The incidence of overt diabetes was completely prevented by a single intradermal inoculation of Mycobacterium leprae (M. leprae) into Non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice as young as 6-7 weeks. Partial prevention was also observed in cases when 65 kD heat-shock protein (hsp65) with Freund's incomplete adjuvant (FIA) was injected, and no prevention was observed by 38 kD with FIA immunization. Histologi...

BACKGROUND Schistosomiasis is one of the most important neglected diseases found in developing countries and affects 249 million people worldwide. The development of an efficient vaccination strategy is essential for the control of this disease. Previous work showed partial protection induced by DNA-Sm14 against Schistosoma mansoni infection, whereas DNA-Hsp65 showed immunostimulatory propertie...

Hsp60 is an abundant and highly conserved family of intracellular molecules. Increased levels of this family of proteins have been observed in the extracellular compartment in chronic inflammation. Administration of M. leprae Hsp65 [WT] in [NZBxNZW]F(1) mice accelerates the Systemic Lupus Erythematosus [SLE] progression whereas the point mutated K(409)A Hsp65 protein delays the disease. Here, t...

A phylogenetic analysis of chaperonin (heat shock protein 60) sequences from prokaryotes and eukaryotes indicated that a single gene duplication event in the common ancestor of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, M. leprae, and Streptomyces albus gave rise to the duplicate chaperonin genes found in these species (designated HSP65 and GroEL in the mycobacterial species). Comparison of rates of synonymou...

BACKGROUND Although the etiology of Type 1 Diabetes mellitus (T1DM) has not been determined, genetic polymorphism in key genes, including SLC11A1, and association with Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP) have been reported. We hypothesize that molecular mimicry between MAP Heat shock protein 65 K (Hsp65) and human Glutamic Acid Decarboxylase 65 K (GAD65) may be the trigger lea...

of Tropical Medicine, the World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for the Diagnosis and Surveillance of Mycobacterium ulcerans Infection by IS2404 PCR and biochemical tests (online Table, available from http:www.cdc.gov/ncidod/EID/ vol11no11/05-0234.htm#table). DNA extracted from cultures by 3 freeze-boiling cycles was used for amplification, according to the protocol described by Leao e...

BACKGROUND A number of reports have demonstrated that rodents immunized with DNA vaccines can produce antibodies and cellular immune responses presenting a long-lasting protective immunity. These findings have attracted considerable interest in the field of DNA vaccination. We have previously described the prophylactic and therapeutic effects of a DNA vaccine encoding the Mycobacterium leprae 6...