Identification and preliminary characterization of Treponema pallidum protein antigens expressed in Escherichia coli.

We have previously described the construction in Escherichia coli K-12 of a hybrid plasmid colony bank of Treponema pallidum (Nichols strain) genomic DNA. By screening a portion of this bank with an in situ immunoassay, we identified six E. coli clones that express T. pallidum antigens. In this study, the recombinant plasmids from each of these clones have been analyzed in E. coli maxicells and have been found to encode a number of proteins that are not of vector pBR322 origin and are, therefore, of treponemal origin. In each case, several of these proteins can be specifically precipitated from solubilized maxicell extracts by high-titer experimental rabbit syphilitic serum. Certain of these proteins are also precipitated by high-titer latent human syphilitic sera (HSS). The T. pallidum DNA inserts in these plasmids range in size from 6.2 to 14 kilobase pairs, and from the restriction patterns of the inserts and the protein profiles generated by each plasmid in maxicells, it is apparent that we have recovered a total of four unique clones from our colony bank. Recombinant plasmids pLVS3 and pLVS5 were of particular interest. Plasmid pLVS3 encodes three major protein antigens with molecular weights of 39,000, 35,000, and 25,000. These three proteins, which were not recognized by pooled normal human sera, were efficiently precipitated by most secondary HSS, latent HSS, and late HSS tested. These proteins were also precipitated, although somewhat inefficiently, by most primary HSS tested. Plasmid pLVS5 encodes a major protein antigen with a molecular weight of 32,000 and several minor protein antigens that, although efficiently precipitated by experimental rabbit syphilitic serum, were generally not recognized by the various HSS tested. Evidence is presented indicating that the protein antigens encoded by plasmids pLVS3 and pLVS5 are specific for pathogenic treponemal species. We have also demonstrated that immunoglobulin G antibodies directed against these protein antigens can be detected in rabbits experimentally infected with T. pallidum Nichols as early as 11 days postinfection.     

Identification and characterization of the Treponema pallidum tpn50 gene, an ompA homolog.

Treponema pallidum is a pathogenic spirochete that has no known genetic exchange mechanisms. In order to identify treponemal genes encoding surface and secreted proteins, we carried out TnphoA mutagenesis of a T. pallidum genomic DNA library in Escherichia coli. Several of the resulting clones expressed enzymatically active T. pallidum-alkaline phosphatase fusion proteins. The DNA sequence of the 5' portion of a number of the treponemal genes was obtained and analyzed. A recombinant clone harboring plasmid p4A2 that encoded a treponemal protein with an approximate molecular mass of 50,000 Da was identified. Plasmid p4A2 contained an open reading frame of 1,251 nucleotides that resulted in a predicted protein of 417 amino acids with a calculated molecular mass of 47,582 Da. We have named this gene tpn50 in accordance with the current nomenclature for T. pallidum genes. A 1.9-kb HincII-ClaI fragment from p4A2 that contained the tpn50 gene was subcloned to produce p4A2HC2. Comparison of the predicted amino acid sequence of TpN50 with protein sequences in the National Center for Biotechnology Information data base indicated statistically significant homology to the Pseudomonas sp. OprF, E. coli OmpA, Bordetella avium OmpA, Neisseria meningitidis RmpM, Neisseria gonorrhoeae PIII, Haemophilus influenzae P6, E. coli PAL, and Legionella pneumophila PAL proteins. These proteins are all members of a family of outer membrane proteins that are present in gram-negative bacteria. The tpn50 gene complemented E. coli ompA mutations on the basis of two separate criteria. First, morphometry and electron microscopy data showed that E. coli C386 (ompA lpp) cells harboring plasmid vector pEBH21 were rounded while cells of the same strain harboring p4A2HC2 (TpN50+), pWW2200 (OprF+), or pRD87 (OmpA+) were rod shaped. Second, E. coli BRE51 (MC4100 delta sulA-ompA) cells harboring pEBH21 grew poorly at 42 degrees C in minimal medium, while the growth of BRE51 cells harboring p4A2HC2 was similar to that of the parental MC4100 cells. These results demonstrate that the TpN50 protein is functionally equivalent to the E. coli OmpA protein. If TpN50 functions in a similar fashion in T. pallidum, then it may be localized to the treponemal outer membrane.     

Molecular cloning and characterization of the 15-kilodalton major immunogen of Treponema pallidum.

