Lm. Suneetha et al., MYCOBACTERIUM-LEPRAE BINDS TO A 25-KDA PHOSPHORYLATED GLYCOPROTEIN OFHUMAN PERIPHERAL-NERVE, Neurochemical research, 23(6), 1998, pp. 907-911
Mycobacterium leprae, the causative agent of leprosy, specifically inv
ades and destroys the peripheral nerve, which results in the main clin
ical manifestation of the disease. Little is known about the bacteria-
nerve protein interaction. We show in the present work that M leprae b
inds to a 25 kDa glycoprotein from human peripheral nerve. This protei
n is phosphorylatable and it binds to lectins which have alpha-mannose
specificity. This M leprae-protein interaction could be of importance
in the pathogenesis of leprosy.