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J Med Microbiol 58 (2009), 1275-1282; DOI: 10.1099/jmm.0.011916-0
© 2009 Society for General Microbiology
ISSN 0022-2615

A newly identified protein of Leptospira interrogans mediates binding to laminin

Mariana T. Longhi1, Tatiane R. Oliveira1, Eliete C. Romero2, Amane P. Gonçales3, Zenaide M. de Morais3, Silvio A. Vasconcellos3 and Ana L. T. O. Nascimento1,4

1 Centro de Biotecnologia, Instituto Butantan, Avenida Vital Brazil 1500, 05503-900 São Paulo, SP, Brazil

2 Divisão de Biologia Medica, Instituto Adolfo Lutz, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil

3 Laboratório de Zoonoses Bacterianas do VPS, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia, USP, Avenida Prof. Dr Orlando Marques de Paiva 87, 05508-270 São Paulo, SP, Brazil

4 Interunidades em Biotecnologia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, USP, Avenida Prof. Lineu Prestes 1730, 05508-900 São Paulo, SP, Brazil

Correspondence
Ana L. T. O. Nascimento
tabet{at}butantan.gov.br

Received April 14, 2009
Accepted June 10, 2009

Pathogenic Leptospira is the aetiological agent of leptospirosis, a life-threatening disease that affects populations worldwide. The search for novel antigens that could be relevant in host–pathogen interactions is being pursued. These antigens have the potential to elicit several activities, including adhesion. This study focused on a hypothetical predicted lipoprotein of Leptospira, encoded by the gene LIC12895, thought to mediate attachment to extracellular matrix (ECM) components. The gene was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli BL21 Star (DE3)pLys by using the expression vector pAE. The recombinant protein tagged with N-terminal hexahistidine was purified by metal-charged chromatography and characterized by circular dichroism spectroscopy. The capacity of the protein to mediate attachment to ECM components was evaluated by binding assays. The leptospiral protein encoded by LIC12895, named Lsa27 (leptospiral surface adhesin, 27 kDa), bound strongly to laminin in a dose-dependent and saturable fashion. Moreover, Lsa27 was recognized by antibodies from serum samples of confirmed leptospirosis specimens in both the initial and the convalescent phases of the disease. Lsa27 is most likely a surface protein of Leptospira as revealed in liquid-phase immunofluorescence assays with living organisms. Taken together, these data indicate that this newly identified membrane protein is expressed during natural infection and may play a role in mediating adhesion of L. interrogans to its host.

The GenBank/EMBL/DDBJ accession number for LIC12895 is YP_002811.






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