IMMUNOGENIC EPITOPES OF SALMONELLA-TYPHI GROEL HEAT-SHOCK-PROTEIN REACTIVE WITH BOTH MONOCLONAL-ANTIBODY AND PATIENTS SERA

A series of 122, 9-mer overlapping peptides based on the sequence of t he Salmonella typhi GroEL gene was synthesized on the surfaces of poly ethylene pins and screened with monoclonal antibody to GroEL and with human sera from patients with typhoid fever and normal healthy blood d onors. Three immunogenic epitopes corresponding to peptides EGQDRGYSY, YSYNKETGE and GKGTEEKEK were identified upon screening with the human sera. In addition, screening of the peptides with a monoclonal antibo dy to GroEL detected binding to a third peptide, KGGKGTEEK, which cont ains a common overlapping sequence to peptide GKGTEEKEK. Identificatio n and definition of these epitopes will be important in delineating th e biological and immunological functions of this protein and in design ing better diagnostic tests and vaccines. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B. V. All rights reserved.