Recombinant fusion protein identified by lepromatous sera mimics native Mycobacterium leprae in T-cell responses across the leprosy spectrum.

Pooled polyvalent sera from lepromatous leprosy patients were used to screen a lambda gt11 recombinant DNA expression library of Mycobacterium leprae in order to identify the relevant antigens recognized by the human immune response. Of the 300,000 phages screened, 4 clones were identified that coded for fusion proteins of the same molecular mass. The fusion protein from clone LSR2 was tested for immunoreactivity in assays using peripheral blood cells and sera from 11 laboratory personnel and 105 patients across the leprosy spectrum. LSR2 protein appears to be predominantly a T-cell antigen. It evokes similar lymphoproliferative responses as the native bacillus both at the individual level and in the leprosy spectrum as a whole. Though only 50% of patient sera with anti-M. leprae antibodies reacted with the fusion protein, the pattern of reactivity in the antibody responses was also similar for the various clinical types. The coding regions of clones LSR1 and LSR2 are identical. They show no homology with sequences stored in data banks and encode a protein of 89 amino acids with a calculated molecular mass of approximately 10 kDa.