Adherence epitopes of Mycoplasma genitalium adhesin.

The adherence-mediating sites of the 153 kDa adhesin of Mycoplasma genitalium (MgPa-protein) were characterized at the amino acid sequence level using six monoclonal anti-MgPa antibodies which showed adherence-inhibiting activity. For characterization of the regions to which antibody bound, three segments of the adhesin (N-terminal region, a D1-domain located approximately in the middle of the molecule and a D2-domain located near to the C-terminus) were synthesized as overlapping octapeptides. These regions were chosen in analogy to the three domains of Mycoplasma pneumoniae that are involved in the adhesion process. Whereas two monoclonal antibodies (mAb 5B11 and mAb 6F3) bound exclusively to an epitope in the N-region, mAb 3B7 and mAb 6A2 reacted with two distinct epitopes of the D2-domain only. Binding to short synthetic peptides of different regions was analysed for mAb 3A12 (N-region and D1-region) and mAb 2B6 (N-region and D2-region). Close proximity of the N-region and the D2-region in the native MgPa-protein of M. genitalium was indicated in a competitive ELISA test, using freshly harvested M. genitalium cells. Epitope mapping and competition experiments with monoclonal anti-MgPa antibodies revealed interesting differences in the adherence-mediating sites of MgPa and the adhesin (P1-protein) of M. pneumoniae. Whereas a three-dimensional arrangement of protein loops is suggested for both native adhesins, the MgPa-protein and the P1-protein adherence-mediating epitopes are located in non-homologous regions of these two related proteins.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)