Characterization of a predominant immunogenic outer membrane protein of Riemerella anatipestifer.

The ompA gene, encoding the 42-kDa major antigenic outer membrane protein OmpA of Riemerella anatipestifer, the etiololgical agent of septicemia anserum exsudativa, was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. Recombinant OmpA displayed a molecular mass similar to that predicted from the nucleotide sequence of the ompA gene but lower than that observed in total cell lysates of R. anatipestifer. The ompA gene showed a conserved C-terminal region comprising the OmpA-like domain and a variable N-terminal region. This structure is similar to those of the analogous outer membrane proteins of several gram-negative bacteria. However, OmpA of R. anatipestifer contains six EF-hand calcium-binding domains and two PEST regions, which distinguish it from other outer membrane proteins. The occurrence of these motifs in OmpA suggests a possible role in virulence for this protein. The ompA gene is present in the R. anatipestifer type strain and in all serotype reference strains. However, it exhibits some minor genetic heterogeneity among different serotypes, which seems not to affect the strong antigenic characteristics of the protein. OmpA is a conserved and strong antigenic determinant of R. anatipestifer and hence is suggested to be a valuable protein for the serodetection of R. anatipestifer infections, independent of their serotype.