Demonstration of the third antigenically distinct outer membrane lipoprotein (OmlA) in Actinobacillus...

The gene encoding an outer membrane lipoprotein (OmlA) of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae strain WF83 (serotype 7 reference strain), designated omlA7, was sequenced. The amino acid sequence of OmlA7 showed 64.5 and 71.6% identity to that of OmlA from serotypes 1 (OmlA1) and 5 (OmlA5), respectively. The first 134 amino acids of OmlA7 were identical to those of OmlA5. A Southern blot analysis revealed the presence of a gene highly homologous to the omlA7 in the reference strains of serotypes 3, 4, 6, and 7. A Western blot analysis using a specific antiserum against a recombinant OmlA7 detected expression of the homologous proteins in the serotypes 4, 6, and 7 reference strains and a serotype 3 field strain, but not in a serotype 3 reference strain. The data demonstrate the third antigenically distinct OmlA is expressed in A. pleuropneumoniae.