Amastigote stage-specific monoclonal antibodies against Leishmania major

C. L. Jaffe*, N. Rachamim

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

27 Scopus citations

Abstract

Monoclonal antibodies were produced against gamma-irradiated amastigotes of Leishmania major. Five antibodies (T16 through T20) were selected which reacted in enzyme-linked immunoassays with the intracellular stage of the parasite. These antibodies did not react with promastigotes of L. major or Leishmania donovani. One of the monoclonal antibodies (T16) reacted with amastigotes of Leishmania mexicana amazonensis and L. donovani. Western blotting (immunoblotting) and immunoprecipitation of [35S]methionine-labeled amastigotes demonstrates that T16 reacted with multiple L. major amastigote components between 12 and 180 kilodaltons. Antibody T20 was shown to recognize a low-molecular-mass doublet (<26 kilodaltons) in both [14C]leucine- and [35S]methionine-labeled amastigotes. A protein of <180 kilodaltons was also weakly recognized by T17, T19, and T20 in metabolically labeled amastigotes. This protein reacted strongly with T16. The reactive antigens could be identified on the surface of amastigotes isolated from the lesions of infected mice and on newly transformed amastigotes within 24 h after the infection of mouse peritoneal macrophages by promastigotes. These monoclonal antibodies should prove useful for the diagnosis of L. major in human tissue biopsies.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)3770-3777
Number of pages8
JournalInfection and Immunity
Volume57
Issue number12
StatePublished - 1989
Externally publishedYes

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