Molecular Characterization of a Kinesin-Related Antigen of Leishmania chagasi that Detects Specific Antibody in African and American Visceral Leishmaniasis

• Published in: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS 1993-01, Vol.90 (2), p.775-779
• Main Authors: Burns, James M., Shreffler, Wayne G., Benson, Darin R., Ghalib, Hashim W., Badaro, Roberto, Reed, Steven G.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Amastigotes; Amino Acid Sequence; Amino acids; Animals; Antibodies; Antibodies, Protozoan - blood; Antigens; Antigens, Protozoan - genetics; Antigens, Protozoan - immunology; Base Sequence; Biological and medical sciences; Blotting, Southern; cDNA; DNA; DNA probes; genes; Genes, Protozoan - genetics; Human protozoal diseases; Humans; Immunity (Disease); immunological aspects; Infectious diseases; kinesin; Kinesin - genetics; Kinesin - immunology; LcKin protein; Leishmania chagasi; Leishmania donovani - genetics; Leishmania donovani - immunology; Leishmaniasis; Leishmaniasis, Visceral - diagnosis; Leshmaniasis; Medical sciences; Molecular Sequence Data; nucleotide; Parasites; Parasitic diseases; Parasitism; prediction; Promastigotes; Proteins; Protozoal diseases; Protozoan Proteins - genetics; Protozoan Proteins - immunology; Reactivity; Sequence Analysis, DNA; Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; Tropical medicine; visceral leishmaniasis
• ISSN: 0027-8424; 1091-6490
• DOI: 10.1073/pnas.90.2.775

We report the cloning of a Leishmania chagasi antigen gene and an evaluation of leishmaniasis patient antibody responses to the recombinant protein, rK39. rK39 contains a 39-amino acid repeat that is part of a 230-kDa protein predominant in L. chagasi tissue amastigotes. Sequence analyses showed this protein, LcKin, to be related to the kinesin superfamily of metor proteins. Southern blot analyses demonstrated LcKin-related sequences in seven species of Leishmania, with conservation of the repeat between L. chagasi and Leishmania donovani. Serological evaluation revealed that 98% (56 of 57) of Brazilian and 100% (52 of 52) of Sudanese visceral leishmaniasis patients have high antibody levels to the rK39 repeat. Detectable anti-K39 antibody was virtually absent in cutaneous and mucosal leishmaniasis patients and in individuals infected with Trypanosoma cruzi. The data show that rK39 may replace crude parasite antigens as a basis for serological diagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis.