Identification and evaluation of new adhesins in Leptospira interrogans by shotgun phage display

• Grant number: 13/15155-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: November 01, 2013
• End date: July 31, 2015
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Biochemistry - Molecular Biology
• Principal Investigator: Paulo Lee Ho
• Grantee: Fabiana Lauretti Ferreira
• Host Institution: Instituto Butantan. Secretaria da Saúde (São Paulo - Estado). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The genus Leptospira is a diverse group of spirochete bacteria, including pathogenic and saprophytic species. The pathogenic species are pathogens of leptospirosis, emerging infectious disease with wide distribution in the world. Leptospirosis is transmitted by direct or indirect contact with the urine of animals that carry leptospires in their renal proximal tubules, or by contaminated water. Vaccination with whole Leptospira have been used to treat animals and humans, but they are not very efficient. The sequencing of the genomes of pathogenic species L. interrogans and L. borgpetersenii and saprophytic species L. biflexa allowed a breakthrough in the understanding of the leptospires and leptospirosis pathogenicity. The pathogenic species, especially L. interrogans have numerous specific genes whose proteins have unknown function, suggesting that leptospires have unique virulence factors. Bacterial adhesins are important virulence factors, because they perform the initial contact of bacteria with the host and allow them to establish and proliferate in the body. The use of shotgun phage display technique, in which large libraries of coding sequences are created and displayed in bacteriophages, followed by selection (biopanning) in cells and/or extracellular matrix components, makes it possible to identify conserved adhesins in Leptospira pathogenic species, which may provide new strategies for leptospirosis treatment and prevention.

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

LAURETTI-FERREIRA, FABIANA; TEIXEIRA, ANDRE AZEVEDO REIS; GIORDANO, RICARDO JOSE; DA SILVA, JOSEFA BEZERRA; ABREU, PATRICIA ANTONIA ESTIMA; BARBOSA, ANGELA SILVA; AKAMATSU, MILENA APETITO; HO, PAULO LEE. Characterization of a virulence-modifying protein of Leptospira interrogans identified by shotgun phage display. FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY, v. 13, p. 17-pg., 2022-11-28. (13/15155-0)

Academic Publications

(References retrieved automatically from State of São Paulo Research Institutions)

FERREIRA, Fabiana Lauretti. Identification and evaluation of new adhesins of Leptospira interrogans by shotgun phage display. 2015. Master's Dissertation - Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Conjunto das Químicas (IQ e FCF) (CQ/DBDCQ) São Paulo.