Pathogen-specific membrane immunogens of Treponema pallidum subsp. pallidum (T. pallidum) have been identified previously by phase partitioning with the nonionic detergent Triton X-114. One of these antigens, a 15-kilodalton (kDa) polypeptide, is expressed in relatively small quantities in T. pallidum but is highly immunogenic in both human and experimental syphilis. The native T. pallidum antigen was purified to homogeneity from the mixture of Triton X-114 detergent-phase proteins by chromatofocusing. Recombinant Escherichia coli clones were selected from a T. pallidum genomic DNA library by using monoclonal antibodies specific to the 15-kDa antigen; immunoblotting and minicell analyses confirmed expression of the 15-kDa protein in the transformants. Southern hybridization with a 1.1-kilobase fragment of DNA encoding the 15-kDa-antigen gene indicated that the gene is probably present in a single copy within the genomes of both T. pallidum and T. pallidum subsp. pertenue (the agent of yaws), while it is absent from the genome of the nonpathogenic Treponema phagedenis biotype Reiter. Cell fractionation studies with Triton X-114 demonstrated that the recombinant polypeptide possesses hydrophobic properties similar to those of the native antigen and localized the cloned 15-kDa antigen to the inner membrane of E. coli. Protein processing experiments in minicells revealed that a precursor appears to be processed to the mature 15-kDa polypeptide.     

Serospecificity of a cloned protease-resistant Treponema pallidum--specific antigen expressed in Escherichia coli.

We evaluated the serological reactivity of a protease-resistant antigen designated 4D which was encoded by Treponema pallidum DNA and was expressed in Escherichia coli from recombinant plasmid pAW329. This 19,000-molecular-weight antigen was purified in its native, non-protease-treated form from E. coli sonic extracts by molecular sieving and ion-exchange chromatography. Antibody binding to antigen 4D was detected by a radioimmunoassay. Antigen 4D-specific antibody was detected in 95% of the sera in a Centers for Disease Control syphilis serum panel. It was also detected in 55% of 121 primary syphilis patients, whereas syphilis antibody was detected in 83% of the sera by a fluorescent treponemal antibody absorption test and in 88% of the sera by a T. pallidum microhemagglutination test. In tests of 118 normal sera, less than 3% demonstrated antibody to antigen 4D; these results are similar to microhemagglutination and fluorescent treponemal antibody absorption test results. Rabbit antisera against Treponema phagedenis, Treponema refringens, Treponema denticola, and Treponema vincentii did not react with antigen 4D.     

Molecular cloning and expression of Treponema pallidum DNA in Escherichia coli K-12.

A gene bank of Treponema pallidum DNA in Escherichia coli K-12 was constructed by cloning SauI-cleaved T. pallidum DNA into the cosmid pHC79. Sixteen of 800 clones investigated produced one or more antigens that reacted with antibodies from syphilitic patients. According to the separation pattern of the antigens produced on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gels, six different phenotypes were distinguished among these 16 clones. These antigens reacted also with anti-T. pallidum rabbit serum. No antibodies against the cloned antigens were found in normal rabbit serum and in nonsyphilitic human serum. The antigens produced by the E. coli K-12 recombinant DNA clones comigrated in sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gels with antigens extracted from T. pallidum bacteria, suggesting that the treponemal DNA is well expressed in E. coli K-12. Several of the cosmid recombinant plasmids have been subcloned, resulting in smaller T. pallidum recombinant plasmids which are more stably maintained in the cell and produce more treponemal antigen. Monoclonal antibodies were raised against T. pallidum, and one hybridoma produced antibodies that reacted not only with an antigen from T. pallidum but also with the antigen produced by one of the E. coli clones.     

Cloning and expression of the major 47-kilodalton surface immunogen of Treponema pallidum in Escherichia coli.

