Mycoplasma arthritidis T-cell mitogen
Online Reference; http://www.freepatentsonline.com/5872233.html
United States Patent 5872233
A method of purifying Mycoplasma
arthritidis mitogen (MAM) to electrophoretic and sequence homogeneity is
disclosed. A preparation of MAM purified according to this method was used to
determine the sequence of the N-terminal 54 amino acids of MAM. A synthetic
peptide consisting of amino acids 15-32 inhibited MAM-induced cell
proliferation in vitro. The sequence of the N-terminal 54 amino acids was
reverse translated, nucleotide probes were designed therefrom, and the MAM gene
was selected from a genomic library. The MAM gene was sequenced and found to be
contained on a 1107 bp DNA fragment. The primary translation product contains a
39 amino acid signal sequence and a 213 amino acid mature MAM (molecular weight
25,294). Amino acid sequence comparisons of MAM to bacterial and murine tumor
virus superantigens showed regions of conservative sequence homology, including
the region capable of inhibiting cell proliferation. Sequence homologies to HIV
and other retrovirus proteins and to certain regulatory proteins were also
detected. Strategies for blocking or immunizing against certain diseases,
including autoimmune diseases, are disclosed.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Synopses
Mycoplasmas: Sophisticated, Reemerging, and Burdened by Their Notoriety
Joel B. Baseman* and Joseph G. Tully†
*The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio,
Texas, USA; †National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases,
Frederick Cancer Research and Development Center, Frederick, Maryland, USA
(Emerging Infectious DiseasesCenters for Disease Control and Prevention Atlanta, GA)
*****(BELOW IS AN EXCERPT FROM THIS DOCUMENT)
Rheumatoid Arthritis and Other Human Arthritides
The occurrence of various Mycoplasma and Ureaplasma species in joint
tissues of patients with rheumatoid arthritis,...........and other human arthritides can no longer be ignored
(8). A clinical trial of longterm (6 to 12 months) antibiotic (doxycycline)
therapy before cartilage destruction might prove beneficial in managing
such frequent and often debilitating infections.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://rheumatology.oxfordjournals.org/content/38/6/504.full.pdf
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Immunology. 2008 Feb;123(2):187-96. Epub 2007 Aug 4.
The importance of B-cells and ecto-5'nucleotidase in Mycoplasma fermentans infection and the relevance to rheumatoid arthritis.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------