PURIFICATION AND PARTIAL CHARACTERIZATION OF TYPE-3 FIMBRIAE FROM SALMONELLA-TYPHIMURIUM VAR COPENHAGEN

Aggregative thin fimbriae from a pigeon pathogen, Salmonella typhimuri um var. copenhagen (STMVC) Mo 8 were isolated and purified. These fimb riae remained associated with the cells even after attempts to separat e them from blended cells by centrifugation. After purification, fimbr iae and little cell fractions were polymerized in formic acid and then analyzed by SDS-PAGE. This pretreatment resulted in the appearance of a main protein band of 17 kDa. The N-terminal amino acid sequence of 19 residues of purified 17 kDa protein showed considerable homology wi th the N-terminal sequence of thin fimbriae of S. enteritidis. Native fimbriae on whole cells were specifically labelled with immune serum r aised to the purified fimbriae. This immune serum also reacted with th e denatured 17 kDa protein in Western blots. The polyclonal immune ser um did not cross-react with the type-1 fimbriae produced by STMVC.