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). To facilitate the basic study of P. carinii , wc have analyzed its major surface proteins by both immunochemical and biochemical methods. The major protein components of both cysts and trophozoites are a group of proteins called “PI 15” with apparent masses of 105–120 kd. It includes 6 isoelectric variants. A monoclonal antibody raised against cysts recognizes all 6 variants and reacts with epitopes located in the cell wall indicating that PI 15 is an immunoreactive surface component. The isoelectric variants contain identical or closely related protein components and they are mannose‐rich glycoproteins. The isoelectric variation may be due primarily to differences in glycosylation. The majority of sera from humans with diagnosed pneumocystosis that were tested reacted strongly with the PI 15 proteins. To develop probes for DNA diagnosis and to facilitate molecular studies, a genomic DNA library of P. carinii has been constructed. Some of these clones were used for DNA hybridization analysis of rat and human lungs.