Monoclonal antibodies directed against the 47-kilodalton (kDa) major outer membrane surface immunogen of virulent Treponema pallidum subsp. pallidum were used to select Escherichia coli recombinant clones expressing the 47-kDa immunogen. The phenotype of the clones was dependent on the presence of recombinant plasmid in the host cell. Southern hybridization revealed that the cloned T. pallidum subsp. pallidum DNA sequence was an accurate representation of the T. pallidum subsp. pallidum genomic DNA arrangement. Purified immunoglobulin G from rabbits experimentally infected with T. pallidum subsp. pallidum and human secondary syphilitic sera specifically reacted with the clones, while normal human serum or immunoglobulin G from normal rabbit serum did not. Results of Southern hybridization indicated that a homologous 47-kDa immunogen gene was absent in at least four species of nonpathogenic treponemes tested, as well as from total rabbit genomic DNA. Rabbit anti-T. phagedenis biotype Reiter (treponemal nonpathogen) antiserum and a monoclonal antibody directed against a common treponemal determinant were unreactive with the clones. Western blotting and radioimmunoprecipitation experiments with specific monoclonal antibodies revealed that the recombinant (E. coli) and native (T. pallidum subsp. pallidum) forms of the antigen had identical electrophoretic mobilities. The availability of recombinant 47-kDa immunogen provides a new opportunity for biochemical analysis of the protein, structure-function studies, examination of its role in microbial pathogenesis, and assessment of its diagnostic and vaccinogenic potentials.     

Antigenic cross-reactivity between Borrelia burgdorferi, Borrelia recurrentis, Treponema pallidum, and Treponema phagedenis

The antigenic cross-reactivity between different Borrelia and Treponema species was determined by the indirect immunofluorescence antibody test and sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis followed by immunoblotting. The protein profiles of Borrelia burgdorferi, Borrelia recurrentis, Treponema pallidum, and Treponema phagedenis revealed essential differences. Using immunoblotting, rabbit immune sera to B. burgdorferi and B. recurrentis exhibited strong cross-reactivities to heterologous borrelial antigens and, to a lesser extent, to treponemal antigens. Immune sera to T. pallidum and T. phagedenis reacted with heterologous treponemal antigens, but exhibited lesser cross-reactivities to borrelial antigens. Five B. burgdorferi and seven T. pallidum major antigens were not cross-reacting with antisera raised against T. pallidum and B. burgdorferi, respectively. However, absorption of the investigated antisera with a T. phagedenis ultrasonicate eliminated cross-reacting borrelial and treponemal antibodies.     

Expression in Escherichia coli of the 37-kilodalton endoflagellar sheath protein of Treponema pallidum by use of the polymerase chain reaction and a T7 expression system.

We previously reported the complete primary structure of the 37-kilodalton endoflagellar sheath protein (FlaA) of Treponema pallidum. However, we were unable to determine the nucleotide sequence of flaA upstream of amino acid 10. The desired nucleotide sequence was obtained by use of a strategy based upon the polymerase chain reaction and was found to contain a consensus Escherichia coli promoter, a ribosomal binding site, and a 20-amino-acid signal peptide. Expression of FlaA in E. coli was achieved by cloning polymerase chain reaction-derived constructs lacking the native T. pallidum promoter into a temperature-inducible T7 expression system. Pulse-chase and ethanol inhibition analyses of protein processing in E. coli cells and minicells, respectively, indicated that processing of the FlaA precursor was incomplete. Native and recombinant FlaA were identical as assessed by antibody reactivity and sodium dodecyl sulfate- and two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoretic mobilities. Soluble FlaA was not detected in either the cytoplasmic or the periplasmic fractions of E. coli transformants. Fractionation of E. coli cell envelopes unexpectedly revealed that FlaA precursor and FlaA were associated with both the cytoplasmic and outer membranes. This is the first report of expression in E. coli of a T. pallidum protein which could not be cloned or expressed with its native promoter. Our data also indicate that information obtained in E. coli regarding the subcellular location of cloned treponemal proteins must be cautiously extrapolated to T. pallidum.     

Genetic and physicochemical characterization of the recombinant DNA-derived 47-kilodalton surface immunogen of Treponema pallidum subsp. pallidum.

Previous work has established the importance of the 47-kilodalton (kDa) surface immunogen of Treponema pallidum subsp. pallidum (T. pallidum) in the immunopathogenesis of syphilis; the 47-kDa immunogen gene was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli (M. V. Norgard, N. R. Chamberlain, M. A. Swancutt, and M. S. Goldberg, Infect. Immun. 54:500-506, 1986). To facilitate additional structural-functional analysis of this protein for immunopathogenesis studies, the recombinant DNA-derived molecule was examined with respect to its genetic expression and physicochemical properties. Subcloning of partial PstI digests of the original 47-kDa antigen-encoding DNA segment localized the 47-kDa antigen gene to a 1.3-kilobase (kb) T. pallidum DNA fragment. A 20- to 100-fold enhanced expression of the 47-kDa antigen was obtained when a 2.85-kb DNA insert containing the entire 1.3-kb structural gene was subcloned into a T7 RNA polymerase-dependent expression vector system. Under these conditions, several derivatives of the recombinant 47-kDa protein possessing different molecular masses were observed that were identical to those previously detected on Western blots of native T. pallidum antigens with monoclonal antibodies. Sarkosyl extraction of E. coli recombinant cell envelopes localized the 47-kDa protein to both the inner and outer membranes of E. coli. The absolute requirement of detergents (N-lauroylsarcosine, 3-[(3-chloramidopropyl)dimethylammonio]-1-propane sulfonate, N-octyl-beta-D-glucopyranoside, or Nonidet P-40) for solubilization of the antigen from E. coli cell envelopes and the observation that the recombinant protein partitioned into the detergent phase on Triton X-114 solubilization were consistent with the fact that it is a hydrophobic, integral membrane protein. Western blots of the 47-kDa antigen purified by immunoaffinity chromatography supported results of previous reports that the 47-kDa protein is specific to pathogenic treponemes.     

