Immunogenicity of Whole Proteins and Fingding on the Cross-Reactive Proteins between and .

Objectives: To evaluate the immunogenicity of proteins and determine the cross-reactive proteins between and

Methods: Protein extracts from were used to immunize BALB/c mice. The antigens were evaluated using cellular and humoral immunoassays. The common genes between and were identified using genome-wide comparative analysis, and cross-reactive proteins were screened using immunoproteome microarrays.

Results: Immunization with proteins induced significantly higher levels of the cytokines interferon-γ (IFN-γ), interleukin-2 (IL-2), interleukin-12 (IL-12), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and immunoglobulins IgG, IgG1, IgM, and IgG2a in mouse serum. Bone marrow-derived macrophages isolated from mice immunized with antigens displayed significantly lower bacillary loads than those isolated from mice immunized with adjuvants. Whole-genome sequence analysis revealed 396 common genes between and . Microchip hybridization with proteins revealed the presence of 478 proteins in the serum of mice immunized with protein extracts. Sixty common antigens were found using both microchip and genomic comparative analyses.

Conclusion: This is the advanced study to investigate the immunogenicity of proteins and the cross-reactive proteins between and . The results revealed the presence of a number of cross-reactive proteins between and . Therefore, this study provides a new way of identifying immunogenic proteins for use in tuberculosis vaccines against both and in future.