Submit a comment
Citation Information: J Clin Invest. 1993;91(2):717-723. https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI116253.
Abstract
We have examined the capacity of the major cytoplasmic membrane protein (MCMP) of Legionella pneumophila, a genus common antigen and member of the hsp 60 family of heat shock proteins, to induce protective immunity in a guinea pig model of Legionnaires' disease. We purified MCMP to homogeneity from L. pneumophila by buffer extraction, ion-exchange chromatography, and molecular sieve chromatography. Guinea pigs immunized with MCMP developed a strong cell-mediated immune response to the immunogen manifest by marked cutaneous delayed-type hypersensitivity. Guinea pigs immunized with MCMP and then challenged with a lethal aerosol dose of L. pneumophila exhibited a high level of protective immunity. Altogether, in four independent experiments, 55 of 64 (86%) animals immunized three times with 0.6-40 micrograms MCMP including 11 of 11 (100%) animals immunized three times with 40 micrograms MCMP survived aerosol challenge with L. pneumophila compared with 1 of 29 (3%) sham-immunized control animals (P < 0.0001, Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel X2 statistic for pooled data). To our knowledge, MCMP is the first member of the hsp 60 family of proteins shown to induce protective immunity to a microbial pathogen. MCMP has potential as a vaccine against Legionnaires' disease. Since MCMP is a genus common antigen, vaccination with a combination of MCMPs derived from different Legionella species has the potential of inducing protective immunity against all the major Legionella species causing human disease.
Authors
S J Blander, M A Horwitz
Guidelines
The Editorial Board will only consider comments that are deemed relevant and of interest to readers. The Journal will not post data that have not been subjected to peer review; or a comment that is essentially a reiteration of another comment.
- Comments appear on the Journal’s website and are linked from the original article’s web page.
- Authors are notified by email if their comments are posted.
- The Journal reserves the right to edit comments for length and clarity.
- No appeals will be considered.
- Comments are not indexed in PubMed.
Specific requirements
- Maximum length, 400 words
- Entered as plain text or HTML
- Author’s name and email address, to be posted with the comment
- Declaration of all potential conflicts of interest (even if these are not ultimately posted); see the Journal’s conflict-of-interest policy
- Comments may not include figures
Copyright © 2025 American Society for Clinical Investigation
ISSN: 0021-9738 (print), 1558-8238 (online)