GENE ASSOCIATED WITH LEISHMANIA PARASITE VIRULENCE

摘要

Protein (I), implicated in virulence of Leishmania, comprising at least one site, identical with a potential active site of a protein of the protein disulfide isomerase (PDI) family, is new. Protein (I), implicated in virulence of Leishmania, comprising at least one site, Cys-Gly-His-Cys, identical with a potential active site of a protein of the protein disulfide isomerase (PDI) family, is new. Independent claims are also included for the following: (1) recombinant polypeptide (Ia) comprising at least one fragment of more than 10 amino acids from (I), able to induce an immunological response against an epitope of L. major PDI (LmPDI), when administered to a human or animal; (2) fusion protein (Ib) that includes (Ia) and has the same immunological properties as (Ia); (3) nucleic acid (II) encoding (I), (Ia) or (Ib); (4) vector containing (II); (5) cultured cell containing the vector of (4); (6) primer that can amplify at least part of a 2094 base pair sequence (S1), given in the specification that encodes LmPDI; (7) purified antibodies (Ab) specific for LmPDI; (8) iImmunogenic or vaccinating composition containing (I), (Ib), (II), the vector of (4) or the cell of (5); (9) screening for compounds (A) able to inhibit growth of L. major, based on ability to inhibit activity of LmPDI; (10) pharmaceutical composition comprising Ab or at least one PDI inhibitor; in vitro diagnosis of leishmaniosis using Ab; and (11) diagnostic kit for method (11).