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Trypanosoma Cruzi Flagellar Repetitive Antigen Expression by Recombinant Baculovirus: Towards an Improved Diagnostics Reagent for Chagas' Disease

Bio/Technology volume 10, pages 1474–1477 (1992)Cite this article

Abstract

We constructed a recombinant baculovirus that expressed part of a Trypanosorna cruzi flagellar repetitive antigen (FRA). Both cell- associated and secreted forms of recombinant FRA were detected in cultures of virus-infected Spodoptera frugiperda (Sf9) cells. These forms show a complex pattern after polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and Western blot analysis using either an anti-FRA rabbit serum or human Chagasic sera. Competitive Western-blot experiments revealed that all bands react with the same antibodies as a bacterially-derived FRA. Polymerase chain reaction and Southern blots of the recombinant viral DNA also showed a complex pattern, suggesting the presence of more than one repeat unit in the viral genome. When tested against a panel of human sera from an endemic area for Chagas' disease, FRA recombinant-Sf9 culture supernatant showed the same reactivity as purified FRA produced in bacteria.

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  1. Claudia N. Duarte dos Santos: Corresponding author.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inst. Oswaldo Cruz, Av. Brasil 4365, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 21045

    Claudia N. Duarte dos Santos, Marco A. Krieger, Elza Almeida, Juan J. Lafaille, Samuel Goldenberg & Ricardo Galler

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  1. Claudia N. Duarte dos Santos
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  2. Marco A. Krieger
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  3. Elza Almeida
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  4. Juan J. Lafaille
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dos Santos, C., Krieger, M., Almeida, E. et al. Trypanosoma Cruzi Flagellar Repetitive Antigen Expression by Recombinant Baculovirus: Towards an Improved Diagnostics Reagent for Chagas' Disease. Nat Biotechnol 10, 1474–1477 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1038/nbt1192-1474

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