SURFACE MEMBRANE ANTIGENS OF AIDS ASSOCIATED MYCOPLASMAS

这项续期申请的总体目标是划定和 毛状支原体特异性表面蛋白的特性研究 与病原菌相互作用相关的发酵菌 宿主，并了解这个小的遗传特征 原核病原体，可能提供适应多样性和 变种。与致命的急性呼吸道疾病的致病因素有关 以及一种罕见的流行病原体，分离自 在艾滋病患者中，发酵支原体发挥着潜在的重要作用 在人类疾病中，作为主要或促成的病原体。 调节几种宿主细胞功能的因素已经被联系在一起 和发酵分枝杆菌。表面膜脂蛋白展示 表面结构和表达的多种形式的变化有 和一个大的(&gt；25kb)重复的染色体 包含多个连续ORF编码的元素(Rep) 表达的脂蛋白和其他可能的毒力因子 最近确认的。努力将重点放在描述这一点上 独特的遗传因素及其在遗传变异和遗传变异中的可能作用 表面多样性。脂蛋白也是一种有效的免疫调节剂。 分子。最近，一个有丝分裂原的短肽序列 对从发酵分枝杆菌中分离纯化的脂肽进行了测定。它是 意在分析与此相对应的基因结构 脂肽。使用标准的分子生物学和 免疫生物化学程序，拟议的项目将(I) 鉴定生物活性脂肽的初级基因产物， (Ii)鉴定包含完整Rep的克隆，(Iii)比较 REPS在菌株中的染色体分布，以及(Iv) 鉴定Rep编码的表面脂蛋白的变体。总的来说， 这些研究应该为生物活性脂肪提供新的知识。 化合物和遗传变异，两者都可能对 这种生物的适应性和致病性。

The overall objectives of this renewal application are to delineate and characterize specific surface proteins of the mollicute Mycoplasma fermentans that are associated with pathogenic interactions with the host, and to understand underlying genetic features of this small prokaryotic pathogen that may provide adaptive diversity and variation. Implicated as a causal agent of a fatal acute respiratory distress syndrome, and an uncommonly prevalent agent isolated from patients with AIDS, M. fermentans plays a potentially important role in human disease either as a primary or contributing pathogen. Factors modulating several host cell functions have been associated with M. fermentans. Surface membrane lipoproteins displaying multiple forms of variation in surface structure and expression have been documented and a large(>25 kb), repetitive chromosomal element (REP) that contains multiple contiguous ORFs encoding expressed lipoproteins and other putative virulence factors has been recently identified. Efforts will be focused on characterizing this unique genetic element and its likely role in genetic variation and surface diversity. Lipoproteins are also potent immunomodulatory molecules. Recently, a short peptide sequence of a mitogenic lipopeptide purified from M. fermentans has been determined. It is intended to analyze the gene structure corresponding to this lipopeptide. Using standard molecular biology and immunobiochemical procedures, the proposed project will (i) characterize the primary gene product of the bioactive lipopeptide, (ii) characterize clones containing complete REPs, (iii) compare the chromosomal distribution of REPs among the strains, and (iv) identify variants of a REP-encoded surface lipoprotein. Overall, these studies should provide new knowledge on bioactive lipid compounds and genetic variation, both potentially crucial for the adaptation and pathogenicity of this organism.