The 56-kilodalton major protein antigen of Rickettsia tsutsugamushi: molecular cloning and sequence analysis of the sta56 gene and precise identification of a strain-specific epitope.

Lasting immunity against Rickettsia tsutsugamushi, the causative agent of scrub typhus fever, has been demonstrated to be strain specific. Two protein antigens of 110 and 56 kilodaltons (kDa) have been shown to exhibit strain-specific epitopes. The 56-kDa scrub typhus antigen (Sta56) is an abundant outer membrane protein of R. tsutsugamushi and is an antigen often recognized by humans infected with this obligate intracellular bacterium. In this study the complete gene encoding Sta56 (strain Karp) was cloned into pBR322 on a 2.3-kilobase genomic HindIII DNA fragment and the complete 56-kDa polypeptide was expressed in Escherichia coli. DNA sequence analysis of the 2.3-kilobase HindIII fragment revealed an open reading frame large enough to encode a 56-kDa polypeptide. A putative signal sequence was identified at the deduced amino terminus of the Sta56 polypeptide, and pulse-chase analysis of maxicells labeled with [35S]methionine demonstrated that a higher-molecular-weight precursor matures into the 56-kDa polypeptide. Epitope scanning analysis with synthetic peptides derived from the deduced amino acid sequence identified an octapeptide (located from amino acid residues 117 to 124) that was reactive with a Karp strain-specific monoclonal antibody (K13F88A). Other epitopes recognized by different monoclonal antibodies, including another Karp strain-specific monoclone (K1E106), were localized to different regions of the protein based on their reactivities with lambda gt11 recombinants expressing various portions of the sta56 gene.     

Acylation of the 47-kilodalton major membrane immunogen of Treponema pallidum determines its hydrophobicity.

The 47-kilodalton (kDa) major integral membrane immunogen of Treponema pallidum was recently found to be a proteolipid. Similar two-dimensional electrophoretic mobilities and common hydrophobic properties displayed by the native (T. pallidum) and recombinant (Escherichia coli) 47-kDa antigens suggested that the recombinant antigen also possesses covalently bound lipid. Both intact E. coli and E. coli minicells acylated the 47-kDa antigen; immunoprecipitation with a monoclonal antibody specific for the 47-kDa immunogen supported the contention that the acylated product of E. coli corresponds to the cloned T. pallidum antigen. Triton X-114 phase partitioning was used to compare the relative hydrophobicities of 47-kDa molecules synthesized by in vitro and in vivo protein translation systems. The products synthesized by T. pallidum, intact E. coli, or E. coli minicells were hydrophobic, while the protein synthesized in an E. coli cell-free translation system was hydrophilic. Processing experiments with E. coli suggested that the primary gene translation product of the protein is not synthesized in a precursor form, unlike other bacterial proteolipids. These results indicate that the hydrophobicity of the 47-kDa integral membrane protein is conferred substantially by the covalently attached lipid(s). The biochemical similarities between the native and recombinant 47-kDa proteolipids will provide a foundation for future investigations into the structure and immunogenicity of this integral membrane protein of T. pallidum.     

Murine monoclonal antibodies specific for virulent Treponema pallidum (Nichols).

