Salmonella typhimurium InvA expression probed with a monoclonal antibody to the C-terminal peptide of InvA

The Salmonella typhimurium InvA protein is a component of a sec-independent secretion apparatus necessary for full virulence of the bacteria. We generated a monoclonal antibody to the C-terminal portion of the InvA protein that recognized proteins in S. typhimurium and weakly in Y. enterocolitica, but not in several other species of bacteria, including S. flexneri. S. typhimurium grown without agitation produced relatively constant amounts of membrane InvA throughout the growth cycle, whereas bacteria grown with agitation had a sharp increase in the amount of membrane InvA at late exponential phase. Levels of InvA present in Salmonella membranes under some growth conditions do not appear to correlate with levels of invasion under the same conditions.