Patent ID: 7811588

Claim:
An isolated M. tuberculosis peptide, wherein said peptide is selected from the group consisting of: (i) (a) SEQ ID NO: 1, 5, 11, 15, 21, 25, 27, 31, 33, 35, 37, 41, 43, or 45; or a fusion protein comprising said SEQ ID NO; (b) a fragment of SEQ ID NO: 1, 5, 11, 15, 21, 25, 27, 31, 33, 35, 37, 41, 43, or 45, wherein said fragment has at least 35 amino acid residues; or a fusion protein comprising said fragment; wherein said fragment has a common antigenic cross-reactivity to SEQ ID NO: 1, 5, 11, 15, 21, 25, 27, 31, 33, 35, 37, 41, 43, or 45; or (c) a variant of SEQ ID NO: 1, 5, 11, 15, 21, 25, 27, 31, 33, 35, 37, 41, 43, or 45 wherein the full-length amino acid sequence of said variant has at least 70% amino acid homology with the full-length amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1, 5, 11, 15, 21, 25, 27, 31, 33, 35, 37, 41, 43, or 45; or a fusion protein comprising said variant; wherein said variant has a common antigenic cross-reactivity to SEQ ID NO: 1, 5, 11, 15, 21, 25, 27, 31, 33, 35, 37, 41, 43, or 45; (ii) (a) SEQ ID NO: 7 or 17, or a fusion protein comprising SEQ ID NO: 7 or 17; or (b) a variant of SEQ ID NO: 7 or 17, wherein the full-length amino acid sequence of said variant has at least 70% amino acid homology with the full-length amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 7 or 17; or a fusion protein comprising said variant; wherein said variant has a common antigenic cross-reactivity to SEQ ID NO: 7 or 17; (iii) (a) SEQ ID NO: 3; or a fusion protein comprising SEQ ID NO: 3; or (b) a variant of SEQ ID NO: 3, wherein the full-length amino acid sequence of said variant has at least 80% amino acid homology with the full-length amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 3; or a fusion protein comprising said variant; wherein said variant has a common antigenic cross-reactivity to SEQ ID NO: 3; (iv) (a) SEQ ID NO: 23 or 39 or a fusion protein comprising SEQ ID NO: 23 or 29; (b) a fragment of SEQ ID NO: 23 or 39, wherein said fragment has at least 35 amino acid residues; or a fusion protein comprising said fragment; wherein said fragment has a common antigenic cross-reactivity to SEQ ID NO: 23 or 39; or (c) a variant of SEQ ID NO: 23 or 39, wherein the full-length amino acid sequence of said variant has at least 90% amino acid homology with the full-length amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 23 or 39; or a fusion protein comprising said variant; wherein said variant has a common antigenic cross-reactivity to SEQ ID NO: 23 or 39; and (v) SEQ ID NO: 19, or a fusion protein comprising SEQ ID NO: 19; wherein the peptide is encoded by an M. tuberculosis gene the expression of which is down-regulated during a stationary phase culture of M. tuberculosis under nutrient-starving culture conditions when compared with an exponential phase culture of M. tuberculosis under culture conditions that are not nutrient-starving and that support exponential growth of said M. tuberculosis.