SEROLOGICAL EVALUATION OF C TRACHOMATIS EYE INFECTIONS

描述（改编自申请人的摘要）：本项目的目标 应用程序是解剖的相对功能作用的 主要外膜蛋白（MOMP）变体序列（VS）区，和 CAL作为抗体介导中和的免疫靶点， 沙眼泪液样本对人体液反应的评价 序列特异性衣原体表位以及这些数据与 中和能力和临床状态。 广泛的、长期的目标是发展一种基本的理解 在自然感染过程中引发的免疫机制， 并评估免疫预防性干预策略。的 具体目的是：1）表征抗原性和免疫原性 CAL的抗原性将使用纯化的天然CAL进行测试。 从衣原体感染的组织培养物中， sera.将使用单克隆抗体研究抗原特异性。 天然CAL的免疫原性将是 通过动物免疫进行评价，并通过中和试验进行检测。的 抗CAL抗体中和的机制和功效将被 与抗MOMP抗体相比。 2)系统地描述了 沙眼衣原体感染的体液免疫应答 重点 通过MOMP序列评价的体液应答的比较是否定义 特别强调抗体功能作用的免疫测定法 使用体外感染性中和， 分析有效的中和靶标。 3)确定 泪液抗体库对衣原体抗原特异性和泪液 中和抗体的功能能力。眼泪中的抗体 将对沙眼患者的IgG和IgA（sIgA）进行评价， 它们的数量、表位特异性和中和能力 测定评价泪液抗体特异性、IG 类，并与感染状态和感染菌株的函数。

DESCRIPTION (Adapted from applicant's abstract): The goals of this application are the dissection of the relative functional role of the major outer membrane protein (MOMP) variant sequence (VS) regions and CAL as immune targets of antibody mediated neutralization, and the evaluation of the human humoral response of trachoma tear samples to sequence-specific chlamydial epitopes and correlation of this data to neutralization capability and clinical status. The broad, long-term objectives are development of a basic understanding of immune mechanisms elicited during natural infection for developing and evaluating strategies for immune prophylactic intervention. The specific aims are: 1) Characterize the antigenicity and immunogenicity of CAL. Antigenicity of CAL will be tested using natural CAL purified from chlamydia infected tissue cultures and probed using human immune sera. Antigenic specificity will be investigated using monoclonal antibodies produced to CAL. Immunogenicity of native CAL will be evaluated by immunization of animals and tested by neutralization. The mechanism and efficacy of neutralization by anti-CAL antibodies will be compared to anti-MOMP antibodies. 2) Systematically characterize the humoral immune responses to Chlamydia trachomatis infection. The focus is comparison of humoral responses evaluated by MOMP-sequence defined immunoassay with special emphasis on the functional role of antibodies to defined MOMP regions using an in vitro infectivity neutralization assay to dissect efficacious neutralization targets. 3) Determine the tear antibody repertoire specificities to chlamydial antigens and tear antibody functional capabilities in neutralization. Antibodies in tears from trachoma patients will be evaluated for IgG and IgA (sIgA) and their quantity, epitopic specificities and neutralization abilities determined. Evaluate the relationship of tear antibody specificity, Ig class, and function with infection status and infecting strain.