Opsonophagocytic Effect of Antibody Against Recombinant Conserved 40‐kDa Outer Membrane Protein of Porphyromonas gingivalis

Background: Porphyromonas gingivalis is associated with the initiation and progression of adult periodontitis. The outer membrane proteins of the bacteria are potentially important targets for interaction with host defense systems. A 40-kDa outer membrane protein (40-kDa OMP) is conserved among many strains of P. gingivalis. We have cloned the gene for 40-kDa OMP from P. gingivalis 381 and produced a recombinant protein. For the development of recombinant 40-kDa OMP as a component of a vaccine for passive immunization, the elucidation of the roles of the anti-recombinant 40-kDa OMP antibody in the host defense against P. gingivalis is essential. The objective of this study was to determine the opsonic capacity of the antibody for phagocytosis by neutrophils which play a key role in the immune response to microbial infections. Methods: To test the opsonic activity of a rabbit polyclonal antibody against r40-kDa OMP (r40-kDa OMP Ab) on human neutrophils to phagocytize P. gingivalis, we constructed a reprodu...