A common-immunogenic Vibrio outer membrane protein

Abstract The presence of antibodies in rabbit antisera to cell envelope proteins of Vibrio cholerae has been examined using a two-dimensional system, in which the cell envelopes are electrophoresed in sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) in polyacrylamide gels in the first dimension, and in agarose containing antibodies in the second. The results show that a 25-kDa protein is markedly immunogenic and appears to be common to Vibrio strains; it is not present in a number of other organisms. This 25-kDa protein is an outer membrane protein as judged by sucrose gradient centrifugation and it is accessible to iodination by lactoperoxidase, suggesting that it is exposed on the cell surface.