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. 1999 Sep;67(9):4955-9.
doi: 10.1128/IAI.67.9.4955-4959.1999.

Bactericidal and cross-protective activities of a monoclonal antibody directed against Neisseria meningitidis NspA outer membrane protein

N Cadieux  1 , M Plante, C R Rioux, J Hamel, B R Brodeur, D Martin
Affiliations

Bactericidal and cross-protective activities of a monoclonal antibody directed against Neisseria meningitidis NspA outer membrane protein

N Cadieux et al. Infect Immun. 1999 Sep.

Abstract

The cross-bactericidal and cross-protective activities of a monoclonal antibody (MAb) named Me-7, which is directed against an antigenically highly conserved epitope on the meningococcal NspA protein, were studied. This MAb efficiently killed in vitro, in the presence of rabbit or human serum, 13 of 14 meningococcal strains tested, including 9 of 9, 2 of 3, and 2 of 2 strains of serotypes B, A, and C, respectively. MAb Me-7 also significantly reduced by more than 75% the levels of bacteremia recorded for mice challenged with 10 of 11 meningococcal strains tested. Analysis of the predicted amino acid sequence of the NspA protein from the meningococcal strain MCH88 (A:4:P1.10), which was not killed by MAb Me-7, indicated the presence of an additional glutamine residue at position 73, compared to the three other NspA sequences. The data presented in this study suggest that antibodies directed against this highly conserved outer membrane protein could protect against meningococcal infections.

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Figures

FIG. 1
FIG. 1
Evaluation of the attachment of the NspA-specific MAb Me-7 to intact meningococci. Electron microphotograph of whole cells of meningococcal strain 608B probed with MAb P2-4 (A) or Me-7 (B), followed by gold-labeled goat anti-mouse immunoglobulin G (bar = 10 nm).
FIG. 2
FIG. 2
Comparison of the predicted amino acid sequence of the NspA proteins from the serogroup B strain 608B (B:2a:P1.3:L3) and three serogroup A strains MCH88 (A:4:P1.10), Z4063 (A:4:P1.7), and Z2491 (A:4,21:P1.7b,13a:L9). The NspA sequence from the strain Z2491 was produced by the N. meningitidis Sequencing Group at the Sanger Centre. Differences are indicated by one-letter codes and identities by a period. A 19-amino-acid-residue leader peptide is underlined.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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