Identification of a cross-reactive continuous B-cell epitope in enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli colonization factor antigen I.

Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) colonizes the intestine by means of several antigenically distinct colonization factors (CFs). Several of these CFs have very significant amino acid sequence similarity or identity, particularly in the N-terminal end. We have previously shown that a monoclonal antibody (MAb) raised against the subunits of colonization factor antigen I (CFA/I) fimbriae, which reacts with a peptide corresponding to the 25 N-terminal amino acids of such subunits, can inhibit attachment to intestinal cells of ETEC expressing heterologous as well as homologous CFs, with related amino acid sequences. In this study we have, by means of Pepscan analysis, determined the sequence of the MAb-specific linear epitope to be 15IDLLQ19. Parenteral immunization of rabbits with an N-terminal 25-mer synthetic peptide of CFA/I fimbrial subunit, either covalently coupled to bovine serum albumin or uncoupled, induced high titers of specific antibodies against this peptide as well as against CFA/I fimbriae. Increased titers against several heterologous CF fimbriae with a related N-terminal sequence were also induced, whereas no increase was seen against fimbriae with an unrelated sequence. Neither antisera against the coupled peptide nor antisera against the uncoupled peptide inhibited binding of CF-expressing bacteria to the human intestinal cell line Caco-2 in spite of high titers. The difference in the inhibitory capabilities of the antipeptide sera and the MAb might be due to slightly different epitope specificities. Thus, whereas the antipeptide sera bound to several continuous epitopes in the N-terminal end, none of them reacted specifically with the epitope 15IDLLQ19.