Abstract
Two BALB/c mice were immunized with serovar C Chlamydia trachomatis elementary bodies, and 63 hybridomas producing monoclonal antibodies to C. trachomatis were recovered. Eight hybridomas which were specific for an identical peptide epitope (AGLQND) in serovar C major outer membrane protein variable domain 1 were identified. Detailed immunochemical study of the antigen-antibody interaction and genetic characterization of the antibody variable-region gene sequences showed that distinct B-cell clonal lineages were elicited by the epitope sequence. Since each antibody had a distinct pattern of fine specificity for recognition of the epitope and displayed different degrees of cross-reactivity with a related serovar (serovar A), we conclude that B-cell recognition of an immunodominant neutralization epitope can be pleiotropic. Differences in B-cell recognition of a neutralization epitope may delay the emergence by mutation of antigenic-drift variants of the C. trachomatis major outer membrane protein.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1576-1583 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | Infection and Immunity |
| Volume | 62 |
| Issue number | 5 |
| State | Published - Jan 1 1994 |
| Externally published | Yes |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Parasitology
- Microbiology
- Immunology
- Infectious Diseases