Anti-Chlamydial MOMP Antibody, clone L21-10 clone L21-10, from mouse

Chlamydia trachomatis is a Gram-negative bacterium that is responsible for sexually transmitted diseases leading to pelvic inflammatory disease, ectopic pregnancy, infertility, and outbreaks of trachoma-associated blindness and lymphogranuloma venereum (LGV). Chlamydia trachomatis consists of eighteen different serological variants (serovars) that include a few subvariants. These are identified based on serological reactivity of the epitopes on their outer membrane. Intracellularly chlamydia replicates within a vacuole. Chlamydia infection is initiated with the expression of a chlamydial early gene product(s), which isolate the inclusion from the endocytic-lysosomal pathway and makes it fusogenic with sphingomyelin-containing exocytic vesicles. This change in vesicular interaction allows the delivery of the vacuole to the peri-Golgi region of the host cell. Antigens from all members of the Chlamydia genus display heat resistance and sensitivity to oxidation by sodium periodate. Clone L21-10 specifically detects major outer membrane protein (MOMP) from Chlamydia genus. It displays strong reactivity with Chlamydial serovars D and L3 and weak reactivity with Ba, E, G, L1, and L2. MOMP, a cysteine-rich molecule, plays a vital role in maintaining the structural and functional properties of the chlamydial outer membrane. It contains determinants that confer type, subspecies, and species antigenic properties to the protein. (Ref.: Zhang, YX et al., (1987). J. Immunol. 138(2); 575-581).