Abstract
Group A streptococcal M protein and the mycobacterial heat shock protein, hsp65, are strong bacterial immunogens that have been linked to arthritis and autoimmunity. Recent evidence has shown that streptococcal arthritis and adjuvant arthritis may be related to epitopes shared between group A streptococci and hsp65. We investigated the possibility that immunological similarities were shared between streptococcal M protein and hsp65. Antibodies against the 65-kDa heat shock protein of Mycobacterium tuberculosis were tested for reactivity with group A streptococci and purified recombinant M proteins (rM5 and rM6). Rabbit polyclonal anti-hsp65 serum was highly reactive with M type 5 Streptococcus pyogenes and rM5 and rM6 proteins in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). A mouse anti-hsp65 monoclonal antibody (MAb), IIC8, reacted with streptococcal M types 5, 6, 19, 24, and 49 in an ELISA but showed no reactivity with an isogenic streptococcal mutant which did not express M protein. Anti-hsp65 MAb IIC8 recognized rM5 and rM6 proteins in the ELISA, and MAbs IIC8 and IIH9 reacted strongly with rM6 protein in Western immunoblots. The binding of M protein by anti-hsp65 MAbs was shown to be inhibited by both hsp65 and M protein. These data show that anti-hsp65 antibodies recognize streptococcal M proteins.