Murine anti-Treponema pallidum (Nichols) lymphocyte hybridoma cell lines secreting monoclonal antibodies against a variety of treponemal antigens have been generated. Hybridomas isolated were of three major types: those that were directed specifically against T. pallidum antigens, those that were directed against treponemal group antigens (as evidenced by their cross-reactivity with T. phagedenis biotype Reiter antigens), and those that cross-reacted with both treponemal as well as rabbit host testicular tissue antigens. The majority (31 of 39 clones) of these anti-T. pallidum hybridomas, which produced monoclonal antibodies of mouse isotypes immunoglobulin G1 (IgG1), IgG2a, IgG2b, IgG3 or IgM, were directed specifically against T. pallidum and not other treponemal or rabbit antigens tested by radioimmunoassay. Four of these T. pallidum-specific hybridomas secreted monoclonal antibodies with greater binding affinity for "aged" rather than freshly isolated intact T. pallidum cells, suggesting a possible specificity for "unmasked" surface antigens of T. pallidum. Six anti-T. pallidum hybridomas produced complement-fixing monoclonal antibodies (IgG2a, IgG2b, or IgM) that were capable of immobilizing virulent treponemes in the T. pallidum immobilization (TPI) test; these may represent biologically active monoclonal antibodies against treponemal surface antigens. Three other hybridomas secreted monoclonal antibodies which bound to both T. pallidum and T. phagedenis biotype Reiter antigens, thus demonstrating a possible specificity for treponemal group antigens. Five hybridoma cell lines were also isolated which produced IgM monoclonal antibodies that cross-reacted with all treponemal and rabbit host testicular tissue antigens employed in the radioimmunoassays. This report describes the construction and characteristics of these hybridoma cell lines. The potential applications of the anti-T. pallidum monoclonal antibodies are discussed.     

Molecular cloning and characterization of a 35.5-kilodalton lipoprotein of Treponema pallidum.

A clone expressing a 35.5-kDa recombinant treponemal protein was isolated from a genomic DNA library constructed from Treponema pallidum street strain 14. Polyclonal antiserum raised against the recombinant protein reacted with a corresponding native protein of comparable size in T. pallidum that is specific to the pathogenic treponemes. Radiolabeling of the recombinant protein with [3H]palmitate demonstrated that it is lipid modified. Like other recently characterized T. pallidum lipoproteins, the 35.5-kDa lipoprotein partitioned into the detergent phase from T. pallidum cells fractionated with Triton X-114, suggesting that it is an integral membrane protein. Processing of the recombinant 35.5-kDa lipoprotein from a precursor form to a smaller mature form was not evident in pulse-chase experiments. However, pretreatment of Escherichia coli cells expressing the 35.5-kDa lipoprotein with inhibitors of protein processing or translocation revealed the existence of a higher-molecular-mass precursor. Gene fusion studies with the transposon TnphoA demonstrated the presence of an export signal in the 35.5-kDa lipoprotein that promotes the extracytoplasmic localization of a 35.5-kDa lipoprotein-PhoA hybrid.     

Isolation and characterization of recombinant Escherichia coli clones secreting a 24-kilodalton antigen of Treponema pallidum.

Escherichia coli clones containing Treponema pallidum DNA in the pUC8 vector and secreting a 24-kilodalton antigen of T. pallidum have been isolated. Both syphilitic human and syphilis-immune rabbit sera reacted with the recombinant p24 antigen, indicating that an equivalent protein in T. pallidum is capable of eliciting antibody responses during natural infections. The p24 antigen of T. pallidum was identified by using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and immunoblotting with monospecific anti-p24 serum. We tentatively concluded that this cloned antigen is a secreted protein or a labile or minor component of T. pallidum because (i) p24 was secreted by the recombinant E. coli cells; (ii) recombinant p24 in E. coli cells was processed into several smaller species with molecular masses ranging from 12 to 20 kilodaltons, which correlate well with the masses of secreted antigens described by others; and (iii) p24 protein appeared to be highly antigenic during natural infections, but only a very small amount of this antigen was associated with or retained by the purified organisms. The possible role of the p24 protein in determining the growth characteristics of T. pallidum is suggested by the ability of recombinant p24 to induce growth changes in E. coli cells. All E. coli colonies expressing the p24 polypeptide exhibited a flat and rough colony morphology and a filamentous growth pattern that were different from those of other E. coli cells. The DNA sequence coding for the p24 polypeptide is located on a 1.7-kilobase-pair BamHI fragment of the T. pallidum genomic DNA and is absent in the nonpathogenic Treponema phagedenis DNA. However, any possible relationship between the p24 antigen and the virulence of T. pallidum remains to be determined. In preliminary studies, rabbits immunized with the purified p24 were not protected from the infection with live T. pallidum organisms.     

