A ribosomal protein of Yersinia pseudotuberculosis having partial epitope identity with HLA-B27.

The phenotype HLA-B27 is common in patients who develop reactive arthritis after having an infection. One hypothesis concerning the pathogenesis of reactive arthritis is that molecular mimicry between HLA-B27 and certain bacterial components might be involved. It is known that an infection with Yersinia is commonly associated with reactive arthritis in B27 positive patients. Therefore, we were interested to investigate whether cross-reactivity between Yersinia and HLA-B27 exists. A gene library of Yersinia pseudotuberculosis was created in the plasmid vector pUC13. One of the resulting clones contained a gene encoding an intracytoplasmic protein that seems to have partial epitope identity with HLA-B27. It reacted in western blot. ELISA and immunoprecipitation with three different HLA-B27 specific monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies of the IgG and IgM class. However DNA-sequencing of the cloned Yersinia gene and the predicted amino acid sequence revealed only a very remote similarity with HLA-B27 in the primary structure. Instead, an extremely high degree of similarity with the ribosomal protein L4 of the S10 operon of Escherichia coli was identified indicating that the protein encoded by the cloned Y. pseudotuberculosis gene is a corresponding ribosomal protein.

[Conformational stability and immunochemical properties of yersinin--a basic protein of the outer membrane of the Pseudotuberculosis microbe]. / Konformatsionnaia stabil'nost' i immunokhimicheskie svoistva iersinina--osnovnogo belka vneshnei membrany psevotuberkuleznogo mikroba.

Using spectroscopic methods (circular dichroism and intrinsic protein fluorescence) and immunoenzyme assay, changes in the spatial and antigenic structure of yersinin, porin from outer membrane of Yersinia pseudotuberculosis, were studied in solutions of ionic and non-ionic detergents at various temperatures and low pH values. Yersinin was shown to retain its secondary structure under various denaturation conditions, the content of regular structural patterns depending on specific action of the denaturation agent. Process of yersinin denaturation similarly to other membrane proteins appears to occur via two structural transitions: dissociation of oligomers and denaturation of monomers. At the first stage changes of quaternary structure accompanied by the loss of so called conformational determinants were observed. Temperature-dependent changes of monomers' tertiary structure affect antigenic activity of yersinin in a smaller degree.

[The structure of the O-specific polysaccharide chain of the lipopolysaccharide of Yersinia pseudotuberculosis serovar VII]. / Stroenie O-spetsificheskoi polisakharidnoi tsepi lipopolisakharida Yersinia pseudotuberculosis serovara VII.

An O-specific polysaccharide of Yersinia pseudotuberculosis serovar VII has been isolated and characterized. The polysaccharide consists of colitose, D-glucose and 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-D-galactose in the ratio 1 : 2 : 2. From the results of methylation analysis, partial acid hydrolysis, 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy the structure of the repeating unit of the O-specific polysaccharide is deduced as follows:

Ampicillin vs. placebo for Yersinia pseudotuberculosis infection in children.

For evaluation of the efficacy of early treatment with ampicillin on the clinical course of Yersinia pseudotuberculosis infection in children, 136 patients were randomly assigned to receive either ampicillin or placebo. Subjects were those who were diagnosed as having Kawasaki syndrome and those who satisfied three of the following four criteria: fever; rash; abdominal symptoms; and a history of ingestion of untreated drinking water. Fifty-six patients had evidence of Y. pseudotuberculosis infection bacteriologically and/or serologically. Twenty-six were assigned to placebo and 28 to ampicillin. Ampicillin therapy did not show a significant benefit in shortening the duration of fever, diarrhea and abdominal pain or in preventing rash, erythema nodosum and acute renal failure. After 5 days of treatment none of the patients in the ampicillin group excreted the organism in the stool whereas 19 (90%) of 21 in the placebo group did (P less than 0.001). Ampicillin did not show a clinical benefit but reduced the fecal excretion of the organism.

[Study of aqueous solutions of the lipopolysaccharide-protein complex from Yersinia pseudotuberculosis using hydrodynamic methods]. / Issledovanie vodnykh rastvorov lipopolisakharid-belkovogo kompleksa iz Yersinia pseudotuberculosis gidrodinamicheskimi metodami.

Physical and chemical properties of LPPS in aqueous solutions were studied. Hydrodynamic characteristics of LPPS depend upon the input concentration and method of solution preparation. Equation parameters for the relationship between [eta] and M omega were determined, and it was found that LPPS behavior in solution can be determined by the equation: [eta] = 5.5.10(-4).M0.57. In aqueous solutions complex macromolecules form compact particles ranging from 8 to 14 nm in size.