Proline-rich vaccine candidate antigen of Coccidioides immitis: Conservation among isolates and differential expression with spherule maturation

Tao Peng, Kris I. Orsborn, Marc J. Orbach, John N. Galgiani

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

37 Scopus citations

Abstract

A proline rich antigen (PRA), which protects mice against Coccidioides immitis, has been analyzed for differential expression and variation among isolates. Northern blots of RNA from different stages of growth were probed with previously cloned cDNA and showed that mRNA for PRA increased as spherules transformed and matured from mycelia. This pattern corresponds to the relative potency of whole cell vaccines from similar preparations. The PRA gene was then cloned from a genomic library of the Silveira strain of C. immitis and its sequence analyzed. Eight other coccidioidal isolates, selected for diversity in geographic origin and resulting clinical disease, demonstrated heterogeneity in Southern blots and in sequences of polymerase chain reaction products. Silveira differed from other California isolates at 33 of 555 bases, whereas it differed from non-California isolates by ≤2 bases. Only one of these substitutions affected protein sequence. Thus, tests or vaccines based on this gene are likely to cover most isolates.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)518-521
Number of pages4
JournalJournal of Infectious Diseases
Volume179
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - 1999

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Immunology and Allergy
  • Infectious Diseases

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Proline-rich vaccine candidate antigen of Coccidioides immitis: Conservation among isolates and differential expression with spherule maturation'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this