Expression of Streptococcus sanguis antigens in Escherichia coli: cloning of a structural gene for adhesion fimbriae.

Chromosomal DNA from Streptococcus sanguis FW213 was partially digested with EcoRI and ligated into the positive-selection cloning vector pOP203(A2+). The ligation mixture was used to transform Escherichia coli K-12, and 4,500 transformants were examined. The tetracycline-resistant colonies had inserts averaging 3.2 kilobases. The entire colony bank was screened by colony immunoassay with polyclonal rabbit serum raised against S. sanguis FW213 whole cells. Thirty recombinant colonies produced stable positive reactions of various intensities, indicating that S. sanguis antigens could be expressed in E. coli. Restriction endonuclease digestion of these clones suggested that 26 of the clones were unique. Only two clones, VT616 and VT618, gave positive reactions with fimbria-specific antisera. That the gene coding for the antigen was located on the plasmid was confirmed by demonstrating that the presence of the plasmid was linked to antigen production. Western immunoblot analyses of sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis gels showed that both clones produced a fimbrial peptide of Mr 30,000. The two recombinant plasmids were shown by Southern analysis and restriction mapping to contain the same 6-kilobase EcoRI fragment inserted in opposite orientations. Southern hybridization confirmed that this fragment is present in S. sanguis genomic DNA. The Mr 30,000 protein gene was expressed in both orientations, suggesting that the fimbrial promoter is located on the 6-kilobase fragment. These results show that at least one streptococcal fimbrial gene can be cloned and expressed in E. coli.     

Cloning and expression of the streptococcal C5a peptidase gene in Escherichia coli: linkage to the type 12 M protein gene.

A genomic library of Streptococcus pyogenes CS24 DNA was constructed by cloning streptococcal DNA partially digested with Sau3A into the lambda replacement vector EMBL3. The expression of streptococcal C5a peptidase (SCP) was analyzed by radioimmunoassay with hyperimmune rabbit serum. Two clones, lambda 4.1 and lambda 4.2, were found to express the desired antigen, and various DNA fragments from the hybrid bacteriophage lambda 4.1 were subcloned into the plasmid vector pUC9 in Escherichia coli. One of the recombinant plasmids, designated pTT1, contained a 5.8-kilobase (kb) streptococcal DNA insert. Analysis of total cellular protein from this E. coli clone by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and Western (immuno-) blotting identified a 140,000-Mr protein, similar in size to the native protein purified from S. pyogenes. Cloned SCP was functionally active, as shown by its ability to inhibit C5a-mediated chemotaxis. By deletion analysis with both restriction endonucleases and BAL 31 nuclease, the SCP gene was localized to a 4.3-kb segment of DNA. Southern hybridization experiments showed that the type 12 M protein-coding sequence is also present in the hybrid phage lambda 4.1, at approximately 2 kb upstream of the SCP structural gene. Western blot analysis indicated that the cloned streptococcal DNA in lambda 4.1 directed the expression of both SCP and M12 protein.     

The 34-kilodalton membrane immunogen of Treponema pallidum is a lipoprotein.

Treponema pallidum subsp. pallidum and Escherichia coli incorporated exogenous [3H]palmitate into the 34-kilodalton (kDa) pathogen-specific antigen of T. pallidum. Radiolabeled fatty acid remained associated with the protein upon immunoprecipitation and after boiling in sodium dodecyl sulfate, acetone precipitation, and extensive extractions in organic solvents, suggesting that the fatty acid was covalently bound to the protein. Detection of [3H]palmitate after alkaline and acid hydrolyses confirmed the identity of the incorporated label. Globomycin inhibited maturation of the recombinant 34-kDa antigen, suggesting that E. coli uses the lipoprotein-specific signal peptidase II to process the treponemal antigen. Globomycin also inhibited processing of the 34-kDa antigen, as well as the 44.5- and 15-kDa antigens, in T. pallidum, implying that T. pallidum also possesses the lipoprotein export pathway common to both gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria. Ethanol inhibited processing of the 34-kDa antigen in minicells, suggesting that the 34-kDa antigen normally is translocated through the cytoplasmic membrane. Comparison of the Triton X-114 phase partitioning behavior of the 34-kDa antigen produced either by minicells or by a cell-free translation system indicated that the covalent attachment of fatty acid conferred hydrophobic biochemical properties to the 34-kDa antigen, consistent with the hypothesis that the attached lipid anchors the 34-kDa antigen into the membrane.