RESEARCH ARTICLE Features of Two New Proteins with OmpA- Like Domains Identified in the Genome Sequences of Leptospira interrogans Aline F. Teixeira1,2, Zenaide M. de Morais3, Karin Kirchgatter4, Eliete C. Romero5, Silvio A. Vasconcellos3, Ana Lucia T. O. Nascimento1,2* 1 Centro de Biotecnologia, Instituto Butantan, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil, 2 Programa de Pós-Graduação Interunidades em Biotecnologia,Instituto de Ciencias Biomedicas, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil, 3 Laboratório de Zoonoses Bacterianas, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil, 4 Nucleo de Estudos em Malária, Superintendência de Controle de Endemias - Instituto de Medicina Tropical, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil, 5 Centro de Bacteriologia, Instituto Adolfo Lutz, Sao Paulo, Brazil *
[email protected] Abstract OPEN ACCESS Citation: Teixeira AF, de Morais ZM, Kirchgatter K, Leptospirosis is an acute febrile disease caused by pathogenic spirochetes of the genus Romero EC, Vasconcellos SA, Nascimento ALTO Leptospira. It is considered an important re-emerging infectious disease that affects humans (2015) Features of Two New Proteins with OmpA- worldwide. The knowledge about the mechanisms by which pathogenic leptospires invade Like Domains Identified in the Genome Sequences of Leptospira interrogans. PLoS ONE 10(4): e0122762. and colonize the host remains limited since very few virulence factors contributing to the doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0122762 pathogenesis of the disease have been identified. Here, we report the identification and char- Academic Editor: Odir A Dellagostin, Federal acterization of two new leptospiral proteins with OmpA-like domains. The recombinant pro- University of Pelotas, BRAZIL teins, which exhibit extracellular matrix-binding properties, are called Lsa46 - LIC13479 and Received: October 17, 2014 Lsa77 - LIC10050 (Leptospiral surface adhesins of 46 and 77 kDa, respectively).