Mycobacterial recombinants and peptides
AssigneeThe Scripps Research Institute
InventorsThomas Shinnick, Richard Houghten
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Recombinant 540 amino acid residue and 517 amino acid residue proteins encoded by the genome of Mycobacterium tuberculosis are disclosed as are vectors for propagating their DNA sequences and expressing the proteins. Also disclosed are methods for using those proteins. Peptides that correspond substantially to the sequences of those proteins and methods of their use are also disclosed, as are polymers containing peptide repeating units corresponding to the 540 residue protein and also polymers containing 517 protein pentapeptides as repeating units.
Claims5
A method for ascertaining the presence of human T cells in a body sample that are immune to M. tuberculosis or M. bovis comprising the steps of:
- (a) admixing and contacting human T cells to be assayed in an aqueous culture medium with a stimulatory amount of both antigen-presenting cells and a mycobacterial peptide antigen to form a stimulatory cell culture, said mycobacterial peptide antigen consisting essentially of
- (i) a peptide whose amino acid residue sequence is selected from the group consisting of ##STR1## (ii) a polymer comprising a plurality of peptide units whose sequences are listed in (i), and which units are bonded together by oxidized cysteine residues present at the termini of said units;
- (b) maintaining said stimulatory cell culture for a time period sufficient for mycobacterially-immune T cells present to be stimulated and to evidence stimulation;
- and
- (c) determining the presence of T cell stimulation.
A assay kit comprising a container that
- I, includes a mycobacterial antigen present in an amount to carry out at least one assay for the presence of human T cells that are immune to M. tuberculosis or M. bovis, said mycobacterial antigen consisting essentially of
- (i) a peptide whose amino acid residue sequence is selected from the group consisting of ##STR2## (ii) a polymer comprising a plurality of peptide units whose sequences are listed in (i), and which units are bonded together by oxidized cysteine residues present at the termini of said repeating units.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.