SEROLOGICAL EVALUATION OF C TRACHOMATIS EYE INFECTIONS

描述(改编自申请者的摘要)：本报告的目标 应用程序是对 主要外膜蛋白(MOMP)变异序列(VS)区和 Cal作为抗体中和的免疫靶点， 沙眼泪液标本对沙眼的体液反应 序列特异性衣原体表位及其与 中和能力和临床状态。 广泛的、长期的目标是对基本理解的发展 在自然感染过程中引发的免疫机制 以及免疫预防干预的评估策略。这个 具体目标是：1)鉴定其抗原性和免疫原性 CAL.用纯化的天然CAL检测CAL的抗原性 从衣原体感染的组织培养中提取并利用人类免疫进行探测 塞拉。抗原特异性将用单抗进行研究。 产生针对CAL的抗体。天然CAL的免疫原性将是 通过动物免疫进行评估，并通过中和试验进行测试。这个 抗CAL抗体中和的机制和效果将是 与抗MOMP抗体相比。2)系统地描述 沙眼衣原体感染的体液免疫反应。焦点 是否定义了MOMP-Sequence来评估体液反应的比较 免疫分析，特别强调抗体的功能作用 使用体外感染性中和来确定MOMP区域 分析有效的中和靶点。3)确定 泪液抗体谱对衣原体抗原和泪液的特异性 抗体中和功能的能力。泪水中的抗体 将对沙眼患者的免疫球蛋白和免疫球蛋白A(SIgA)进行评估 它们的数量、表位特异性和中和能力 下定决心。泪液抗体特异性与免疫球蛋白关系的评价 类，并与感染状态和感染菌株一起发挥作用。

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.