Biochemical Characterization of an In-House em>Coccidioides /em> Antigen: Perspectives for the Immunodiagnosis of Coccidioidomycosis

• Published in: Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Switzerland), 2012-06, Vol.17 (7), p.7854-7863
• Main Authors: Renato Evando Moreira Filho, Silviane Praciano Bandeira, Raimunda Sâmia Nogueira Brillhante, Marcos Fábio Gadelha Rocha, Ilka Maria Vasconcelos, Mirella Leite Pereira, Débora de Souza Collares Maia Castelo-Branco, Francisco Airton Castro Rocha, Zoilo Pires de Camargo, Marcio Viana Ramos, Rossana de Aguiar Cordeiro, José Júlio Costa Sidrim
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: antigens; coccidioidomycosis; glutamine; immunodiagnosis; β-glucosidase
• ISSN: 1420-3049; 1420-3049
• DOI: 10.3390/molecules17077854

The objective of this study was to evaluate the reactivity of an in-house antigen, extracted from a strain of C. posadasii isolated in northeastern Brazil, by radial immunodiffusion and Western blotting, as well as to establish its biochemical characterization. The protein antigen was initially extracted with the use of solid ammonium sulfate and characterized by 1-D electrophoresis. Subsequently, it was tested by means of double radial immunodiffusion and Western blotting. A positive reaction was observed against the antigen by both immunodiagnostic techniques tested on sera from patients suffering from coccidioidomycosis. Besides this, two immunoreactive protein bands were observed and were revealed to be a β-glucosidase and a glutamine synthetase after sequencing of the respective N-terminal regions. Our in-house Coccidioides antigen can be promising as a quick and low-cost diagnostic tool without the risk of direct manipulation of the microorganism.