This gene was originally isolated from a lambda gt11 expression library probed with sera from Brucella-infected sheep. Sequence analysis of the cloned gene revealed the presence of an open reading frame of 158 amino acids encoding a protein of 17.3 kDa (Hemmen et al., 1995). It was later identified as a cytoplasmic protein lumazine synthase (Goldbaum et al., 1999). This gene can be used for diagnosis (Hemmen et al., 1995; Goldbaum et al., 1999) and vaccine development (Velikovsky et al., 2002).
Goldbaum et al., 1999: Goldbaum FA, Velikovsky CA, Baldi PC, Mortl S, Bacher A, Fossati CA. The 18-kDa cytoplasmic protein of Brucella species --an antigen useful for diagnosis--is a lumazine synthase. Journal of medical microbiology. 1999 Sep; 48(9); 833-9. [PubMed: 10482294 ].
Hemmen et al., 1995: Hemmen F, Weynants V, Scarcez T, Letesson JJ, Saman E. Cloning and sequence analysis of a newly identified Brucella abortus gene and serological evaluation of the 17-kilodalton antigen that it encodes. Clinical and diagnostic laboratory immunology. 1995 May; 2(3); 263-7. [PubMed: 7664168 ].
Velikovsky et al., 2002: Velikovsky CA, Cassataro J, Giambartolomei GH, Goldbaum FA, Estein S, Bowden RA, Bruno L, Fossati CA, Spitz M. A DNA vaccine encoding lumazine synthase from Brucella abortus induces protective immunity in BALB/c mice. Infection and immunity. 2002 May; 70(5); 2507-11. [PubMed: 11953389 ].
