ANTIBODIES TO THE LEUCINE-RICH REPEAT REGION OF INTERNALIN BLOCK ENTRY OF LISTERIA-MONOCYTOGENES INTO CELLS EXPRESSING E-CADHERIN

Internalin, a surface protein essential for entry of Listeria monocyto genes EGD into epithelial cells, was used as an antigen to raise nine monoclonal antibodies. These monoclonal antibodies recognized seven di stinct epitopes which were located in three different regions of the p rotein. Three of them inhibited internalin-mediated entry and recogniz ed the amino-terminal leucine-rich repeat region of the protein, sugge sting that this region is essential for entry.