Novel 33-Kilodalton Lipoprotein fromMycobacterium leprae

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Abstract
A novelMycobacterium lepraelipoprotein LpK (accession no.ML0603) was identified from the genomic database. The 1,116-bp open reading frame encodes a 371-amino-acid precursor protein with an N-terminal signal sequence and a consensus motif for lipid conjugation. Expression of the protein, LpK, inEscherichia colirevealed a 33-kDa protein, and metabolic labeling experiments and globomycin treatment proved that the protein was lipidated. Fractionation ofM. lepraedemonstrated that this lipoprotein was a membrane protein ofM. leprae. The purified lipoprotein was found to induce production of interleukin-12 in human peripheral blood monocytes. The studies imply thatM. lepraeLpK is involved in protective immunity against leprosy and may be a candidate for vaccine design.