A new term 'receptin', derived from recipere (lat.), is proposed to denote microbial binding proteins that interact with mammalian target proteins. An example of such a 'receptin' is staphyloccocal protein A which binds to the Fc part of many mammalian immunoglobulins. Several other types of 'receptins' are listed. This term may easily be distinguished from the similar term 'receptor', describing a binding site on a cell surface, mostly eukaryotic, where a secondary effect is induced inside the cell upon binding to a ligand. A receptin, however, does not necessarily have to induce a secondary event. Receptins include so called MSCRAMMs, adhesins, and also engineered receptins, affibodies, and engineered ligands. It denotes any protein of microbial origin, cell-bound or soluble, which can bind to a mammalian protein. It fulfills the need for an umbrella terminology for a large group of binding structures. In contrast, the term 'lectin' represents a group of proteins with affinity for carbohydrate structures. The new term 'receptin' includes a number of key microbial proteins involved in host-parasite interactions and in virulence. Some receptins are promising vaccine candidates.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Stability of individual antimycobacterial precipitation patterns during treatment for lepromatous leprosy.

Sixty serum specimens obtained from 16 lepromatous patients at intervals during the first year of DDS treatment were studied in crossed immunoelectrophoresis against an M. leprae sonicate for possible variations of specificities and titers of antimycobacterial antibodies. All sera tested showed antibody activity against M. leprae, the number of precipitation lines produced varying between two and seven. In individual patients the numbers and positions of the precipitation lines remained remarkably constant throughout the period of study.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Mycobacterial antigens in antibody responses of leprosy patients.

A reference system for M. smegmatis antigens in crossed immunoelectrophoresis was used to study antibody activities in serum samples of 91 leprosy patients. All polar and borderline lepromatous patients were positive. Mean numbers out of 14 M. smegmatis antigens involved were 4.3 and 3.5, respectively. Precipitins against antigen no. 1 were seen in all lepromatous cases. Antibodies against this antigen were detected in 50% of tuberculoid (polar, subpolar and borderline) cases. Antibody activity against M. avium and M. duvalii antigens was also detected using a staphylococcal radio-immuno-assay. Borderline and polar lepromatous cases showed elevated levels. Antigenic comparisons were made between four slow growing mycobacteria, fourteen fast growing mycobacteria and the leprosy bacillus using lepromatous serum pools as antibody reagents. Four of the antigens detected in M. leprae were also found in slow growing as well as fast growing species indicating a common occurrence among mycobacteria. Antigen no. 1 of M. duvalii, with an apparent molecular weight of 290,000, showed nonprotein characteristics. Further analysis of antigen no. 21, using lepromatous serum pools as antibody reagents, indicated the existence of at least two groups of antigenic determinants. In addition to determinants shared by all mycobacteria, there were antigenic structures apparently unique to M. leprae.

Antibody Formation↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Cell mediated and humoral immunity in "reversal reactions".

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Humans↗