Analysis of the immune response to Neisseria meningitidis using a proteomics approach.

The availability of Neisseria genome sequences together with improvements in proteomic technologies provide the opportunity to study at high resolution the immune response to Neisseria meningitidis. In this chapter, we describe a protocol that combines two-dimensional (2D) SDS-PAGE of meningococcal outer membranes with western blotting of human antisera to identify proteins associated with the development of protective antibody responses. This methodology can identify putative vaccine candidates for incorporation in a multi-component serogroup B meningococcal vaccine.