Electrophoretic analysis of the major outer membrane protein of Chlamydia psittaci reveals multimers which are recognized by protective monoclonal antibodies

Purified major outer membrane protein, detergent solubilized and reduced with dithiothreitol but not heated, gave an apparent molecular weight in sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-polyacrylamide gels almost three times that observed for the heat-denatured SDS-treated peptide. This is similar to the behavior of porin trimers from gram-negative bacteria. Two protective monoclonal antibodies showed strong binding to the proposed trimer but not to denatured, monomeric major outer membrane protein.